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Creative Plan In The Works To Renovate Vacant GKN Building

Great news!  The former GKN Automotive facility located just west of the City’s municipal campus may soon have new life.

An application has been submitted by Burton Katzman for an “outside the box” plan to transform the vacant 128,000 sq. ft. building at 3300 University Drive into updated space for multiple business tenants.  GKN Automotive moved out of the building in October 2014 when they relocated across town to their new state-of-the-art facility at 2200 N. Opdyke Road.

Renovations and improvements proposed to the former GKN Automotive building

Renovations and improvements proposed to the former GKN Automotive building

The 30-year-old building will be fully rehabilitated and refurbished.  Plans show that the facility will be separated into a 50,000 sq. ft. multi-tenant office area (Building A) and a separate 78,000 sq. ft. light industrial area (Building B).  Additional parking will be added to accommodate the change in use.  The total investment is estimated at $11.8 million.

Rendering of Improvements proposed to update the building façade

Rendering of improvements proposed to update the building façade

Those interested in learning more about this proposal are encouraged to attend the public hearing at the Planning Commission meeting scheduled for Wednesday, March 16th at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber at City Hall.  A final decision on the project is anticipated to be made by the City Council on Monday, March 28th.

This exciting proposal is just another indication of the strength of the local economy in the City of Auburn Hills.