110-Room Hotel and Retail Project Coming to Downtown Ann Arbor

By Veronica Grecu, Associate Editor

A new hotel is set to rise on a 0.48-acre site at the corner of Huron and Ashley streets in downtown Ann Arbor if the development team receives the green light from the Planning Commission and City Council.

Ann Arbor – hotel and retail project by First Martin Corp.

Plans for the $20 million project were submitted for review with the city last week by Ann Arbor-based First Martin Corp. The developer hopes to get the go-ahead in two or three months and start construction immediately.

First Martin, which owns the property at 116-120 West Huron Street, wants to replace the site with a 110-room extended-stay hotel that would cater to clients looking for short-term accommodation options. According to MLive.com, the property is currently occupied by two buildings—the Greyhound bus depot and Ann Arbor Convention and Visitors bureau—that will be  demolished as soon as the project is approved. One of the features that make this project unique is the fact that it will preserve a part of the bus depot façade while incorporating the sign into the design.

The plans jointly designed by Zivic & Hurdle Architects of Fairfarx, VA, and Hobbs + Black Architects of Ann Arbor include a seven-story structure that will incorporate a mix of hotel rooms ranging from studios to two-bedroom units, along with a hotel lobby on the first floor, meeting rooms and office space, a restaurant with sidewalk café and an exercise room, as well as a pool and patio. The developer hasn’t announced which national hotel chain was selected for the Ann Arbor location, but the new facility could open as a Residence Inn by Marriott—given Zivic & Hurdle’s vast experience designing hotels for this brand.

As for the project’s retail component, Crain’s Detroit Business reports that it will encompass around 6,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space along the Huron Street frontage and will be marketed by the Ann Arbor office of Colliers International Inc.

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Rendering credits to Zivic & Hurdle Architects and Hobbs + Black Architects