>> UPTOWN DOWNTOWN The Forefront in Birmingham will offer 10 residences, each of which comes with up to three underground parking spaces.
While designing, building, and selling large homes in Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills, Joseph Jonna noticed more of his clients were looking for an urban experience.
“We build ground-up homes and we do renovations in traditional neighborhoods, all of which are in a five-mile radius of our office,” says Jonna, founder of Jonna Luxury Homes in downtown Birmingham. “But urban building was something new. I wouldn’t say it’s harder, but it’s different.”
For his first urban project, Jonna began work on The Forefront, a new 10-unit condominium development in Birmingham at 400 South Old Woodward (formerly Greens Art Supply). The three-story structure, set to open in spring 2017, will offer residences that range in size from 2,500 square feet to 4,500 square feet. Prices vary based on size, the amount of custom work, and other factors; one unit, for example, is priced at $1.8 million. Features include custom cabinets, large master suites, commercial-quality kitchen appliances, and fireplaces, among other amenities.
“We’ll have 7,600 square feet of commercial space on the first floor, and we’ll have a luxury retailer and an office user,” Jonna says. “We won’t add a restaurant.
