Demolition of Fox Tent & Awning marks start of new apartment development

Demolition work began on Monday on the former Fox Tent & Awning property on the 600 block of South Main Street in Ann Arbor.

Ann Arbor developer Dan Ketelaar is moving ahead with plans for a new six-story, 164-unit apartment project known as 618 South Main.

Ketelaar said the demolition actually was scheduled to start last week, but the subzero temps prevented that from happening.

But demolition crews were out tearing the face off the old Fox Tent & Awning building on Monday. He said they're going to need to close down the sidewalks to continue the rest of the demolition in the coming days.

There are also plans to do some underground utility work, upgrading existing water mains from 4 inches to 8 inches in diameter.

In all, Ketelaar said construction should last about 14 months with the first tenants moving into the building in spring of 2015.

"We've talked to the people at the Washtenaw Dairy and we're putting up a board in there, which will have the construction schedule," he said. "We'll update it every month to let people know what's going to happen that month."

He said he's also talking to the Old West Side Association to get news out about the project in the neighborhood newsletter.

Ketelaar said he wants to be respectful of the neighbors, as the project is directly across Ashley Street from single-family homes. He said crews will make every effort to minimize disruptions during the construction.

"It's a neighborhood project," Ketelaar said. "It's in a neighborhood and we'll try to keep that philosophy and mindset going forward."

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Demolition of Fox Tent & Awning marks start of new apartment development