COMMERCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — A massive $150 million development is being built in the community of Commerce Township with a goal of creating a gathering place and much more.
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The downtown project plans to mix a variety of shops with residential and upscale grocery to attract more visitors to the area.
At what will be called Five & Main, located at Pontiac Trail and Martin Parkway, 275,000 square feet of retail will include a boutique hotel, restaurants, shopping and more.
For those who’ve come to call Commerce Township home, there’s something new and exciting on the horizon.
In this growing community of roughly 50,000, you’ll now see man-made cranes along with animals found in nature, which are being protected at the same time.
“Nice to see some new commercial, residential mixed used, and that's good they’re protecting wildlife,” Brandon Thorn, who was visiting the area, said.
“Ain’t too many good shopping areas down here so to add more stuff to, it would be a good thing to come and check out,” Gaylen Rudolph, who works nearby, said.
“There’s still a couple of buildings that have to get built,” Commerce Township Trustee George Weber said.
On an exclusive tour, Weber took me inside a construction area where work is underway after years of planning.
Along with a place to gather, eat and shop, this destination aims to compete with other outdoor malls and downtowns. People are excited for what’s to come.
“... we're actually going to have a downtown to come, spend time with the families. It will have a lot of green space, entertainment, shopping,” Weber said.
He said there’s been a lot of demand for something like this.
“When we acquired all of this land that you're seeing now, it was for the purpose of that,” Weber said.
Looking to the future, development here is about offering something new to a community set to celebrate its bicentennial anniversary while holding onto its roots.
“Right now, a lot of residents leave Commerce Township for their entertainment, for dining, for shopping,” Commerce Township Planning Director Debbie Watson said.
Weber said “by having residential this close to it, they have a built-in base, so it's important to allow them to thrive, to know that they’ve got confidence that they've got a lot of population within walking distance.”
Along with the construction, there’s work already done more than 30 feet underground as part of a new sewer system for this site. The development expected to be completed by the end of next year.
