MACOMB TOWNSHIP, MI-"I expect commercial construction to pick up as 2004 unfolds," says the senior economist for the Detroit branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Real estate firm Grubb & Ellis also sees evidence suggesting an upturn in the industrial market, it said in a September market report.

DETROIT-A new $3 million, 20,000 sf youth center is planned to serve a growing immigrant community in Detroit.

ANN ARBOR, MI-A ballot proposal would allow the city to buy the development rights on farms that ring this university city. The Homebuilders Association of Washtenaw County and the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors are opposed to the plan.

OAK PARK, MI-The state has sold a former National Guard training site and armory to Schostak Bros. for $3.7 million. It will probably be redeveloped into industrial and retail uses.

AUBURN HILLS, MI-The Covisint Club will be expanded at the Palace of Auburn Hills, to provide more premium seating for Detroit Pistons games and other events.

DEARBORN, MI-The University of Michigan-Dearborn has purchased 30 acres containing 318,000 sf of space from Ford Motor Co. for $33 million. The university plans to expand its campus on the site.

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI-GECOM, an automotive supplier, is expanding into 12,012 sf of space leased by Grubb & Ellis. The company said it uses the Farmington Hills office as an "antenna for detecting various industry trends and interfaces with users.

DETROIT-Low demand continues to dog the metropolitan area industrial building market, Grubb & Ellis says.