Demolition starts at abandoned Jim Bradley dealership, clearing way for new MINI dealership on Jackson Road
The former Jim Bradley dealership building on Jackson Road has been demolished, marking the start of construction for the new MINI dealership.
Lizzy Alfs | AnnArbor.com
The new dealership will be located at the site of the former Jim Bradley Pontiac dealership just west of Ann Arbor at 3500 Jackson Road. Demolition of that structure was nearly finished late Thursday.
Mack Johnson bought the Jim Bradley dealership in July 2010, and announced plans last fall to demolish the dealership's building and open a MINI franchise. He initially wanted to open the new dealership in February, but that goal was later pushed back to Sept. 1.
Sarah Woolson, marketing director at Mack Buick GMC, said that despite delays the MINI dealership should be open by the end of the year.
“The building is coming down pretty quickly, and things are moving fast,” she said.
Johnson moved the Bradley dealership’s remaining GM brands, Buick and GMC, to his building at 500 Auto Mall Dr., where he’d operated a Saturn dealership until GM discontinued that brand during the auto crisis. That building now houses the renamed Mack Buick-GMC franchise.
The former Jim Bradley dealership building was located at the front of the 7-acre lot. A new building will be constructed there.
According to site plans filed with Scio Township, the new building, designed by architect Scott Bowers of Bowers + Rein of Ann Arbor, will be 12,802 square feet. The new dealership will have 63 parking spaces for customers and staff and 168 for storage and display.
The separate building at the rear will remain, preserving three service bays totaling 5,390 square feet.
Woolson said the body shop will be closed during the construction process.
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.
Comments
15crown00
Sat, Sep 17, 2011 : 6:22 a.m.
i dealt with Jim Bradley once and i was not impressed by either him or his dealership.
bigblue
Sat, Sep 17, 2011 : 4:36 a.m.
Mrs. Bradley was one of my favorite teachers when I was at Bach elementary school. I hope everything is working out well for her family.
Diagenes
Sat, Sep 17, 2011 : 12:39 a.m.
The demolition is another sign of the end of an era. Mr. Bradley was a great man. He was a role model for business owners, a strong supporter of our community, and a true gentleman.
Urban Sombrero
Fri, Sep 16, 2011 : 9:35 p.m.
Why not make a regular-sized dealership instead of a mini one? They could fit more cars in.
tdw
Fri, Sep 16, 2011 : 9:48 p.m.
tatish.......( rim shot )
Jill Mueller
Fri, Sep 16, 2011 : 8:20 p.m.
This is or for Silly Sally: Don't you see this action by tearing down the building, etc. gives many, many peolpe a job? Seems rather obvious. Puts alot of people to work.
Silly Sally
Fri, Sep 16, 2011 : 6:25 p.m.
Why couldn't Mini move into the closed dealership? Why tear it down and build a new one? THis is so wasteful and fills the landfill
Jimmy McNulty
Fri, Sep 16, 2011 : 8:58 p.m.
Good question. Most car manufacturers insist that their dealerships maintain a certain identity, so manufacturers must first approve the plans for a franchisee's building proposal. Secondly, older buildings are not as efficient and energy-friendly as new buildings. If you are buying a former car dealership property outright, watch out because there may be all sorts of environmental problems (underground gas tanks, in-ground hydraulic car lifts in the shop). Good luck getting a mortgage with any of those existing environmental issues. It's just easier to start from scratch. Plus, think of all of the construction work that it generates.
Sparty
Fri, Sep 16, 2011 : 6:41 p.m.
Because the closed dealership was a complete dump, the parking lot paving was crumbling and weed filled -- basically the entire site was a complete disaster to the neighborhood. Have you never driven by it? Thank goodness it's gone and a new facility will be built and the waste will be recycled in an environmentally conscious manner.
xmo
Fri, Sep 16, 2011 : 4:21 p.m.
I wonder if the employees at Jim Bradley complained about pay cuts like the U of M Nurses are?
townie54
Fri, Sep 16, 2011 : 7:48 p.m.
well they werent union anyway but they quit making Pontiacs so they didnt have a choice.Nice to make fun of people losing their Jobs xmo.
CPS
Fri, Sep 16, 2011 : 3:47 p.m.
Yay! Now I can include a MINI as one of my options when I shop for a new car next spring!