TOM WALSH: Asian Village to come soon on riverfront

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TOM WALSH: Asian Village to come soon on riverfront

Construction due to start in March

BY TOM WALSH
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

February 21, 2006

A rendering of the structure that will house Asian Village. Dominic Pangborn, its designer, expects Asian Village to be catering spectacular parties on an outdoor terrace that's been designed on the top floor of the parking structure, overlooking the river.

Detroit's massive $500-million plan to revive the riverfront is about to turn more tangible with the start of construction next month on Asian Village, a $6-million restaurant-and-retail project spearheaded by Korean-born designer Dominic Pangborn.

Until now, the visible signs of revival along the Detroit River near downtown have been mostly infrastructure -- a new 7-story parking structure and the moving of earth to clear a pathway for joggers and bicyclists.

But by late summer, Asian Village promises to be luring diners, shoppers and festival goers to its waterfront digs just east of General Motors Corp.'s Renaissance Center headquarters.

And if Pangborn and his partners score a big hit with the concept, look for as many as 50 Asian Villages to spring up around the central United States. The group already has its eyes on two other sites in Michigan, but isn't divulging details yet.

Asian Village will occupy 18,000 square feet, facing out on the river from the ground floor of the new, nearly completed 7-story parking structure at Beaubien and Atwood streets. Pangborn and his partners, Andrew Park and John Snider, say the village will include:

An upscale Asian fusion restaurant called Asian House;

Kawaiian Café, a casual spot with a Pacific islands flavor;

And an Asian Marketplace, a sprawling market that will sell Asian produce, fish and meat. It will also include a Japanese sushi bar and take-out food such as Korean barbecue and Vietnamese noodles.

Pangborn expects Asian Village to be catering spectacular parties on an outdoor terrace that's been designed on the top floor of the parking structure, overlooking the river. Think of 1,000 people or so for the Detroit-Windsor International Freedom Festival fireworks each summer.

The terrace won't be owned by Asian Village, but by the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority, which owns the parking deck and leases it to GM, which presumably will use or rent out the terrace area for various events.

"Everything is ready to go," Pangborn says, now that the rest of the parking structure is virtually complete. He expects work to begin on the Asian Village space by the end of March.

Pangborn, who founded his Pangborn Design graphic design firm in Detroit in 1979, said he is still soliciting more investors to put an additional $3 million into the Asian Village project, to supplement the $3.5 million that's already committed. Launching Asian Village will cost about $6 million and he'd like to have a reserve of operating cash on hand.

Snider, executive vice president and chief operating officers for Asian Village, said he also expects the complex to become a venue for street festivals and live performers. He's hoping to partner with GM, which has already invested $25 million in a plaza and promenade next door, to stage an Asian and Pacific Rim festival there in September.

By then, more than half of the 3-mile eastern leg of the RiverWalk, the paved walking, jogging and cycling trail from Hart Plaza to beyond Belle Isle, is scheduled for completion.

We've been hearing since 2002 about an ambitious plan, kick-started with $50 million in grants pledged by the Kresge Foundation, to transform the riverfront from industrial decay into bustling public spaces. Sounds like Asian Village and GM will give the process a big boost by summer's end.

Contact TOM WALSH at 313-223-4430 or twalsh@freepress.com.