Natalie Burg

Natalie Burg's Latest Articles

Chelsea native opens rare chiropractic specialty practice in hometown

By Natalie Burg

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Development News

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March 20, 2013

Since the opening of Chelsea Chiropractic & Functional Neurology this month, Chelsea has become home to one of just three chiropractors in the state specializing in neurology. The 1,100 square foot office on W. Middle St. will celebrate its grand opening on March 28.  Keiser practiced chiropractics in Nashville and southern Florida before moving back to his hometown to open his business with his fiance. While Keiser sees patients for traditional chiropractic services, he says his neurological practice can help those who might have given up hope of dealing with side effects from head injuries, vertigo, strokes and more when symptoms persist despite receiving a clean bill of health from neurologists. "We understand that just because there is nothing physically broken in the brain, that doesn't mean there's nothing wrong," he says. "We go in and find those areas that aren't functioning so well in the brain and we provide therapies and rehab to allow them to come back to health."  Chelsea Chiropractic employs Keiser, his fiancé and one additional employee. Keiser is one of three chiropractors in his field in Michigan and fewer than 500 board certified functional neurologists in the world.  Source: Dr. Nathan Keiser, Chelsea Chiropractic & Functional Neurology Writer: Natalie Burg

Selma Cafe Thinks, Eats and Grows Locally

By Natalie Burg

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General

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February 20, 2013

From neighborhood breakfast salon to ag incubator to monthly happy hours to nonprofit organization, Selma Café has grown and evolved over its four years. Concentrate chats with its co-founder and president Lisa Gottlieb about how things are going and where they are headed next.

what crepe? to bring French rustic, 50 jobs to downtown Ann Arbor

By Natalie Burg

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Arts and Culture

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February 6, 2013

Downtown diners in search of something new certainly have options in the Liberty area with a rush of new restaurants opening over the past few months. According to what crepe? manager Dennis Williams, however, the forthcoming creperie will have no problem standing out from the pack.  "[What crepe?] fits here," he says. "The crepe itself is traditional, but what we're doing with it is kind of unique. That's what Ann Arbor is; it's traditional, but it's unique." The former location of Squares Restaurant has been undergoing some serious renovations over the last four months, bringing what Williams calls a "Euro-sexy" feel to the third what crepe? that differentiates it from the first two restaurants. "We've got the chandeliers and the warm colors here, and the wood makes it French-rustic," he says. "If you look at the Royal Oak location, it looks more like Parisian living room. In Birmingham it's like downtown Paris." As for food, Williams says the classic French crepes will come with a variety unusual fillings, making the classy-meets-casual restaurant appropriate for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  "It's that classic crepe, but [owner Paul Jenkins] asked, 'Why can't you have chicken or steak or salmon inside a crepe? Why can't you think outside the crepe?'" The new restaurant will open with 50 employees. While Williams says an opening date is uncertain at this time, he expects to start serving guests in mid-February. "We don't have a date just yet," he says. "We'll shout it to the heavens when it's time." Source: Dennis Williams, what crepe?Writer: Natalie Burg, Development News Editor

Fresh, affordable Mexican arrives on Washtenaw with Maiz

By Natalie Burg

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Arts and Culture

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February 6, 2013

Three months doesn't sound like very long to develop and open a new restaurant, but for Maíz Mexican Cantina General Manager Jason Branham, the time between sitting down with building owner Demos Panos in November and opening the Washtenaw Avenue location in January was intense. "We put a lot of time and thought into it," says Branham. "It was difficult because a lot of people are saying that doesn't look Mexican. I want a place where people can bring their family to, but they can also have a nice date."  The classy-meets-affordable Mexican restaurant came about after Branham's market research told him it was exactly what the area needed.  "We looked at the demographics around here and found a large Hispanic community within a mile around us," he says. "Also, Don Carlos used to be located across the street, and it was recently mentioned as one of the most missed restaurants." So far, that information seems to be proving to be true. Branham says the biggest problem the 220-seat restaurant has had since opening January 21 is being too busy. Maíz opened with 26 employees, and Branham is already making plans to hire more.  In addition to meeting demand, Branham says integral to the restaurant's business plan is providing fresh, local food at an affordable price.  "Mexican has a lower food cost compared to a lot of different cuisine," says Branham. "So, from a business standpoint, that was appealing, but that doesn't mean we can't put out great food. 'Fresh, from scratch food for under $10' is the mantra." While Branham says they are currently not utilizing their freezer much at all, he's looking forward the spring and summer to have access to more local produce to serve, as well as freeze for use year round.  As the largest Washtenaw Avenue establishment with a full bar between US-23 and Eastern Michigan University, Branham also hopes to attract nightlife patrons to Maíz.  Source: Jason Branham, Maíz Mexican Cantina  Writer: Natalie Burg, Development News Editor

$10M Kerrytown Place condos proposed for North Main St.

By Natalie Burg

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Arts and Culture

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February 6, 2013

Tom Fitzsimmons knows a thing or two about residential developments in Kerrytown. "We've built five new homes here over the last two years," says the Huron Contracting developer. "We have people wanting to live in Kerrytown. It seems like ground zero for housing in downtown." That number could jump another 19 units in the next year if his $10 million Kerrytown Place condominium development comes to fruition on N. Main Street and Fourth Avenue. The three-building project is proposed at the site of the recently demolished Greek church, a location Fitzsimmons says makes for a great location for residents.  "It'll be a very exciting place to live," Fitzsimmons says. "You'll be able to walk out your back door, walk 100 feet and be in the middle of the Farmers Market." The two- and three-bedroom condos would range from 1,300 to just over 2,000 square feet each. Fitzsimmons expects the units to be priced neither at the low or high end of the downtown housing market, estimating prices could be between $275 to $325 per square foot.  According to Fitzsimmons, the design of the project has been developed to fit into Kerrytown's historic aesthetic, as well as with parking for residents in mind.   "We're conscious of the need for parking," he says. "We were able to put them underneath the building, and achieve two parking spaces for every single condominium." The proposed Kerrytown Place condos have been submitted to the city's Design Review Board, which will examine the project in February. From there, the proposal will move through a citizen participation meeting, the Planning Commission and City Council for approval.  "For us, the best possible outcome is to have a smooth process where people support the project," says Fitzsimmons. "We hope to be through the approval process by fall and be able to start construction right away, and to bring the condos for sale in early next spring."  Source: Tom Fitzsimmons, Huron Contracting Writer: Natalie Burg, Development News Editor

PRIME Research to triple footprint in former Borders building downtown

By Natalie Burg

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Community Development

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February 6, 2013

Though many were sad to see Borders exit their State St. location, there's reason for cheer again as another high tech company has signed on to help refill the key downtown building. Germany-based PRIME Research plans to expand their North American headquarters into a 16,000 square foot, second-floor space this year.  "We have grown out of it," says PRIME Research North America's Julie Myers-Beach of the company's current, 5,000 square foot Ashley St. location. "We're about as close together as we can be." Myers-Beach says the company is eager to get into the new space, which is now undergoing significant renovations, including a new elevator.  "They'll be putting in windows," says says. "Along the side of Maynard and Liberty, it will be almost all windows. They're also adding additional bathrooms and updating the stairway. They're doing a lot of infrastructure work to the building." PRIME Research hopes to move into the new space in June, in advance of the Ann Arbor Art Fair According to Myers-Beach, the location was ideal for the company, which chose the State Street location for one of the same reasons it chose Ann Arbor as its headquarters in 2004. "We really like being so close to the University of Michigan, because we do hire quite a few students here," says Myers-Beach. "We wanted to be close to the universities, and, at the beginning, we were almost predominantly auto clients, so we wanted to be close enough to Detroit."  The staff of PRIME Research's Ann Arbor location has grown from 42 employees to 80 over the past year. Myers-Beach says she expects that growth to continue in the new space as the company hopes to expand into new markets, such as the hospitality sector.  Source: Julie Myers-Beach, PRIME Research North America Writer: Natalie Burg, Development News Editor

Shape Ypsi master planning launches new website, public outreach

By Natalie Burg

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Community Development

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January 30, 2013

A common criticism of government studies and plans is that after all the time and effort spent developing them, they are put into a binder and tucked into a shelf. With the recently launched "Shape Ypsilanti" website and social media campaign, the city of Ypsilanti intends to create a master planning process that defies such an outcome by being both active and flexible.  The goal of a master plan is to establish a long-term vision for land use and development. The Shape Ypsilanti master planning process is a part of Washtenaw County’s Community Challenge Grant. The city will receive $180,000 to generate a master plan and zoning ordinance revisions. While the master plan itself garners most of the attention, the ordinance revisions are a major part of the project. "We’re hoping to have the master plan drafted by this summer," says Ypsilanti City Planner Teresa Gillotti. "Then we switch gears and start revising our zoning ordinance. Then we'll have a little bit of muscle in the master plan." According to Gillotti, building flexibility into the plan is the result a lesson the city learned after drastic changes to the economy altered the relevance of their 1998 master plan. Because no one can anticipate exactly what the future will hold, the Shape Ypsilanti process will include the unique feature of developing community values along with the land use vision.  "We want to have consensus on our guiding principles, so when things change we still know where we’re going," says Gillotti. "Instead of saying, 'we can only do option A, B or C,' we can say, 'Does D fit our principles?' It’s a neat idea."  The Shape Ypsilanti process launched Jan. 17 with an interactive website and social media. Public focus groups and charrettes will begin next month. Gillotti encourages members of the public to join in the planning process, and to visit the website for opportunities to get involved. Source: Teresa Gillotti, Ypsilanti City Planner Writer: Natalie Burg

Ann Arbor public housing to get up to $20M upgrade

By Natalie Burg

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Community Development

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January 30, 2013

The process may be a bit complicated, but the end result will be better quality living spaces for public housing residents in Ann Arbor, including better energy efficiency and the use of green products to lower utility bills and reduce health issues. Earlier this month, the Ann Arbor Housing Commission (AAHC) moved closer to making these renovations with a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program known as RAD, or the rental assistance demonstration program by selecting Norstar Development USA as a private sector partner for the project.   A 2009 Physical Needs Assessment determined that more than $40,000 in capital investment per unit is needed for AAHC units over the next 15 years. According to AAHC Executive Director Jennifer Hall, public housing residents won't be the only benefactors of the much-needed upgrades.  "The City will benefit because it will support the local economy by providing $15 to $20 million in construction work, professional services and tenant jobs," she says. "The neighborhoods will benefit because these units will be an asset to the neighborhood once they are completely renovated." In order to make the investment possible, the AAHC must first convert their operating subsidy source from a HUD public housing budget to a HUD project-based voucher budget. While this won't change the amount tenants pay for their housing, it will provide a more stable source of rent subsidies.  "Public Housing is severely limited in the type of funding it can secure for capital improvements," she says, "and changing to project based vouchers will enable the Housing Commission to secure the funding it needs to maintain its units."  Ultimately, that funding will come from the sale of Low Income Housing Tax Credits, through the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, which AAHC will earn, but will not need to use, as they are a tax-exempt organization.  To complete the plan successfully, the AAHC must secure funding within one year and finish renovations within three years.  Source: Jennifer Hall, AAHC Executive Director Writer: Natalie Burg

Downtown Housing and the Affordability Gap

By Natalie Burg

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General

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January 23, 2013

Affordable housing: What does it take to create it, where should it be, and who is it for? The answers to these questions are harder than you may think. As Ann Arbor increasingly focuses on developing its core neighborhoods, the challenges to creating housing opportunities for a diverse economic community become more and more apparent.

A downtown turnaround: Portland property owners, city and state partner to spur growth

By Natalie Burg

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General

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December 19, 2012

Downtown Portland shrinks vacancy rates and boosts investment when public and private partners find a way to overcome a major barrier to growth. A longtime store owner recounts how a public boardwalk, a state housing program and local business owners worked together to pave the way for upper floor housing rehabs to help transform the downtown neighborhood.