618 South Main preps for August move-ins in downtown Ann Arbor

Construction workers are hurrying toward the finish line for the 618 South Main project on the southern edge of downtown Ann Arbor.

The $27 million development plans to open its first half of the building to residents in August and then the second half in September. The six-story building is expected to bring 164 more apartments into the city’s center.

"One of the things downtown needs to be viable is people," says Dan Ketelaar, president of Urban Group Development, co-developer of 618 South Main. "People are not driving into downtown to do their shopping anymore."

618 South Main is one of a number of new mid-and-high-rise buildings that have been built or are under construction in downtown Ann Arbor. Most of the structures have been geared toward students at the University of Michigan. Ketelaar was working on one of those projects six years ago when he realized there is just as much demand for dense, luxury, urban living from young professionals as there is from students.

Construction started on 618 South Main in January of 2014 in the space that once house the old Fox Tent & Awning business. A few hundred construction workers have worked on the project since, preparing it for its opening.

618 South Main is currently a little more than 40 percent leased out. It is made up of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units that range in price from $1,395 per month to $2,905 per month.  Residents can also rent out one of the 132 parking spaces underneath the building or access its Zipcar.

"We thought a lot of these young people will not have cars," Ketelaar says. "Right now about 50 percent of the leases are taking parking spaces."

Residents will have access to common deck with a pool, outdoor grills, fire pits and lounge areas both inside and outside of the building. All of the water runoff from the building (about 900,000 galloons per year) is also filtered through a rain garden system and into the Huron River.

"This is essentially a lifestyle community for young professionals," Ketelaar says.

Source: Dan Ketelaar, president of Urban Group Development, co-developer of 618 South Main
Writer: Jon Zemke

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