One project down (almost). Another begins. It's the cycle of redevelopment life for the Maurers.

Ypsilanti residents Eric and Karen Maurer, who own Maurer Management & Properties, are nearly finished building the J Neil's Mongolian Grille on the ground floor of the Kresge Building on Michigan Avenue in downtown Ypsilanti. Construction is set to wrap up this summer so the restaurant can open in that same month.

"The big thing is getting the grill in and the ventilation system," Eric Maurer says.

And while the project draws to a close another is getting ready to start. The Maurers are working with their architect, Hoffman Design, on the plans to rennovate the Mack & Mack building. Work on that project is expected to begin in earnest late this fall.

The Mack & Mack building, 211-215 W Michigan Ave., is one of the city's oldest structures. The Maurers want to turn it into nearly a dozen lofts with ground floor retail space. Eric Maurer also said that Bombadills Coffee Shop may expand into some of the retail space.

The Mack & Mack building, at the corner of Michigan and Washington Street, was put up for auction last summer but did not sell. Largely vacant for a number of years, it is one of the last neglected storefronts in downtown Ypsilanti.

Comprised of three storefronts, it formerly housed businesses ranging from Mack & Mack Furniture store, a poultry shop, a book store, a hair salon, a gym and an old feed and grain shop. The basement even once served as a place where bodies were prepared for burial.

Mack & Mack is just the latest downtown acquisition by the Maurers, who specialize in buying, restoring and renting out historic buildings in Ypsilanti. They own dozens of Victorian mansions converted to apartments and a number of other storefronts in downtown Ypsi, including the old Kresge and Cunningham's buildings.

Source: Eric Maurer, co-owner of Maurer Management
Writer: Jon Zemke