The main “ice house” building will be a reimagined space that builds on its unique attributes as a former ice depository, predating the ability to mass produce refrigeration. This unique building is an existing vacant 30,000-square-foot brick, wood, and steel structure that was originally constructed as a regional ice production and delivery building and was most recently used as a powder coating facility. Using this structure is valuable given the exciting architectural features and stance of this structure along Woodward Heights. The building will undergo an extensive renovation that includes editing a portion of the peripheral structures to provide improved access and greatly expand usable outdoor space. Intended uses, include an event center, food hall, health and beauty, arts and entertainment, food/beverage production, and pop-up to permanent vendor space, as confirmed through neighborhood discussion and focus groups.

Drifter Coffee will also be present on-site in its current form. This building was the original security building and weigh station for the Ice House and has been adaptively reused as a popular coffee house. Drifter would remain as a nucleus business and will benefit from greatly improved exterior areas, direct connection to the expanded green area south of the Ice House, and the increased presence of consumers from neighboring businesses and new residents from the housing.

The final component is the south industrial building, which is an existing 60,000-square-foot industrial building that was originally constructed for industrial manufacturing, expanded several times over the decades, and was most recently used as a wire products manufacturing building. Given the condition, the recommendation is to demolish this structure for a new use—a four-story 100-unit apartment building. This includes first-floor accessible units, studios, one-bedroom units, social/gathering spaces, and extensive greenspace.

Planned Unit Development

This is a form of planning that allows for flexibility and creativity in normal zoning requirements. There are several requirements in the City's zoning ordinance that applicants must fulfill in order to qualify for this type of project. Those requirements include the following:

• Preservation of significant natural features
• A complementary mixture of uses
• Sustainable building and site design
• Open space greenways to link to adjacent to greenway corridors
• Transition areas from adjacent land uses
• Provision of affordable housing units
• Diversification of housing types provided in the City
• Preservation of historical buildings or site features
• Improvements to public streets or other public infrastructure
• Pedestrian and transit-oriented development
• Coordinated development of multiple assembled small parcels
• Removal or renovation of blighted buildings, or sites or cleanup of site contamination

PUD projects are reviewed by staff and the Planning Commission via a Public Hearing, with final approval from City Council via Public Hearing.

Supporting Documents 

View project renderings, site plans and elevations, and previous meeting information.

 
Contact 

Community And Economic Development Department 

ced@ferndalemi.gov 
248-546-2525