Hazel Park

CVS, Tim Hortons to rise from Days Hotel's ashes

By Andy Kozlowski
C & G Staff Writer

HAZEL PARK — If you drove past the grave of the former Days Hotel recently, you may have noticed the crimson metal bones of something great taking shape.

Look skyward and you will see not a tombstone but a sign foretelling what’s to come: a brand-new, 24-hour CVS pharmacy and a Tim Hortons coffee shop.

West Bloomfield-based Velmeir Companies is behind the two developments, which are being built side by side at the corner of Nine Mile and John R.

Oak Park-based Seerco Inc. has been contracted to build the 12,900-square-foot CVS on 1.2 acres, a $1.4 million investment. Meanwhile, Clinton Township-based Leonard C. Carnaghi Inc. will handle the 1,800-square-foot Tim Hortons on .46 acres, a $225,000 investment. Both began construction earlier this summer and are slated to wrap up this fall.  

In addition, the CVS and Tim Hortons will each have their own parking lots, a 73-space lot and 27-space lot, respectively. Each includes a bike rack and is located in front of the building, on the north side facing Nine Mile.

“This whole thing was a result of litigation between the property owners and ourselves, and as the result of a consent judgment, we required CVS to build to standards that were far in excess of what they had originally proposed,” Klobucher said.

Originally, CVS had proposed a “cookie-cutter” drugstore design with a light fascia, but the city pressed for a more aesthetically appealing alternative, one resembling a two-story brick building.

“This is an important development right in the middle of Hazel Park, on one of our most prominent corners,” Klobucher said. “We want it to look nice, so we were very pleased with the plans. We think it will be an attractive addition to the city.” 

Another requirement of the lawsuit was the addition of the Tim Hortons, to further diversify the downtown’s business portfolio and promote walkability.

“That big, ugly parking structure and hotel wasn’t all that conducive to foot traffic,” Klobucher said. “The way that it’s configured, you can get off the expressway, go to Tim Hortons and get right back on the expressway. I can’t think of a better location.” 

Earlier this year, demolition began on the long-blighted, nine-story Days Hotel building — once the tallest on Hazel Park’s skyline — and its accompanying 40,000-square-foot, two-story parking structure.

Since 1991, when Holiday Inn first sold the 1.69-acre property, the structure has seen management by a revolving door of companies, from Quality Inn and the Star Hotel to Guest House Inn and La Casa Inn. Each venture failed.

With a history of crime, including prostitution rings, the building languished in its own decay, remaining shuttered a year before a settlement between the city and Huntington Property Holdings was reached, leading to its demolition.

“It’s exciting to see new construction in the heart of our city,” said Angela Schofield, economic development coordinator for Hazel Park. “We expect the CVS/Tim Hortons will drive patrons into the area and attract other new businesses. It breathes new life into what was once a thriving traditional downtown, which was lost when the I-75 freeway was constructed.

“We couldn’t be happier with the progress in the area, between the much-needed Chrysler service drive reconstruction, the new Coney Cravers, and the future CVS and Tim Hortons,” she added.

Klobucher agreed.

“You have to sometimes wait for opportunities for redevelopment because of the fact we’re fully built-out, and virtually every square foot of Hazel Park is owned by someone,” he said. “It’s very good news, and again, we’re pleased we’ve spent a lot of time laying the foundation for these projects.”

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Andy Kozlowski at akozlowski@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1104.