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Board approves revised 411 Michigan office project after developer scales back drive aisle and preserves two historic structures
Summary
The Historic Preservation Board on June 14 approved a revised plan to build an office at 411 Michigan Avenue that keeps two contributing historic buildings, withdraws a prior drive‑aisle variance and secures a variance for the city’s open‑court requirement, after the developer reduced the office mass and proposed adaptively reusing a one‑story garage as an open‑air dining venue.
The Historic Preservation Board on June 14 approved a revised plan to build a Class A office at 411 Michigan Avenue that retains and adaptively reuses two contributing historic buildings on the site and withdraws a requested variance for a minimum drive aisle width.
Staff had told the board the applicant revised plans after an April hearing, moving and reducing portions of the new office building to create a 22‑foot drive aisle so the applicant withdrew a requested variance for drive‑aisle width. The developer also proposed to relocate and retain most of a one‑story rear building and adapt it as an open‑air dining venue tied to a street‑level café; the proposal keeps the two contributing structures and moves mechanical parking to create the open space.
Why it matters: The changes reduce the project’s impact on neighboring historic properties and preserve elements of the site’s built history while allowing new office construction. Staff…
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