Stores in the spotlight
Restaurant chain expands to Southland Center site
When it comes to recent activity, it’s tough to beat the greater Eureka Road business and entertainment corridor. Now get ready to add a Chick-fil-A restaurant location to all the rest of the excitement. American Customer Satisfaction Index has ranked Chick-fil-A America’s favorite restaurant eight years in a row, and now it’s coming to Taylor. The Taylor Retail Management group submitted applications and detailed plans to build one of the widely popular eateries on the site of the currently vacant Little Daddy’s Restaurant at 22250 Eureka Road, which covers 1.47 acres. The plans call for demolition of the existing building and a totally new facility on the site. The new Chick-fil-A will be housed in a 1.995-square-foot building on the southern outskirts of the Southland Center property. Before this announcement, the closest Chick-fil-A restaurants were located in Allen Park and Woodhaven. Allen Park was the first and opened in 2020 at Fairlane Green, a shopping area known as the “The Hill.”
Hampton Manor moving ahead with senior facility
Hampton Manor has been approved by the Planning Commission to build a 72-unit elderly assisted living center on 6.18 acres of property on the northwest corner of Pardee Road and Superior. The developers worked with the City for months refining the project, which will include amenities like a putting green, salon, spa, theatre, library, outdoor walking paths, benches and gazebo. It will be located northwest corner of Pardee and Superior, within walking distance of the Eureka Way! business and entertainment district. Hampton has years of experience in providing care to seniors. It has used its knowledge, the latest technology and the highest standards of hospitality and care to develop and operate some of the most advanced, top rated, newly built, and friendly senior living communities in the nation. Its portfolio consists of several assisted living communities, and it has created a team of thoroughly trained and licensed staff who take pride in being a part of the Manor Senior Living family — physicians, licensed nurses, nursing assistants, caregivers, therapists, activity directors and managers.
Marriott Hotels planned on old Ramada site near Eureka and I-75
Preparations continue for two new Marriott Hotels – a Fairfield Inn and TownePlace Suites – on the vacant location of the former Ramada Inn on Eureka Road, just east of I-75. The plans call for two, four-story hotels. The Fairfield Inn will have 100 rooms; the TownePlace Suites will have 116.
The Fairfield Inn & TownePlace Suites are two of a dozen hotel versions that Marriott offers. The Fairfield Inn series is included in its “select service” category. Courtyard by Marriott and SpringHill Suites by Marriott are two other brands that fall into that “select service” class.
The TownePlace Suites line is part of an “extended stay” series, built for the traveler. These properties feature modern spacious suites with full kitchens, free Wi-Fi and breakfast. Others that fall into that same class are Residence Inn and Marriott Executive Apartments.
Other classes offered by Marriott include luxury (i.e. Ritz-Carlton); lifestyle collection (Renaissance Hotels); signature (Marriott Hotels & Resorts); and destination entertainment (Gaylord Hotels).
The Ramada Inn complex was torn down in 2015 when a new developer acquired the site. Plans for a hotel, or more than one hotel, had surfaced from time to time. The developer owned both the old Ramada site and the former Taylor Tool location on the northern side of Eureka Road.
A new strip mall was eventually built on the abandoned Taylor Tool location and is anchored by La-Z-Boy. Tropical Smoothies and Detroit Wing Co. are also in that center, which is directly across from Trader’s Pointe.
For a lengthy period of time, Taylor featured only a single hotel location, Comfort Inn & Suites on Telegraph Road north of I-94. But soon it will have three – Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites and Hilton Home2Suites, on Pardee Road across from Southland Center and Target.