And Two in Transition

continued

On the surface, that would seem to be the going rate for comparable properties in the area, but a businessman who asked not to be named suggested that the VFW is probably going to regret it. These "sweet deals" are usually pretty sweet for the landlord too, he said. "Seva's been in there, what, thirty years? What's the VFW done for them? They just sit there and collect the rent. In this game, you've got to pay to play. Seva was what's called an 'existing nonconforming tenant.' To get a new tenant in there, there are going to be huge issues to bring the place up to what's now the code. Mechanical, handicap access, bathrooms. I think the VFW made a major mistake." The VFW Post 423 didn't return calls.

The businessman also thinks he knows where Seva is bound: 314 South Fourth. It was most recently the Dream Nite Club, which the city shut down after repeated contretemps involving weapons and underage drinking, but many Ann Arborites fondly remember it as Maude's.   

[Originally published in February, 2013.]