The old Motorama Motel at 8 Mile and Woodward in Ferndale is going to see redevelopment.

The 21,000 square foot building will become an Urbane apartment building, with a coffee shop planned on the first floor. The deal closed Tuesday.

The development will have 33 one bedroom/one bathroom units for rent, two 2 bedroom/one bathroom units. It’ll be named “Urbane Ferndale.”

Rents right now are planned to range from $875-$950 per month.

“We feel strongly this is a diamond in the rough,” said Eric Brown of Urbane Apartments. “We want to double down on the 8 Mile location.”

Financing for the project was through the Detroit-based Ferlito Group. No project price was disclosed. An exact timeline for completion was not given.

We reported late last year that the property was being shopped as a redevelopment opportunity.

Ferndale officials have long had concerns about the property and the crime problem there. The city’s police chief at the time said that motel was a haven for prostitution, human trafficking, drugs, assaults and other crime.

Be sure to subscribe to the Daily Detroit podcast for an upcoming interview about this project and others in the area.

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