CIVIC IS A PLACE-BASED real estate development company.
WE strive to create beautiful, sustainable, and equitable communities that make people happier, healthier, and more connected.
PLACE-BASED development
We do not specialize in a particular product-type. Instead, we believe that every neighborhood, district, and parcel of land has a unique set of challenges and opportunities and we believe in embracing these challenges to create authentic, enriching, and dynamic communities.
PUBLIC SPACE, PUBLIC ART, & PRESERVATION
We invest in great design and deep community engagement. We believe in the power of small businesses building new products and feel there is value in conserving old buildings just because they’re old. We are striving to make the planet a cooler, greener place. Lastly, we believe surface parking lots are opportunities to create new homes for people of all incomes with great access to jobs and amenities.
DIVERSE, CONNECTED NEIGHBORHOODS
We believe in shared prosperity and the value of true diversity. We don’t want anyone to have to leave our neighborhoods because they can’t afford it, and we operate under the assumption that all people enjoy living in places with people that aren’t the same as them.
HOW WE WORK
Civic works in a few different ways. Mostly, we focus on a series of buildings and land in a concentrated area and work with our neighbors (residents, office workers, other property owners, etc.) to create a vision for a cohesive community and make it happen. Other times, we partner with owners of buildings and land to manage the development of their assets. Occasionally, we consult on the development of plans for neighborhoods and districts. Every so often, we invest in place-based businesses that are making products, offering services, or selling food and drinks that contribute to the positive improvement of a community.
THE TEAM
GEORGE ROBERTS – CO-FOUNDER, PRINCIPAL
Before co-founding Civic, George was the Senior Director of Civic Development for Rock Ventures and Director of Public Spaces for Quicken Loans Community Fund. He oversaw all of Bedrock and Quicken Loans investments in the redevelopment, activation, and operation of parks, streets, plazas, alleys, bike lanes, libraries, and other civic infrastructure throughout Detroit.
Before Quicken Loans, George lived in New York City and worked for the national leader in public space redevelopment, Biederman Redevelopment Ventures. In this role, George developed parks and public spaces across North America for premiere real estate developers.
George attended the University of Michigan earning a bachelor’s degree in Urban and Metropolitan Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Real Estate Development from Ross School of Business / Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. He is originally from Birmingham and currently lives in Downtown Detroit.
George is a member of the Executive Board of NEXTGen Detroit at the Jewish Federation and Founders Junior Council at the Detroit Institute of Arts. George is also a board member of JARC, The Well, the Detroit Greenways Coalition, and Woodbridge Neighborhood Development.
ADAM KESSLER – CO-FOUNDER, PRINCIPAL
Adam is a principal and co-founder of Civic. He is an active attorney who houses his practice at Clark Hill PLC, focusing on many different areas of the law, including Real Estate, Corporate Law (Mergers & Acquisitions), Estate Planning, and Litigation. He has extensive experience in the sale, acquisition, development and leasing of residential, retail, office, industrial and other commercial projects.
Adam also serves as Vice President and General Counsel for J. Rieger & Co. Originally founded by Adam’s great-great-great grandfather in 1887, the company presently operates in historic Electric Park located in Kansas City’s East Bottoms.
Adam attended the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, with concentrations in Finance Real Estate, Operations Management, and Entrepreneurship. He spent five years working in the financial leadership program at Ford Motor Company before attending Wayne State University Law School, where he received his Doctor of Law (JD) degree.
Adam is from Birmingham, Michigan and is active in multiple community organizations in downtown Detroit and throughout Southeastern Michigan.
BUILT FROM EXPERIENCE
Civic is built on the experiences and lessons learned by two principals who have spent their careers (and much of their free time) working in various ways to build and strengthen communities.
Below, we’ve included a few examples of projects our team has completed that are representative of the type of work focused on at Civic.
Beyond the extensive experience our team brings to any project, Civic is fortunate to leverage a large network in virtually every area of the real estate spectrum. Many projects, including some of those highlighted below, include collaborations with our growing and diverse network of real estate professionals, community organizers, non-profits, government agencies and more. At Civic, we are able to deliver high quality and meaningful projects because of our focus on bringing the best possible team to the table.
current projects:
Scripps District, Woodbridge, Detroit
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Civic Companies is in the process of developing 64 attainably priced two-bedroom townhouses in a project known as Scripps District, Woodbridge, Detroit. Located on the site of the former Scripps Mansion, the project is centered on the renovation of the mansion’s powerhouse and features the creation of a new central park and residential mews. The development site was strategically chosen by the Civic team because of its location on Scripps Park which was beautifully renovated by the City of Detroit General Services Department and features a playground, ornamental gardens, and a dog park. The park is actively programmed with children’s activities, movies, yoga, and more throughout the summer by Woodbridge Neighborhood Development.
The site is also easily connected to Downtown Detroit and other great neighborhoods and employment centers via parking-protected and buffered bike lanes, two bus routes, shared scooters, and bike share. The team has had dozens of public and one-on-one meetings with Woodbridge residents to hear what they would like to see in the development. The restoration of the Scripps Mansion powerhouse, addition of new public space, and architectural style are reflective of the feedback the development team received from the community.
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Kaul Glove Building District
Civic Companies is currently in the process of redeveloping The Kaul Glove Building and a series of adjacent historic assets and parcels of vacant land in Detroit’s oldest extant neighborhood, Corktown. The Kaul Glove Building is being developed as the perfect place for companies to rethink the future of their workspace in a post-Covid world. The building is designed for companies thinking of moving out of a cramped coworking space to make room for in-person collaboration at a safe distance, firms that are enjoying remote work and realizing they want a smaller (and cooler) space in a better location, and freelancers who are looking for a place to work (or just get out of the house).
In addition to this core building, Civic is redeveloping an adjacent 19th Century corner store and apartment house into a 21st Century corner store and boarding house and developing a series of apartments in adjacent infill lots. Civic also plans to work closely with the City of Detroit and Corktown neighborhood groups to improve and activate the adjacent city park.
Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue
Located in the heart of Downtown Detroit, the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue’s community is thriving, but its century-old building is tired. Two of the building’s four floors are unusable, the sanctuary is inaccessible because of a nonfunctional elevator, and the ground floor façade still presents a very unwelcoming brick wall.
Civic is working with the synagogue’s lay and professional leadership to transform the building into a first-of-its-kind multiuse, urban community center and collaborative workspace for Detroit’s Jewish community and a functional home for the Downtown Synagogue’s congregational needs.
The renovated building will feature a transparent (but ballistic proof) glass storefront on the first level, a ground floor community space that takes inspiration from great hotel lobbies, a modern and functional sanctuary, collaborative and inspiring office space, and a rooftop deck for working, worshipping, and hosting events.
PAST PROJECTS:
CAPITOL PARK
In his time with Bedrock and the Quicken Loans Family of Companies, George led the planning and redevelopment of the public realm at the center of the Capitol Park district of Downtown Detroit. Today, Capitol Park is downtown Detroit’s leading residential submarket and home to tech companies, creative office, and a dynamic mix of local and regional serving retail. As in Capitol Park, Civic Companies is focused on developing projects that are based on adding asset and community value by investing in the improvement and programming of parks and plazas.
Chelsea improvement company
In his time with Biederman Redevelopment Ventures, George’s team led the process of making southwest Chelsea and the Meatpacking District a cleaner, safer, more comfortable, and more beautiful neighborhood by managing a sanitation, security, landscaping, and public space program. BRV executed this project on behalf of a consortium of real estate developers that united to invest in their neighborhood’s public realm. Similar to this project, Civic strives to unite neighbors around a shared vision and action plan for community improvement.
milwaukee junction
As the general counsel for Town Partners, Adam led the legal aspects of assembling, developing, leasing a significant portfolio of properties in Detroit’s Milwaukee Junction neighborhood. Adam also led Town’s successful sale of a portion of this portfolio and was critical in structuring joint-venture agreements with other property owners in the neighborhood. Like they did in Milwaukee Junction, Civic Companies is structured to lead the activation of neighborhoods by making significant investments in various types of properties across a target region.
SPIRIT OF detroit PLAZA & WOODWARD ESPLANADE
In his role as the Director of Public Spaces for the Quicken Loans Community Fund, George led the creation of The Woodward Esplanade and played a key role in the creation and activation of Spirit of Detroit Plaza. These public spaces were created from medians and vehicular right of way and immediately transformed the landscape of Detroit’s Central Business District by making it greener, more walkable, more breathable, and more connected to the riverfront. Not unlike these projects, Civic Companies seeks opportunities to create new public spaces that have a catalytic impact on the communities around them.
J. RIEGER & Co. distillery
J. Rieger & Co. is a multi-generation spirits manufacturer originally founded by Jacob Rieger, Adam’s great-great-great grandfather, in 1887. After taking a brief 94-year hiatus following the enactment of prohibition, the company was refounded in 2014 and is now headquartered in Kansas City’s historic Electric Park neighborhood. In 2019 the company lead redevelopment of the century old historic Heim Brewery building, repurposing the facility into a new facility that will house expanded production for J. Rieger & Co., along with event space, and multiple bars and restaurants. J. Rieger & Co. is also leading a strategy to leverage the distillery to create positive change in the surrounding neighborhood. Based on their experience in Kansas City, Civic continues to invest in place-based businesses that help activate real estate and anchor catalytic community improvement.
GREEKTOWN
NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERSHIP
While leading public space investment for Quicken Loans and Bedrock, George recruited, hired, and trained the first full-time staff person for the Greektown Neighborhood Partnership and led the proves of creating a vision framework plan to guide the development of the neighborhood in the future. As in Greektown, Civic develops aspirational, world-class neighborhood plans that bring stakeholders and communities together around an attainable vision for the future.
Cadillac Lodge & the downtown Detroit Holiday Markets
While leading public space investment for Quicken Loans and Bedrock, George developed and oversaw the operation of a free-to-the-public indoor public space designed to look like a luxurious ski lodge and a world-class holiday market in the heart of downtown Detroit’s Cadillac Square. Civic leverages underutilized public assets to create exciting environments that bring people together and add value to assets and communities.