SI N

Singles Row

Southfield's
Franklin Road
has become
a mecca
for unmarried
apartment
dwellers

Looking northbound on Franklin Road one can see Willow Park Apts. at top left, with Mapletree just below.

MIKE ROSENBAUM

Special to The Jewish News

otorists who occasion-
drive down
ally
Northwestern Highway
in Southfield may see
a different landscape
with every trip, due to the constant
construction in recent years. An-
other change in the area in this de-
cade, partly due to the neighbor-
hood's expansion, has been an in-
flux of singles into the nearby
apartments on Franklin Road.
Apartment managers and
Jewish singles recently interviewed
generally agreed that singles move
to Franklin Road because they
work at one of the area's new
businesses, or that the build-up in
the area has made it a conyenient
place for singles to live.
The five apartment complexes
which are currently dominated by
singles are: Franklin Park Towers;

Mapletree co-managers Larry and
Marge Merfert rent apartments to many
young professionals.

Pine Aire Apartments; Willow
Park Apartments; Mapletree
Apartments; and Franklin Hills
Apartments.
Joan Lasher, the manager at

Pine Aire Manager Joan Lasher shows
a prospect a floor plan.

Mapletree co-manager Marge
Merfert feels the area "always has
had the reputation for young pro-
fessionals here, not necessarily
singles." But she adds that the
trend for the past two years is
toward more single residents. She
emphasized, however, that Maplet-
ree isn't just a singles complex.
She echoes Lasher when asked
Beverly Lambert is the manager at
why so many singles are moving
Willow Park.
in. "We're centrally located, and
Pine Aire since July of last year, there are a lot of businesses out in
says, "maybe three percent" of the this area which we're very close to.
apartments she has rented have Plus the fact that ... we have a
been to married people. Why are few amenities, tennis and a pool,
the singles flocking to Pine Aire? club house."
About 75 percent of Willow
- "Because there's so many of them
that are working at EDS or W.B. Park's 203 units are occupied by
Doner or someplace in and around singles, according to manager Be-
this area where we are," responded verly Lambert. "We've always, bas-
Lasher. "Plus the fact that, of ically, had a lot of singles . here.
course, we have two pools here and This has usually been pretty much
a tennis court an .. we're kind of a young-professional-people build-
centrally locate close 4- every-
thing."
Continued on Page 86