DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[animatedmartian]

I'm surprised how little is reported about the Cobo renovation. What is the latest?


They are currently putting a glass canopy across the entrance which is the final leg of renovation. Personally haven't been by there recently so I don't know how far along they are with it.

[subterranean]

I was just there last week but didn't get any photos due to the weather. Construction crews were still at work on the entrance. Grand Ballroom A is complete. Carpet is going in. I have to say, it looks pretty sharp overall. I did notice, however, that the metal panels that adorn certain surfaces look really sharp; however, I did see some dents where ostensibly employees have brushed them with serving or cleaning carts. This was minor, but I hope this isn't a trend. Otherwise, I thought they've done a pretty good job. Certainly a major improvement.

[animatedmartian]

Construction on the Professional Plaza medical building has started. Hammer and Nail building still up, no word on what will be potentially done with it other than it has a separate developer from the new building.

https://38.media.tumblr.com/1ff8af61d7bdf7eb92cfd24220fd46e8/tumblr_nfo7b09VCZ1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

https://38.media.tumblr.com/4a31e6ff2cba37cd6129c3c0728282a1/tumblr_nfo7c1W1Cq1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

https://33.media.tumblr.com/f95a351cf345c389f36d2ae0fc0d5c58/tumblr_nfo7b9OXRB1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

https://38.media.tumblr.com/cb0254922b33e878fb881f1b4c8dea7b/tumblr_nfo7ask71Z1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

Via Curbed (http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/11/68m-medicalparking-garage-project-stirs-to-life-in-midtown.php)

[detroit_alive]

Construction on the Professional Plaza medical building has started. Hammer and Nail building still up, no word on what will be potentially done with it other than it has a separate developer from the new building.


It bothers me that we haven't seen a site plan for this development. I have a feeling it will be a massive disappointment given the potential of that plot.

[animatedmartian]

Hopefully it can get reused.

Detroit eyes RFPs to refortify R. Thornton Brodhead Naval Armory (http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20141130/NEWS/311309970/detroit-eyes-rfps-to-refortify-r-thornton-brodhead-naval-armory)
By Kirk Pinho. November 30, 2014.

https://38.media.tumblr.com/d699015e690f730e58d6b722303266bd/tumblr_nfuvt56inN1tv48zjo1_500.jpg

https://38.media.tumblr.com/60154d8939b8b6d46998639d316fe4db/tumblr_nfuvtiqFOe1tv48zjo1_500.jpg

In its 84 years, the R. Thornton Brodhead Naval Armory along the Detroit River has hosted a future president, a future boxing legend, and untold numbers of U.S. sailors, Marines and Coast Guard members.

But since it closed its doors in 2003, scrappers have been more prevalent visitors to the 107,000-square-foot building at 7600 E. Jefferson Ave.

Now, the city is developing a request for proposals to redevelop the armory, which sits on 4.5 acres and was named in 1947 after Capt. R. Thornton Brodhead, who as lieutenant commander of the Michigan naval force lobbied the city and state for construction of the armory, which was built in 1929 and 1930.

For Rebecca Binno Savage — the former treasurer of the nonprofit Brodhead Armory Preservation Society, which raised funds to maintain the city-owned building now in disrepair and advocated for its preservation — the RFP is welcome news.

"I spent a lot of my life working on this building. I took the flag down and turned the keys over to the city in October 2003," said Savage, who is also the historic preservation leader for Detroit-based architecture firm Kraemer Design Group PLC. "That Thanksgiving weekend, we had a very hard freeze and every pipe burst. It went from a functioning, perfectly maintained building into an instantly soaked disaster."

....

Scott Allen, president of Bingham Farms-based property management company The Fourmidable Group Inc., which manages several Detroit riverfront properties, said the site is best suited for commercial use because of the lack of such space in the area.

"Any kind of new activity that occurs there further up the river, there are opportunities for all of that to redevelop and come back to life," he said.

It wouldn't be the first RFP for the site, where Franklin D. Roosevelt stumped in his first presidential campaign in 1932 and where Joe Louis fought his first amateur bout that same year (it was a two-round loss to British boxer Johnny Miller). The city issued redevelopment requests in 2003 and 2010 that produced no results.

But things are different now since riverfront development and redevelopment have been moving forward at a steady clip.

...

[subterranean]

Whitney Building Restores Historic Cornice Lost 55 Years Ago

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/547967c4f92ea13ff4022248/IMG_20141128_114317.jpg

We've explored David Whitney Building's new apartments and hotel rooms (http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/10/tour-the-david-whiteny-apartments-and-hotel-rooms.php), gawked at the tremendous lobby (http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/09/david-whitney-renovation-reveals-restored-skylight.php), and welcomed 26 lions (http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/10/lion-heads-restored-to-top-of-the-david-whitney.php) to the facade. With doors scheduled to open later this month, workers have now finished installing the last major piece of the Whitney's restoration: the new (old) cornice.

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/12/whitney-building-restores-historic-cornice-axed-55-years-ago.php

[iheartthed]

Hopefully it can get reused.

I hope so. I spent a lot of time there as a kid. It's a beautiful building in a unique location along the river.

[animatedmartian]

Slipped under the radar, but in Detroit's North End, the Michigan Human Society is upgrading to a new facility. Groundbreaking was back in October and construction is expected to be completed in 2016. The construction is financed through donations and as of this post $9 million of the $15 million dollar construction cost has been raised.

Ki4SaVm0KLA

https://33.media.tumblr.com/41108396717ac69a2e73f5f49a59a121/tumblr_nfx1kkSWwj1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

[animatedmartian]

In an attempt to sell a parking lot, investor Emre Uralli (who has an iffy history in Detroit) has presented a fantasy design of what a developer could build on the lot if they so chose.

This is purely a fantasy proposal although it begs the question why the investor doesn't build something himself rather than presenting what could be built there by someone else. It's a weird marketing strategy. :koko:

The lot is for sale for $7 million and includes a $9 million dollar tax credit.

https://33.media.tumblr.com/de71f3335651ac45c2fac5cef63c279d/tumblr_ng2hqnG9kA1tv48zjo1_1280.png

https://38.media.tumblr.com/06f85d46f67bd43d3d8ea7934f6ca11d/tumblr_ng2hobPZCI1tv48zjo1_1280.png

https://33.media.tumblr.com/159c3ce535a90a270202f10b924254ce/tumblr_ng2hnuEOo41tv48zjo1_1280.png

https://33.media.tumblr.com/bd74daf7e26cd1e1456c7dc0d8969a7e/tumblr_ng2hr2a9Us1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

Curbed Detroit. (http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/12/detroits-tallest-highrise-imagined-for-downtown-parking-lot.php)

[Detroit1995]

Wow animatedmartian thanks for posting that story! I know that it's just a fantasy, but could you imagine an actual high-rise project of that magnitude under construction in Detroit? I'm excited just thinking about it since we've only seen two skyscrapers built in the last 21 years.

[animatedmartian]

^^^ Yea, I wish it was an actual proposal too albeit with a certainly better design.

In the mean time...

Texas investors pay $2.5M for Detroit storage building
By Kirk Pinho. December 04, 2014.

https://38.media.tumblr.com/f46ca3c102f28dccf808e40ab4a660e8/tumblr_ng2nlpIwcv1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

A 119,000-square-foot industrial warehouse building at 5757 Trumbull St. north of I-94 in Detroit has been sold to the pair of out-of-state investors who are planning a loft-style multifamily residential development in the New Center area.

Bill Ball and Jerry Lindenmuth, both of Austin, Texas, purchased the Trumbull Street building, which is occupied by Boston-based document management company Iron Mountain Inc., said Matt O’Laughlin, the senior agent for Detroit-based The Loft Warehouse Inc., which represented the buyers.

The $2.5 million deal closed in mid-November, O’Laughlin said.

The building, which is used for medical records storage, will be just an investment property for Ball and Lindenmuth for the time being. However, if Iron Mountain decides to vacate, the building might be redeveloped into 80-90 loft-style condominiums, according to O’Laughlin.

Iron Mountain’s lease expires Dec. 31, 2019, according to CoStar Group Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based real estate information service.

....

The same Texas buyers are currently renovating similar styled lofts in Techtown.

Also update on LTU building in Midtown.

https://33.media.tumblr.com/4e64706c289e604c4b00842f8f4f3da6/tumblr_ng2o332pZJ1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg
http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/12/one-year-later-ltu-building-begins-to-resemble-renderings.php#more

[animatedmartian]

I was just there last week but didn't get any photos due to the weather. Construction crews were still at work on the entrance. Grand Ballroom A is complete. Carpet is going in. I have to say, it looks pretty sharp overall. I did notice, however, that the metal panels that adorn certain surfaces look really sharp; however, I did see some dents where ostensibly employees have brushed them with serving or cleaning carts. This was minor, but I hope this isn't a trend. Otherwise, I thought they've done a pretty good job. Certainly a major improvement.

Video wall on Washington and Congress finished just the other day and is currently being tested.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/1525479_10203992930257018_7689073862137438124_n.jpg?oh=c96a9a59ece229baf164acbfc42ac425&oe=55174C39&__gda__=1427739475_3f0b06a69f262ce4ac87364b865ee21f

Video of it in action. (https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=814532645260263&fref=nf)

[skyfan]

Rents keep going up in greater downtown Detroit


http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/cba46142da8fafe94960c089b9b502fb8d63f761/c=136-0-2264-1600&r=x513&c=680x510/local/-/media/DetroitFreePress/DetroitFreePress/2014/12/06/635535068056166037-downtown-detroit-apt-02.JPG



People continue to write bigger rent checks for the chance to live in or around downtown Detroit, with some mainstream rents at levels once reserved for penthouses and other ultra-luxurious spaces.

Driving the higher prices is a demand for apartments at all price ranges in downtown, Midtown and Corktown that still exceeds the supply of available units — despite a mini-boom of construction and building rehabs.

According to local experts, the going rent for newly built or newly restored Class A apartments is up to about $1.70 per square foot in Midtown and $2 per square foot in downtown. It was only five years ago that $1.25 was a common number
But the hot rental market has inevitable side effects, with some university students and young professionals complaining they've been priced out of the market or pay too much for comfort.

Tenants in existing market-rate buildings in Midtown experienced rent hikes this year averaging about 5% and about 14% over the past three years, said Sue Mosey, president of the nonprofit Midtown Detroit Inc.

.

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2014/12/07/rents-keep-going-downtown-detroit/20019111/

[The Lurker]

I'm so done with Detroit. We're reading more and more articles like the one above and yet we're still destroying faster than we're building. The Hammer and N ail building, seriously? For what? Another 5 story building straight out of Royal Oak? meanwhile a one story Humane Society building is the biggest news we have to report on. Is anybody else concerned that the skyscraper is simply becoming obsolete in this town? Massive swaths of the city are basically clean cut so whats the purpose of a tall building? when the inner ring finally does redevelop its going to look like Van Buren Township.

[Guiltyspark]

The city needs mid density before we are gonna get any new skyscrapers. That is just the way things are.

[davidberko]

@Guiltyspark is right. I don't like seeing those five story "Rochester" developments going up anymore than the next guy, however Detroit has so many vacant lots, the city has to get a bunch of these infill projects first before we start to see cranes in the sky again.

[animatedmartian]

I could care less about the height of a building more so than its overall design. High rises can be cheap and ugly too and honestly since Detroit's real estate is currently so cheap, that increases the chances of a high rise being pretty cheap. You'd need someone to be speculative to dish out cash on a meaningful design at this point in time.

The Hammer and Nail Building looks just as mundane as any suburban office building built in the 1960s so I'm completely confused by the "every new development looks like something from the suburbs" especially when H&R wasn't even built to the street and had a parking lot on the opposite side.

[subterranean]

After thinking about the discussions here about building height and demand, I thought I'd dust off an idea I had awhile ago and see what people think.

I believe it's time for some creative solutions with the vacant land, and I actually think the land bank might be going about its strategy the wrong way in some respects. Of course there is a lot more blight that needs to be eliminated, and there's a large amount being taken care of now or planned to be taken down. What I think is wrong with the strategy is what they do with the property afterwords.

Of course, in an ideal situation, everyone would like to see the properties returned to the tax rolls. We see them trying to sell the vacant land in bundles, or doing side lot transfers. But there is just far, far too much land.

But what if they tried another tactic? Currently Detroit Future City is in the process of trying to come up with a vacant land strategy. I imagine the land bank will be a key component to whatever strategy they come up with. So, what about something like this: the city and the land bank continue their blight elimination program, targeted to specific neighborhoods, but instead of trying to return those properties to the tax roles, they remove them permanently (or at least very long term). I know there are ideas out there for returning these sections of the city into forests are farm land, but it doesn't seem like there's a sound or cohesive strategy for what to do next. But I think once they have amassed and combined enough parcels and removed unnecessary infrastructure, they could rezone it as park land and transfer it to the state DNR as they've done with Belle Isle. From there, the city and state enact a reverse urban growth boundary, blocking any development from occurring on the vacant park land unless there is a legislative action.

The state and the city could then team up with organizations like the Greening of Detroit to turn the land into a greenbelt and forests. Removing the supply from the market with a "reverse" urban growth boundary could theoretically have the consequence of increased demand, enabling higher prices for land that is developed or developable, and the increased property values would return higher taxable values for the city and county while removing the liabilities of vacant land. Of course, everyone would need to be on board, especially the state. But I think it just may be crazy enough to work. My two cents.

[Rizzo]

Wow animatedmartian thanks for posting that story! I know that it's just a fantasy, but could you imagine an actual high-rise project of that magnitude under construction in Detroit? I'm excited just thinking about it since we've only seen two skyscrapers built in the last 21 years.

It's certainly impressive, and despite being fantasy, it's not unreasonable for midwest development. Fact is, Detroit needs more housing downtown.

[Rizzo]

After thinking about the discussions here about building height and demand, I thought I'd dust off an idea I had awhile ago and see what people think.

I believe it's time for some creative solutions with the vacant land, and I actually think the land bank might be going about its strategy the wrong way in some respects. Of course there is a lot more blight that needs to be eliminated, and there's a large amount being taken care of now or planned to be taken down. What I think is wrong with the strategy is what they do with the property afterwords.

Of course, in an ideal situation, everyone would like to see the properties returned to the tax rolls. We see them trying to sell the vacant land in bundles, or doing side lot transfers. But there is just far, far too much land.

But what if they tried another tactic? Currently Detroit Future City is in the process of trying to come up with a vacant land strategy. I imagine the land bank will be a key component to whatever strategy they come up with. So, what about something like this: the city and the land bank continue their blight elimination program, targeted to specific neighborhoods, but instead of trying to return those properties to the tax roles, they remove them permanently (or at least very long term). I know there are ideas out there for returning these sections of the city into forests are farm land, but it doesn't seem like there's a sound or cohesive strategy for what to do next. But I think once they have amassed and combined enough parcels and removed unnecessary infrastructure, they could rezone it as park land and transfer it to the state DNR as they've done with Belle Isle. From there, the city and state enact a reverse urban growth boundary, blocking any development from occurring on the vacant park land unless there is a legislative action.

The state and the city could then team up with organizations like the Greening of Detroit to turn the land into a greenbelt and forests. Removing the supply from the market with a "reverse" urban growth boundary could theoretically have the consequence of increased demand, enabling higher prices for land that is developed or developable, and the increased property values would return higher taxable values for the city and county while removing the liabilities of vacant land. Of course, everyone would need to be on board, especially the state. But I think it just may be crazy enough to work. My two cents.

I don't think this is crazy at all. I've shared a very similar approach on this site for some time. The key to Detroit's future success is entirely spatial. It's just that approach to implementation was terribly misinterpreted by the public. We've seen some awful blunders by developers and even gov't and non-profit organizations that attempted to force cheap housing in severely declining areas. The houses were never occupied, stripped, burned, and then torn down. Had this land become forest preserve, development would shift elsewhere in strategic growth areas. What are strategic growth areas? Places where schools and services can more adequately meet citizens' needs...places where public transit can be intensified and improved. Places where historic properties can be rehabilitated. Places that are more easily accessible to job centers.

[animatedmartian]

Yea, it's not a bad idea, it's just the execution that would be difficult. Plus there's no real way of knowing how much supply would have to be reduced in order to have enough demand to incur high rise development on any specific scale. If demand is slow-growing, it's still more economical to have low to mid-rise development even with the reduced supply. There might not be enough contiguous vacant land to take out of the market to have any meaningful impact. Keep in mind, some residential areas are being reused for modern industrial parks, so to a certain extent supply is already being taken out of the residential market just not with greenspace.

[hudkina]

I don't think removing the supply in some areas of the city would necessarily have a major effect on other areas of the city. If the city took Brightmoor "off the map", I don't think that would necessarily increase the land value in the Greater Downtown area or even in the adjacent Rosedale Park area.

Granted taking Brightmoor off the map has other benefits, such as reduced cost of services, etc. I think ultimately rather than taking certain properties off the map, the city should put a moratorium on new construction in all but a select few neighborhoods. The county shouldn't actively sell or auction properties in the neighborhoods with a moratorium except for industrial/commercial ventures. Then the city should make an effort to focus all new residential development in a few key neighborhoods that are best served by city services.

[Guiltyspark]

@Guiltyspark is right. I don't like seeing those five story "Rochester" developments going up anymore than the next guy, however Detroit has so many vacant lots, the city has to get a bunch of these infill projects first before we start to see cranes in the sky again.

Ironically, I was in Rochester when I wrote that comment. Well, Rochester Hills.

[Detroit1995]

Breaking News!!!!!!! Little Caesars will build an 8 story HQ right next to the Fox!

http://www.freep.com/story/money/business/columnists/tom-walsh/2014/12/10/little-caesars-ilitich-tom-walsh/20184917/

[animatedmartian]

^Ah, you beat me to the post.

Little Caesars to build 8-story downtown HQ next to Fox
By Tom Walsh and By John Gallagher, Detroit Free Press, December 10, 2014

https://38.media.tumblr.com/8e97dd8d11156d13f39b76bfa85631b3/tumblr_ngdm3fpNiX1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

A quarter century after moving its corporate hub from the suburbs to the Fox Theatre building in downtown Detroit, the Ilitch family is unveiling plans this morning for a new 8-story office tower next door, more than doubling the size of the Little Caesars pizza headquarters campus.

Company executives, including founders Mike and Marian Ilitch, are sharing the news with employees in a theatrical presentation today in the Fox Theatre and lobby.

Along with a new arena for the Ilitch-owned Detroit Red Wings hockey team, the new 205,000-square-foot Little Caesars structure will be one of 14 new buildings in the Ilitches' expansive $650-million arena district development, which aims to transform dozens of underutilized blocks between downtown and Midtown into a world-class sports and entertainment district.

...

http://www.freep.com/story/money/business/columnists/tom-walsh/2014/12/10/little-caesars-ilitich-tom-walsh/20184917/

[detroit_alive]

Given the listed 205,000 sq/ft size at 8 stories, this should take up a big chunk of that surface parking. Assuming a consistent floor plan, the building dimensions should be approx 90' x 285'.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v124/etlchow/caesarsfootprint_zpse1bcd019.png

Also, I hate that faux-historical referencing of the Fox Theater Building. It will inevitably look cheap in comparison. Hope the just go for a refined modern look with quality materials.

[Detroit1995]

[QUOTE=animatedmartian;6838412]^Ah, you beat me to the post.

Haha I guess, but you were able to at least get the article up on the forum rather than just a link.

[rlw777]

I'm so done with Detroit. We're reading more and more articles like the one above and yet we're still destroying faster than we're building. The Hammer and N ail building, seriously? For what? Another 5 story building straight out of Royal Oak? meanwhile a one story Humane Society building is the biggest news we have to report on. Is anybody else concerned that the skyscraper is simply becoming obsolete in this town? Massive swaths of the city are basically clean cut so whats the purpose of a tall building? when the inner ring finally does redevelop its going to look like Van Buren Township.

I think it's worth noting here that much of the recent demand for residential has been gobbled up by renovations of previously vacant architectural gems. So dont be too discouraged by the quality of recent developments.

[Docta_Love]

After seeing its power turned back on and starting on the removal asbestos and other hazardous materials we finally have confermation the former Hotel Strathmore is to become 129 new apartmets by 2016!


Strathmore Hotel Officially Begins Rehab, Sets 2016 ETA
Thursday, December 11, 2014, by Paul Beshouri

http://detroit.curbed.com/uploads/unnambbed.jpg

According to Midtown Inc, the Strathmore will complete the transformation from blight monster to 129 apartments in 18 months.

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/12/strathupdate.php


And in other news DTE is moving forward with their transformation on what they are calling West Downtown the mini campus martius is planned to be a focal point for the area around their campus which is planned to be redeveloped in conjunction with the Illitch's as part of one of the 5 new neighborhoods of the arena district.


DTE Restores Vacant Salvation Army Building; Mini Campus Martius to Begin Construction Soon
Friday, December 12, 2014, by Paul Beshouri

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/548b0d66f92ea1449d0005e1/IMG_20141211_155434141_HDR.jpg

The former Salvation Army Building—an Art Deco nugget on Bagley Street—has been reborn as Navitas House. After months of renovation, DTE Energy just announced that Navitas (latin for "energy") now has an energy efficient interior and a butterfly garden

http://detroit.curbed.com/uploads/MiniCampusMartiusConstruction.jpg

The company also announced that the new park we've been calling Mini Campus Martius will break ground this coming spring. The space was cleared of asphalt and buildings over a year ago.

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/12/dte-restores-vacant-salvation-army-building-mini-campus-martius-to-begin-construction-soon.php

[hudkina]

I really want someone to come along and renovate the Leland into some decent apartments in the next few years. Maybe this park will be a catalyst. Granted, it would be really nice if they did something with the parking lot surrounding the Leland. I know it would probably include a few levels of parking, but at least have ground floor retail...;)

They also need to turn first street into a two way street with only one lane in each direction and dedicated on-street parking along the curbs.

[subterranean]

I suspect there will be some good downtown views from the south exposed Strathmore.

[animatedmartian]

Whoo building implosion. Implosion starts at 13:30 mark.

PqSYMad18z8

Another angle, starts at 15:00.

MTRdui6YsHw

[animatedmartian]

In other demolition news, the City of Detroit is demolishing 200 vacant structures a week. However, demolition companies are now facing shortages of equipment and labor. If the city's goal is have at least 10,000 a year, contractors (at this point) are expected to see a 25% shortage in labor and equipment, says Adamo.

http://www.freep.com/story/money/business/michigan/2014/12/14/detroit-blight-duggan/20360959/

[skyfan]

http://imgick.mlive.com/home/mlive-media/pgmain/img/detroit/photo/2014/12/15/-e8472fd0d154d08f.JPG

http://imgick.mlive.com/home/mlive-media/pgmain/img/detroit/photo/2014/12/15/-ac9921aed57cf7df.JPG


http://imgick.mlive.com/home/mlive-media/pgmain/img/detroit/photo/2014/12/15/-b22fe4fb444c0f46.JPG

http://imgick.mlive.com/home/mlive-media/pgmain/img/detroit/photo/2014/12/15/-22f6e08165754e9a.JPG



Detroit's David Whitney Building facade lighting commemorates its redevelopment

DETROIT, MI-- Downtown Detroit's David Whitney Building marked its return with a lighting ceremony of the building's facade Monday evening. The renovated 1915 Daniel Burnham-designed building on Grand Circus Park has been 'inactive' for 13 years.

The Aloft-branded accommodations of the Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide will open its 'Aloft Detroit at the David Whitney Building' Thursday, Dec. 18 along with the w xyz sm bar, re: mix lounge and Re-fuel, grab-and-go food shop.

According to a press release the David Whitney Building, "will welcome their first residents before year's end."

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2014/12/david_whitney_building_facade.html#incart_gallery

:cheers: Amazing addition to skyline.

Maybe it's neighbor across the street will take a hint and finally adds some lights.

[animatedmartian]

New renderings for the Tiger Stadium site. This proposal is by Larson's Realty Group and was chosen by the city. Architecturally, it's a lot better than the previous proposal by Roxbury, however, the overall site has less density. Financing and fundraising has to be completed by the end of 2015. Construction will start in 2016 (or earlier if financing is secured more quickly). By 2017, everything should be complete and ready for residents and businesses, which by the way 20% and 60% respectively will be subsidized.

https://38.media.tumblr.com/2f98a88abf2518412d284dfe263320e5/tumblr_ngow23zfng1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

https://38.media.tumblr.com/8ee635a2018f84093fb26ae8d562eb5f/tumblr_ngow2lZwzv1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

https://38.media.tumblr.com/bddc133339f9ad7f197f6a47221eb559/tumblr_ngow1qUvD11tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

There's also the PAL HQ who will be the ones to maintain the field.

https://31.media.tumblr.com/9ff7b19fd75beab97c8239fa0a001736/tumblr_ngow0zRsC71tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

https://33.media.tumblr.com/bf06469d04d4492c9e0d825f72c7c70c/tumblr_ngow1bHsqh1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

Source: http://www.mlive.com/business/detroit/index.ssf/2014/12/development_plan_selected_for.html

In other news, Cobo's video screen entrance is just about ready for glass. Photo via DYes. (http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?19561-Cobo-Jumbotron-nears-Completion-It-s-going-to-be-Huge-and-Flashy&p=462654#post462654)

https://38.media.tumblr.com/6c7704b5687cd69d8bf397c36a8d8e89/tumblr_ngoidnSJnq1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

[Docta_Love]

I cant wait to see the LED sign when its finished its gonna give Cobo a more refreshed modern look to it. There had been a steady stream of smaller announcements that have made it under the radar along with some not so small ones, im gonna try and get the best ones in without making this too long.

First off we got the Neudeck Building built in 1917 and later modernized, once home to Wayne County offices looks to be on track to be converted into 100 apartments, the word is according to Crain's Detroit Business that the new owners are in talks with an upscale gym to take up the retail space on the ground floor.

Ugly Office Building Dreams of Becoming Ugly Apartments
Friday, December 19, 2014, by Paul Beshour

http://detroit.curbed.com/uploads/Screen%20Shot%202014-06-18%20at%2010.24.31%20AM.jpg

After 5 years of vacancy, the Neudeck Building has moved closer to becoming downtown's ugliest apartment building. Wayne County just issued a press release declaring that Neudeck will be sold for $2.3M to developer Joseph Barbat, who first revealed plans for a 100-apartment conversion back in June.

............

No word on when construction will start, but it might not be for some time. Barbat is in the midst of renovating the former Park Apartments.

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/12/ugly-office-building-dreams-of-becoming-ugly-apartments.php


Next we have Galapagos Art Space the The Institution That Helped Put Brooklyn On The Art Map Is Moving To Detroit, its been a Brooklyn staple for 20 years and is closing up shop in New York and moving to Corktown and Highland Park due to the high costs in NY.

Born in Brooklyn, Now Making a Motown Move
Galapagos Art Space Will Make Detroit Its Home
By COLIN MOYNIHAN DEC. 7, 2014

http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/12/08/arts/ARTSPACE/ARTSPACE-articleLarge.jpg

In Detroit, over the past year, Executive Director Robert Elmes and his wife, Philippa Kaye, have bought nine buildings totaling about 600,000 square feet in Corktown and in neighboring Highland Park, paying what he described as the price of “a small apartment in New York City” for the properties.

The main building appears to be the abandoned APAC paper structure behind the Michigan Central Station, according to Lowell Boileau on DetroitYES!. Boileau also writes that the building Elmes bought in Highland Park is the old high school, on Glendale and 2nd.

The centerpiece of the new Galapagos will be a 10,000-square-foot lake, Elmes told The Times, and he is planning about 16 months of renovation work before opening. Michigan’s governor, Rick Snyder; the state’s Economic Development Corporation; and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation have been supportive of the project, Mr. Elmes said, adding that Galapagos is planning to start a Detroit Biennial in 2016.

During its time in Brooklyn, Galapagos produced more than 7,500 events that drew a total of more than a million people. Those events included musical performances, burlesque, films, variety shows, performance art and visual art.

There was a series called “Nerd Night” with science lectures and beer, and another called the “Floating Kabarette,” a weekly circus that included aerialists, jugglers and contortionists. The venue has hosted a lavish costume ball inspired by the novel “Alice in Wonderland” and a fund-raiser for a nomadic bookmobile associated with an underground publisher called Autonomedia.

Eames told Moynihan: One of the places where “young artists and thinkers” appeared to be gravitating, he said, was Detroit.

Last month, the Berliner behind the famous Tresor techno club told The Wall Street Journal he is eyeing the old Fisher Body Plant on Piquette, near I-75 and I-94, for a local music club.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/08/arts/galapagos-art-space-will-make-detroit-its-home.html?_r=0

Good news for H.P.

Galapagos Plans to Rehab a Staggering Amount Blight in Highland Park
Tuesday, December 9, 2014, by Paul Beshouri

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/5487534ef92ea166f600055e/hphs.jpg

It makes for an easy, more catchy headline to say that Galapagos Art Space is leaving Brooklyn for Detroit. In reality, it's actually Highland Park—an independent enclave of Detroit—that will feel most of the Galapagos love.
Four of the five major properties purchased by executive director Robert Elmes are in Highland Park, including the abandoned monstrosity will serve as the main Galapagos structure. Since we're already familiar with the one Detroit property (a warehouse in Corktown).

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/12/galapagos-rehab-plan-for-highland-park-is-huge-includes-2-abandoned-schools.php#more


After a slow and rocky start with residents of the exclusive Palmer Woods neighborhood and other community activists expressing concern that the big box/strip mall approach to Redico's $200 million "live, work and play" community at the former state fair grounds it seems that things could start moving more rapidly now that WCCC is expressing interest.

Wayne County college explores fairgrounds site
Laura Berman, November 18, 2014

http://download.gannett.edgesuite.net/detnews/graphics/2014/statefairgrns_gfx_111814.jpg

In a sign of life at the former state fairgrounds, officials at Wayne County Community College District say they're in serious conversations with the fairgrounds developers to create a campus presence on the 160-acre site.

Once the state center of pig-racing and pie baking, the fairgrounds is being marketed by the Magic Plus development group and its partner Redico as a $200 million "live, work and play" community that will transform the now-vacant location on Woodward.

George Swan, the college district's vice chancellor for external affairs, said the school has a "serious interest" in the project as a site for training and workforce development programs or college classes.

"It's an opportunity to those students who have limited transportation because of the location," Swan said, since it is on a major bus line and a potential extension of the M-1 Rail project along Woodward.

The college isn't necessarily planning an expansion, but it has been broadening its presence across the city as a way to "increase educational opportunities" for students.

Joel Ferguson, who chairs the Michigan State University trustee board and is the lead developer, sees the college as "very key to this development" and envisions WCCC occupying between six and 10 acres of the site, probably in conjunction with other university partners.

.....................................

The developers have been working hard to allay community criticism that early plans reflected "a big box store" or "strip mall" approach to development that wouldn't improve the city or the historic site. They've hired a respected architectural firm, Smith Group, and invested more than $400,000 in plans and site development. But their investment to date is minimal relative to the ambitious goals of the $200 million project.

With the success of the adjacent Gateway Project, which includes a Meijer store and Starbucks, the fairgrounds project been poised for take-off — but no major retailer or other potential tenant has signed a lease or announced interest publicly.

"You will hear many announcements in the next few months," Ferguson said. The Wayne County Community College announcement is a signal to other potential tenants that the project is on track.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/columnists/laura-berman/2014/11/17/berman-wayne-county-college-explores-fairgrounds-site/19205069/


In an effort to spruce up the local neighborhood grocery stores which Detroiter's depend on because there are only 3 major national chains operating in the city (once the Meijer at Grand River and McNichols opens), $5.3 million has been allocated for facade improvements by the Kresge Foundation.

$5.3M to Make Grocery Shopping in Detroit More Cheerful
Monday, November 17, 2014, by Paul Beshouri

http://detroit.curbed.com/uploads/supermarketcover.jpg

Without major chain grocery stores (aside from a tiny Whole Foods in Midtown), Detroit is served by a colorful collection of independent grocery stores and an unbeatable farmers market. Unfortunately, the industry's razor-thin profit margins (and security concerns) leave many independent stores stuck with drab, bunker-like exteriors. The Green Grocer Facade Program was created to help beautify these ugly ducklings, and it's already making a huge impact.

Funded by the Kresge Foundation and administered by the DEGC, the program offered 50% matching grants (up to $50,000) and technical expertise to businesses willing to improve their external appeareance. The response was unexpectedly huge. According to a press release, sixteen stores have agreed to begin an estimated $5.3M in total renovation, $500K of which will be covered by grant money.

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/11/53m-to-make-grocery-shopping-in-detroit-more-cheerful.php


More Midtown Apartments to come, im not sure why they say distant future when work has already started and is expected to be done by late 2015, maybe its some of that end of the year denial.

711 Alexandrine Rehab: New Apartments in the Distant Future
Wednesday, November 12, 2014, by Paul Beshouri

http://detroit.curbed.com/uploads/IMG_20141105_170947672_HDR.jpg

They're saying that the building original setup--56 teeny apartments--will be opened up into 35 one-bedroom units renting at market rate. No word on potential street-level storefronts, and we might not know for a while. The building isn't expected to reopen until late 2015.

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/11/711-alexandrine-rehab-new-apartments-in-the-distant-future.php


And lastly the mayor's brother Dan has been a big proponant of bringing the MLS to Detroit, he owns the Michigan Bucks who play in Pontiac and are essentially a AA baseball farm team equlivilant and plans to locate the new team and 5,000 seat staduim somewhere in downtown Detroit.

Detroit soccer update: Stadium details coming; USL Pro club team delayed
By Bill Shea, December 19, 2014

The organizer of a plan to build a soccer-specific stadium in Detroit said he intends to have renderings of it done by January, but he hasn’t picked a location or finalized details of the new venue.

Those details will come later next year, said Dan Duggan, who announced in April he had preliminary approval from the Tampa, Fla.-based United Soccer Leagues to launch a USL Professional Division expansion team in Detroit.

The original plan was for a USL Pro club to play in Detroit next year, but the planning and financing work behind the scenes has pushed that back a year – a delay first reported online Wednesday by ClickOnDetroit’s soccer correspondent.

.......

The new Detroit team would cost about $2 million to operate annually, Duggan told Crain's in April, and he estimated a 5,000-seat stadium in the city could be built for up to $5 million.

He's not yet identifying potential stadium sites or other investors.

Duggan said he’s looking for 2.5 to 7 acres of land for a stadium complex that also would include two outdoor practice fields for adult and youth soccer use. He has said the stadium could be incorporated into an existing developed area or be a stand-alone project.

Duggan said he looked at sites in Pontiac, Livonia and Canton Township before deciding on downtown Detroit.

.........

A Detroit USL Pro team could open the door for potential MLS expansion: MLS and USL Pro agreed in January 2013 that the third-tier league would eventually integrate into MLS' reserve team system. Every USL Pro team will be owned and operated by MLS teams or have a formalized affiliation.

Duggan has said his long-term goal is to field a profitable USL team that eventually could be elevated to MLS — which is what happened to Orlando City FC. That team, last season's USL Pro champions that averaged 8,000 fans per game, is shifting from USL Pro to MLS in 2015.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20141219/NEWS/141219818/detroit-soccer-update-stadium-details-coming-usl-pro-club-team

[animatedmartian]

Aloft Detroit opens, brings apartments, hotel to David Whitney Building
By Sherri Welch. December 22, 2014.

https://38.media.tumblr.com/d1a1f1f692384fe93d8ab358fc07a479/tumblr_nh0o3v61fe1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

The Aloft Detroit opened Friday, bringing a boutique hotel and new apartments to the historic David Whitney Building downtown.

The opening couldn’t come soon enough, said Mike Damitio, senior vice president of acquisitions and development at Trans Inns Management Inc. Damitio’s VOS Hospitality lifestyle boutique division is managing the hotel, apartments, restaurant and bar and lounge areas in the building.

All 108 apartments at The Residences at the David Whitney have been leased, and all of the hotel’s available 136 rooms were sold out for its first weekend, he said.

“People have been pulling on the doors, basically, for several months now,” Damitio said.

Though the apartments are all leased, the management company is still taking applications for a waiting list, he said.

The plan is to begin moving residents in after the first of the year in staggered fashion. “We’re trying not to create too much chaos at once,” Damitio said.

....

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20141222/NEWS/141229967/aloft-detroit-opens-brings-apartments-hotel-to-david-whitney-building

[Detroit1995]

Is there anyway we could get a thread going for the Little Caesars HQ in the General Developments section? I know that construction doesn't start for another few months but I think seeing a detailed progression of the project would be special, since we don't see these often in Detroit.

I think that this will help make Foxtown more than just a destination for gamedays and concerts. Woodward will be very busy in the next few years!

[animatedmartian]

Is there anyway we could get a thread going for the Little Caesars HQ in the General Developments section? I know that construction doesn't start for another few months but I think seeing a detailed progression of the project would be special, since we don't see these often in Detroit.

I think that this will help make Foxtown more than just a destination for gamedays and concerts. Woodward will be very busy in the next few years!

I think with only several floors, it'll probably be built pretty quickly. It seems easier to just keep it in with the Arena thread.

[Detroit1995]

I think with only several floors, it'll probably be built pretty quickly. It seems easier to just keep it in with the Arena thread.

Hmm good point! Lol i didn't even think to include this with the arena development.

[Docta_Love]

Now that the David Whitney reno is complete i wonder how long it will be until we hear an update about the Statler Block redevelopment?

[animatedmartian]

Now that the David Whitney reno is complete i wonder how long it will be until we hear an update about the Statler Block redevelopment?

Psssh, I'm still waiting to hear about the Brush Park development, any of Dan Gilbert's developments, and the Uniroyal site with the football player. It seems like years for anything to get through the city's red tape. :yuck:

[Docta_Love]

Psssh, I'm still waiting to hear about the Brush Park development, any of Dan Gilbert's developments, and the Uniroyal site with the football player. It seems like years for anything to get through the city's red tape.

Hah yeah seriously can't forget the Monroe Block high rise that they seem to redesign every 3-5 years or the Book Tower finally getting a bath, i guess there's not much point trying to speculate on when the Statler site will be redeveloped. But man with all the interest in the GCP area plus the light rail and new arena you'd think they'd try to grab some attention for their project by releasing some new renderings or some kind of an update. Who knows the whole city is still holding its collective breath over the Hudson's Block and its been 15 years. :rolleyes:

[mousquet]

Hm, the Whitney building is full as an egg already, I saw. How surprising...

[Docta_Love]

Hm, the Whitney building is full as an egg already, I saw. How surprising...

That's what happens when your Downtown has a 98% residential occupancy rate ;)

[animatedmartian]

What's crazy about it is that the cheapest rents were just about $1,000/month and the most expensive was around $3,000. I at least expected the expensive rooms to stay vacant but they got filled somehow. Guess that just means rents still have room to go up or maybe that maybe more of these developments need to be condos.

[hudkina]

They need to be apartments to get the tax credits, and there are a lot of people who are willing to spend that kind of money on housing without the extra baggage of having to "own" the property.

[animatedmartian]

The city put out an RFP for the Brodhead Armory. The city is looking for proposals that make adaptive reuse of the Armory and for development on the surrounding land, most of which is between the Armory and the riverfront. No demolition allowed.

The land up to 65 feet from the riverfront is reserved for the Riverwalk, although considerations will be made if a proposal keeps that area public and fits in with the Riverwalk.

Proposals are due around Valentines Day though the city probably won't announce anything about proposals a few months well after.

http://www.degc.org/degc-news/citydegc-seeks-redevelopment-proposals-for-brodhead-armory-site

[skyfan]

The Riverfront Conservancy posted a review their construction work this fall

BUSY FALL CONSTRUCTION LEADS TO RIVERFRONT PROGRESS
.

Riverfront construction continued throughout the end of the year with several projects making significant progress.

Gabriel Richard Park

The just-completed winding concrete walkway and a 38-spot parking
lot will provide easier access to Gabriel Richard Park for spring visitors. During the fall, dramatic ground-level lighting was installed at the popular brick labyrinth.Construction of the new restroom facility, which will accommodate larger crowds using the park in 2015 will be completed in the spring.

Chene Park—East/West Parcels
During the last several months, contractors successfully completed the restoration of the seawall, installed underground utilities and poured
concrete for walkways and planters at parcels east and west of Chene Park. The iconic stainless steel RiverWalk railing, benches and waste
receptacles are in place at both locations. Contractors are now installing light poles and security cameras. At the entrance to Chene Park, the remaining concrete planters are being poured and work on the circular concrete section adjacent to Atwater Street is now underway.
Crews will be back on site at both parcels in the spring for the installation of all final landscaping.

Dequindre Cut — North
Significant progress on the half-mile extension of the Dequindre Cut has been made this fall. All restoration work at the Division and Adelaide street bridges is complete and the Alfred Street bridge has been demolished. New structural supports for the Wilkins Street bridge are underway.
Along the extension, storm sewer piping has been installed, and most of all underground electrical for lighting and security cameras is complete. A retaining wall surrounded by decorative stone that allows for easy drainage is in place.
Next spring, asphalt will be poured along the walkway, landscaping will be installed, and all accessories such as benches, waste receptacles and
security call boxes will be placed. Once the project is complete, the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the entire two miles of the Dequindre Cut.

The Outdoor Adventure Center
Exhibit crews continue to work inside the historic Globe Building as it transforms into the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Outdoor Adventure Center. Over the last several months, workers have been making significant progress on the center’s three-story waterfall and Michigan forest. Since relocating this summer from Southfield to the OAC, the DNR’s Operation Service Center has been extremely busy facilitating visitor requests for information.

http://detroitriverfront.org/news/conservancy-welcomes-new-president

[skyfan]

Gabriel Richard Building Promises Over 100 Future Apartments

http://detroit.curbed.com/uploads/c659c8773f20447ca846e57e43b17f82-thumb.jpg

As happy renters flood into fresh apartments at the Whitney and the Ashley, another empty office building is defecting to Team Residential. Take a look at the Gabriel Richard Building, a former Archdiocese of Detroit property kitty-corner from the Book Cadillac hotel. Built in 1914, the Gabriel Richard has 10 floors dressed in terra cotta. With a conversion into 110 apartments on the horizon, the building is under contract to be sold for $3.2M.

The buyer, Barbat Holdings, has been doing an awfully good impression of a Dan Gilbert shopping spree. With this purchase, the Barbat Machine will have gobbled up two office buildings, a low-income apartment tower, and part of a hotel since early 2014. Barbat's promised renovation investment now totals $26.5M, with 388 market-rate apartments planned. We'll be excited to see the first one.

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2015/01/gabriel-richard-building-promises-over-100-future-apartments.php

[shakman]

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2015/01/gabriel-richard-building-promises-over-100-future-apartments.php

Excellent. Detroit needs these types of projects.

[subterranean]

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2015/01/gabriel-richard-building-promises-over-100-future-apartments.php

I always imagined the first Detroit Apple Store would go in the ground floor of this building. Don't know why.

[animatedmartian]

$28 million redevelopment of Strathmore Hotel in Midtown to create 129 apartments

Posted By Ryan Felton on Tue, Jan 13, 2015

https://40.media.tumblr.com/b573df7731d04d1fd7f3a8006b3716eb/tumblr_ni4llzUYgX1tv48zjo1_r3_1280.jpg

For the last decade, the dilapidated Strathmore Hotel at 70 W. Alexandrine near Wayne State University has sat vacant, exposed to the elements, and appeared to be a lost cause.

But on a frigid Tuesday, a consortium of groups along with Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced that $28 million in financing has been finalized to redevelop the historic Strathmore into 129 market- rate and affordable units in Detroit's still-growing-at-lighting-speed Midtown district. An additional 2,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space will also be constructed.

....

About 40 percent of the Strathmore's apartments will be offered at affordable housing rates, project backers said Tuesday, a point Duggan stressed after the press conference.

"As we rebuild this city, we're gonna make sure the housing is available to everyone," Duggan said. The mayor told reporters he would like to see at least 20 percent of rental units in new housing developments in the city offered at affordable rates, depending on how the projects are financed.

...

http://www.metrotimes.com/Blogs/archives/2015/01/13/28-million-redevelopment-of-strathmore-hotel-in-midtown-to-create-129-apartments

[subterranean]

Crumbling Wurlitzer Building in Detroit finds a buyer

By Dan Austin, Detroit Free Press 8:57 p.m. EST January 7, 2015
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/1e6d4efbb7ae1fe41b68fd5af38ed1448620ca50/c=0-177-3531-4885&r=537&c=0-0-534-712/local/-/media/2015/01/07/DetroitFreePress/DetroitFreePress/635562408822411403-100313-wurlitzerbuilding-rg-.jpg
(Photo: Ryan Garza / Detroit Free)

One of downtown Detroit's most infamous skyscrapers has found a buyer — and possibly a savior.

The Wurlitzer Building (http://historicdetroit.org/building/wurlitzer-building/) at 1509 Broadway has been snatched up by a developer, according to the CoStar Group real estate database.

Ari Heckman, a co-founder of ASH NYC, the New York developer reported to be buying the crumbling building, would not confirm the deal or give details, telling the Free Press only that, "I cannot discuss specifics at this point, but can say that we are very enthusiastic about Detroit and look forward to sharing more details in the not so distant future."

The pending sale comes in the wake of billionaire Dan Gilbert buying up multiple downtown buildings, the reopening of the grand David Whitney Building (http://www.freep.com/picture-gallery/money/business/michigan/2014/10/22/a-look-inside-the-david-whitney-building-apartments/17745435/) on Grand Circus Park, the groundbreaking for a new hockey arena and a slew of other redevelopment projects downtown.

A group out of Lansing had agreed to buy the Wurlitzer in 2013, but the deal fell apart.

The threat
The city has been ticketing the building's owner for years for code and safety violations.

In 2008, owner Paul Curtis switched the building's ownership over to a limited liability corporation, 1509 Broadway LLC. The move has largely shielded him and his wife, Wayne County Circuit Judge Daphne Means Curtis, from any personal liability in case someone is hurt from falling debris from the building's cascading facade.

The scariest such instance came April 12, 2011, when a 50-pound piece of the building tumbled 14 stories and punched a hole through the roof of the 1515 Broadway cafe next door. The business' owner, Chris Jaszczak, said the piece splintered a wooden ceiling beam and shattered his front window. Afterward, his employees put a chalkboard sign in front of the business jokingly offering "free coffee with purchase of Wurlitzer Building."

More Here (http://www.freep.com/story/money/real-estate/2015/01/07/wurlitzer-building-detroit-abandoned-skyscrapers-sold-buyer/21400399/)

[Matthew]

Wow! The Wurlitzer could be close to restoration? I'm very excited about this news! The David Whitney Building looks amazing and I would love to see a similar restoration here, but I do realize The Wurlitzer is a much more difficult restoration.

[animatedmartian]

Marquette Building in downtown Detroit sells for $5.775M
By Kirk Pinho. January 14, 2015.

https://40.media.tumblr.com/d653d879a426110070231c07a5c23318/tumblr_ni6m4oWeBF1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg


The 164,000-square-foot Marquette Building at West Congress Street and Washington Boulevard sold to a group of undisclosed out-of-state investors.

The purchasing entity, 243 Congress LLC, paid $5.775 million for the building in a deal that closed last month, said Bunia Parker, principal of Detroit-based Summit Commercial LLC, which represented the buyer.

Renovations are planned and the building will remain as office space, but exactly what the renovations will include, how much they will cost and when they will be complete has not yet been determined, Parker said.

The building, across the street from Cobo Center, is less than 5 percent occupied.

“Because of the large absorption of space in the CBD (central business district) recently, this building is uniquely positioned because it can house large tenants in a contiguous space up to (164,000) square feet — something that cannot be easily found,” Parker said in an email to Crain’s.

....

Chicago-based Triton Real Estate Partners LLC had the building under contract in the summer but decided not to buy it, according to A.J. Weiner, executive vice president in the Detroit office of Jones Lang LaSalle, which was representing Triton.

The company had planned a conversion into modern loft-style office space for creative and tech companies, similar to Dan Gilbert’s 46,000-square-foot Madison Building at 1555 Broadway St.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20150114/NEWS/150119941/marquette-building-in-downtown-detroit-sells-for-5-775m

[uaarkson]

itshappening.gif

:)

[animatedmartian]

Went downtown Sunday for the Auto Show. Nothing major to show development-wise, not that I really wandered around to find anything. Just sort of took pictures as I went. It was also kind of a cloudy day so sorry if some of the pictures came out dark.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8572/16132121978_62ecf498f3_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7544/15699807063_6417dbed21_b.jpg

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https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8584/16317826281_4a06631788_h.jpg

[subterranean]

What a city! Thanks for sharing.

[sentinel]

My GOD. So. much. potential. Sometimes, I really miss Detroit. Thanks for the photos.

[Detroit1995]

Fantastic pictures animatedmartian! Thanks for sharing them! If I'm correct I believe that the last photograph features the oldest surviving skyscraper in Detroit.

[animatedmartian]

Fantastic pictures animatedmartian! Thanks for sharing them! If I'm correct I believe that the last photograph features the oldest surviving skyscraper in Detroit.

Correct. And the cornices are new along with a cleaned exterior.

In case anyone missed it, this is how far the building was in renovations as of last Semptember. (http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/09/the-detroit-savings-bank-is-midrenovation-lets-take-a-tour.php)

[The-New-Tony-Detroit]

More housing from a building most people were convinced the city would see razed.

http://www.freep.com/story/money/business/michigan/2015/01/20/midtown-roxbury-detroit/22076915/

http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/9f0f5ad4bc52685d8806a4dafbac3bd243ea3d30/c=134-0-2267-1600&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/DetroitFreePress/2015/01/20/B9315936983Z.1_20150120200703_000_G919NU19F.1-0.jpg

Recently slated for demolition, the iconic 12-story Professional Plaza tower in Midtown Detroit will find new life as a 75-unit residential apartment and retail building in a $20-million project headed by Detroit-based Roxbury Group.

David DiRita, a principal in Roxbury, said the renovation, to be known as the Plaza, could be ready for residents to move in by late 2016. There will be about 2,000 square feet of retail on the first floor.

Besides saving a prominent example of mid-century modern architecture and a Midtown landmark, the project will add several dozen more apartments to the rapidly redeveloping residential scene in the greater downtown.

"We're very excited," DiRita said this week. "As with all of our projects, we're going to put a heavy emphasis on the retail component and make it an integral part of our project."

The project will include 75 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments.

[animatedmartian]

Also in Midtown.

Residential Rehab Heats Up Inside a Vacant Hebrew School (http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2015/01/residential-rehab-heats-up-inside-a-vacant-hebrew-school.php)

https://41.media.tumblr.com/46377687af0825f357473cd55cb7a723/tumblr_niikukQX8m1tv48zjo1_500.jpg

Expect 25 units by the end of the year.

[detroit_alive]

More housing from a building most people were convinced the city would see razed.


This is big news! The demo always seemed to be short-sighted to me. Glad to see it saved and build on the residential density in the area.

[mousquet]

Just wondering, why would the Cleveland-based developer not simply try any underground parking garage underneath his own planned medical arts building? The streetcar will be running right there. It might well be worth digging a deeper large hole to park cars beneath the ground, instead of tearing down more of the surrounding fabric, still for some more above-ground parking. Especially when everybody's so well aware of the damages it causes to the overall vibrancy of an entire area.

By now, parking needs to always be underground along the segment of the corridor served by the streetcar.

[animatedmartian]

Midtown is proposing zoning changes to its neighborhood. Currently, much of the area is zoned for single use, either residential or commercial with special conditions and hearings needed for any mixed-use developments. The proposal would rezone much of Midtown for mixed-use development and pretty much make it easier to build.

http://midtowndetroitinc.org/zoning

[detroit_alive]

Carhartt to bring rugged brand to trendy Midtown

http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/ed225f474bb7b29886dabd2f617e5a497abd8936/c=344-0-2055-1283&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/DetroitFreePress/2015/01/27/B9316026312Z.1_20150127211945_000_GOG9PV9F0.1-0.jpg

http://www.freep.com/story/money/business/columnists/tom-walsh/2015/01/27/carhartt-detroit-store/22440265/

[detnewla]

I saw this site just today. http://www.detnewla.weebly.com/ I think the comparisons are striking. What do you guys think?

[animatedmartian]

The Davenport is turning out to be an absolute gem in the Cass Corridor.

https://41.media.tumblr.com/efc62cccb2d96fd0e8dc813996cedb86/tumblr_nix5roybAD1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

https://40.media.tumblr.com/615bf9bf7245f06b3b108db7e638064d/tumblr_nix5rzMqiw1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

https://41.media.tumblr.com/7a0147936b272e3daf0b808f3779e333/tumblr_nix5skWJEX1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

https://41.media.tumblr.com/a06b45ebae6a4d69d9cf570f7ed21d40/tumblr_nix5sw8WfH1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

Photos from Curbed Detroit. (http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2015/01/davenport-cass.php)

[mind field]

I saw this site just today. http://www.detnewla.weebly.com/ I think the comparisons are striking. What do you guys think?


I think the comparisons are strikingly stupid. The two cities couldn't be more different. Malibu is California's grosse pointe?? :koko:
Venice Beach is equivalent to Metro beach? :haha:
Beverly Hills, CA is similar to Birmingham? :crazy2:
Every large American metro has a wealthy suburb with fine dining, large estates, and posh shops, let's not flatter ourselves.

[mind field]

The Davenport is turning out to be an absolute gem in the Cass Corridor.


:cheers: Yes it is. What an incredible job they did making this building shine again. We need about a few hundred more of these restorations in greater midtown please! I wonder if there are income restrictions to rent here since these are affordable units.

[animatedmartian]

Penosbcot may have its observation deck reopened pretty soon.

OLrgxT-MkoY

Here's a video from a few years ago by a radio technician who was up there. If they ever do reopen the deck, they are supposedly going to remove most of that antennae crap and put up safety barriers. But man what a view. :cool:

7UcorfYLUO8

[animatedmartian]

Progress update on WSU's MBRP also known as the IBio. Photos are from Curbed Detroit (http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2015/01/wayne-states-biomed-building-looks-good-from-every-angle.php#more).

https://40.media.tumblr.com/667a1b236adf050f48e2680a1cf2c241/tumblr_nize0eVogN1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

https://40.media.tumblr.com/53432b842719aff587c4c3e82ffda404/tumblr_nizdopkJpy1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

https://40.media.tumblr.com/c720497b4fb27d2fcbfe5d84225a0638/tumblr_nizdopkJpy1tv48zjo2_1280.jpg

https://41.media.tumblr.com/7e1bac91d055fa0ac3ceba24165f8315/tumblr_nizdopkJpy1tv48zjo3_1280.jpg

https://41.media.tumblr.com/11d7725b7997b4d8156789717c158766/tumblr_nizdopkJpy1tv48zjo4_1280.jpg

https://41.media.tumblr.com/672c09644bdc8c8d41a1f3217878c77c/tumblr_nizdopkJpy1tv48zjo5_1280.jpg

[mousquet]

That WSU building is looking like yuppie Midtown gentrifying. Some kind of stuff they'd call "belle réalisation" over here, I believe. Materials to it just seem attractive enough.

[Detroit1995]

It would be amazing to have an observation deck in Detroit! The Penobscot Building is a landmark in this community, and IMO it needs to open up it's doors more to the public. Does anyone know the last time the Penobscot had an observation deck? I haven't found any information and to be honest before yesterday I never knew that it had one.

[animatedmartian]

It would be amazing to have an observation deck in Detroit! The Penobscot Building is a landmark in this community, and IMO it needs to open up it's doors more to the public. Does anyone know the last time the Penobscot had an observation deck? I haven't found any information and to be honest before yesterday I never knew that it had one.

When the tower was first built, there was platforms on the roof with telescopes on them. These pictures are from the 1930s, but there's no exact date on when the observation deck closed to the public. Though in the later half of the century, historical tours would take people up to the deck and people who worked inside the building would often have private parties up there. But I'd definitely pay to be able to go up there.

https://40.media.tumblr.com/2f3ccbbd174d8974fbb50e9b53f1cab1/tumblr_nj0nz9JvoV1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg
http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?id=S-VMC-X-401%5D401

https://40.media.tumblr.com/e77367b0f6eab1fff7512374bdccd531/tumblr_nj0nz9JvoV1tv48zjo2_1280.jpg
http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?id=S-VMC-X-4409%5D4409

[Detroit1995]

Can't say thank you enough for everything you post on this thread! Imagine what it was like to be on top of that back then. It would be nice to give these past few generations a chance to experience this.

[Warrenite84]

Here are some pictures I took from the Penobscott Bldg. in Oct. 2004. I am looking forward to seeing the skyline grow in the next few years. Look how far we have come since 2004.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gab482/16224151089/in/photostream/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gab482/16222723488/in/photostream/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gab482/15787892484/in/photostream/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gab482/16222951660/in/photostream/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gab482/16222711798/in/photostream/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gab482/15790307763/in/photostream/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gab482/16222940320/in/photostream/

[animatedmartian]

Awesome pictures. Thanks!

[animatedmartian]

Lotta movement concern city RFPs:

Brush Park:

Nine bidders, including none other than Dan Gilbert and Co., have their eyes set on redeveloping city-owned parcels in Brush Park. Only 4 of the nearly 50 parcels have historical homes on them.

Brewster Wheeler Rec center:

Multiple developers have proposed to the city and the city is in process of selecting one of them.

Brewster Douglas site:

An RFP will be issued for the site in the coming months. There's no time table, but this one may take a bit since the housing projects were demolished with HUD funding and the sale of the land has to go through HUD approval.

Herman Kiefer Health Complex:

Two developers sought to redevelop the 18-acre site, one of them being Larson Realty Group, the same firm currently redeveloping the Tiger Stadium site. Their proposal was for a data center in the first phase and mixed income multifamily and retail for the second phase. The city has not yet named the developer they have chosen though Larson Realty Group says it was not them.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20150201/NEWS/302019983/dan-gilbert-other-developers-eye-city-owned-sites-in-brush-park

[Docta_Love]

Looks like more infill for Capitol Park

New Building Pitched For Capitol Park Would Demolish Charred Strip Club
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
by Paul Beshouri

http://detroit.curbed.com/uploads/TheGrind-101.JPG

One year after The Grind burst into flame, Capitol Park's barbecued strip club is facing demolition to make room for a brand new building. Details of the proposal won't be unveiled until an HDC hearing next week, reports the Detroit News, but we did plenty of speculating back when the Grind was still smoldering. Dan Gilbert is the proud owner of the neighboring parking lot, and his dream rendering of Capitol park clearly has a residential/retail building rising there.

http://detroit.curbed.com/uploads/Screen%20Shot%202015-02-11%20at%203.38.20%20PM.jpg

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2015/02/proposed-new-building-would-demo-capitol-parks-charred-strip-club.php

[pacifist112]

I'm not sure if I missed the announcement of this some time back, but it seems they are adding to harbortown

Water's Edge Apts (http://tritonproperties.com/properties/residential/michigan/harbortown/waters-edge/)

http://tritonproperties.com/assets/Harbortown_WatersEdge_View1-558x400.jpg

Also earth moving has started for Orleans Landing.

[animatedmartian]

It was announced, though I'm pretty sure no news story had that rendering for it or even a rendering at all. I'm not sure how long Triton has had their rendering up on their website, but it must of been within the last couple of months.

Anyway, looks pretty good. Though the only problem is that I think the only place any non-Harbortown residents can see it from is Mt. Elliot Park and the RiverWalk along that area. Otherwise, this building is going to be completely under the radar for most people.

[Rizzo]

Waters Edge looks like a pretty nice design. Nice blend of new and old.

[animatedmartian]

M-1 Rail Penske Tech Center design reflects community input
By Natalie Broda. February 15, 2015.

https://36.media.tumblr.com/c9abd56595efe1a3e1efa7ace65db59e/tumblr_njtztzZbTu1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

Red brick exterior, decorative fences and landscaping to match the feel of the surrounding neighborhood are part of the design of the new M-1 Rail Penske Tech Center, according to conceptual renderings released today.

The 19,000-square-foot facility, which will be located east of Woodward Avenue between Bethune Avenue and Custer Street, is already under construction. It will store the vehicles and streetcar technology systems, as well as house the operations team for the rail. The project is expected to cost $6.9 million.

The M-1 Rail streetcar project, which began construction in July, is 3.3 miles along Woodward Avenue between Grand Boulevard and Congress Street. It will have 20 stations at 12 stops in that stretch. Organizers predict 5,000 to 8,000 riders a day, with a basic one-way fare of $1.50.

Decorative metal fencing will surround the facility, which is to be made of red brick to better blend with the historical look of the neighborhood. The cars will be stored in a lot behind the building. Decorative lighting will also be utilized on the exterior; the lights will not disturb surrounding properties, according to a news release.

The building and design team are aiming for 51 percent of construction workers on the project to be Detroit residents. The team includes Detroit-based ABE Associates Inc., 3.L.K. Construction LLC and Turner Construction Co., as well as Denver-based RNL Design Inc., a national designer of light rail and mass transit maintenance facilities.

The facility is scheduled to be completed at the end of this year.


http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20150215/NEWS/150219904/m-1-rail-penske-tech-center-design-reflects-community-input

[animatedmartian]

Possibly not the final design, but pretty interesting so far.

Gilbert aims to add apartments in historic Capitol Park (http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/real-estate/2015/02/18/capitol-park-dan-gilbert-strip-club/23650635/)
Louis Aguilar. The Detroit News. February 18, 2015.

https://40.media.tumblr.com/8970b82a0bbe9a121bda2c6b0a6bd5de/tumblr_nk0wic16JR1tv48zjo1_500.jpg

https://40.media.tumblr.com/7f66157fb82251365d1dd071a7536ff5/tumblr_nk0wic16JR1tv48zjo2_1280.jpg
Images from: http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2015/02/narrow-tenstory-apartment-tower-approved-for-cap-park.php

A former strip club in an historic 19th-century building in downtown’s Capitol Park is targeted for demolition to make way for a 10-story apartment structure with ground floor retail.

The new building is the plan of Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock Real Estate Services, the entity that controls more than 70 downtown properties. Bedrock revealed its plans Wednesday night during a meeting of the city’s Historic District Commission. The Board of Historic Commission approved by a 5-2 majority the demolition of the 1416 Griswold building.

The former strip club has had various names the past few years. It was last known as The Grind. An extensive fire shut the strip club down last winter.

“This would be our first construction of residential downtown,” said Steve Ogden, Bedrock’s director of real estate development, on Wednesday.

The new building could include up to 175 apartments and have other mixed-use space for retail or commercial. Ogden pointed out plans were early, and the number of apartments could change. The new building would be constructed mainly on a parking lot on the northeast corner of Griswold and Grand River, Ogden said.

...

[animatedmartian]

Double post.

[subterranean]

This would be a very good thing and hopefully one of many more.

[JonathanGRR]

I don't quite understand the reasoning behind the odd angle on the Griswold side, but otherwise this looks really nice for the area!

[skyfan]

^^^It's a triangle shaped lot



Another project also got approval from the HDC yesterday


Retail Space and Roughly 200 Lofts Imagined in Brush Park


http://cdn.cstatic.net/gridnailer/500x/http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/54e615abf92ea12f29002c36/erskinecover.jpg

A whale of a mixed-use development has been approved by the Historic District Commission for Brush Park, where Sachse Construction and Neumann Smith Architecture propose to build a five-story building with everything from a swimming pool to underground parking. Containing approximately 200K square feet, the modern building would snake through an entire block.

Historic District Commission hearings are public but aren't exactly meant to inform the public. Here's what we could gather: The development is primarily residential, with somewhere around 200 loft-style apartments on the upper four floors. A small section of the building would face Woodward Avenue, but the majority of the footprint travels down Erskine and then parallel to John R.

The building's U-shape would wrap around an interior area featuring parking (some underground) topped with a roof terrace, pool included. It sounds like the design is pretty festive (just look at that facade!) although the multiple colors were meant to break up such a huge structure. Apologies for the sketchy info and even sketchier renderings (they're photos taken of a tiny projection screen), but we've emailed Sachse seeking clearer inf



http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2015/02/brush-park-retail-space-hundreds-of-lofts-possible.php

[JonathanGRR]

I actually meant how the northern half of the building angles into the building so that there is a set-back halfway through. More lighting for the southern half, perhaps?

[animatedmartian]

I actually meant how the northern half of the building angles into the building so that there is a set-back halfway through. More lighting for the southern half, perhaps?

That was my assumption. You'd kind of have an odd extra inside space if the building followed the triangular shape of the lot but it's not quite on the part of the lot where it makes sense to make it a Flat-iron style building.



Btw, here are some more renderings for the Erksine development.

http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff5564e4b075777f4fb5fd/t/54e12128e4b0f4a6ba323625/1424040232083/2013206+Erskine+Block+Mixed+Use+Facade+Study+11-19-14-2.pdf

[JonathanGRR]

Great news for downtown Detroit! I wonder if this was the primary reasoning for building the data center in Corktown, or will this have a separate hub?

Dan Gilbert confirms plans for new superfast fiber-optic Internet provider, Rocket Fiber
February 21, 2015

Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Quicken Loans Inc. and Rock Ventures LLC, confirmed today the formation of a new investment initiative, Rocket Fiber LLC, a Detroit-based high-speed Internet provider.

Rocket Fiber will provide Internet in downtown Detroit that is up to 100 times faster than the current residential average, Rock confirmed. Rock called the initiative a community investment that is "game-changing."

Construction is underway on the advanced fiber-optic Internet network that will serve residents, local government and businesses in and around downtown Detroit. Access then willbe expanded to other areas of the city.

The network originates west of downtown Detroit, and the initial scope covers the central business district from M-10 to the west, I-75 to the north, I-375 to the east, and the Detroit River to the south.

After initial installation in downtown Detroit, Rocket Fiber will expand services to residents and businesses in Midtown along the Woodward corridor.
...
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20150221/NEWS/150229974/dan-gilbert-confirms-plans-for-new-superfast-fiber-optic-internet

[animatedmartian]

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20150222/NEWS/302229971/affordable-senior-complex-prompts-midtown-concerns

Deals are underway to rehab a few apartment buildings on Seward Ave between Woodward and 2nd Avenue.The largest of these apartment buildings would become a nearly 100-unit senior citizen complex. However, there is debate among Midtown, Inc and the developers on whether these apartments should be exclusively low-income or more mixed-income.

Either way, it's evidence that the rehab trend is moving out from downtown and into adjacent areas. Keep in mind, these apartment buildings are only a few blocks from where the M-1 Rail currently ends.

[Rizzo]

I really like the design of the Capitol Park building.

[subterranean]

I really like the design of the Capitol Park building.

Me too. A lot.

[Detroit1995]

Very sad news for the David Stott Building.
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2015/02/25/burst-pipe-freeze-david-stott/23984393/

[Busy Bee]

Very sad news for the David Stott Building.
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2015/02/25/burst-pipe-freeze-david-stott/23984393/

By no means a death sentence.

[animatedmartian]

Many other buildings in Detroit have come back from far much worse and at worse any historic interior architecture is probably lost on the affected floors. However, it's still rather frustrating that DDI has not made good on their stated promises of renovating the David Stott and Free Press Building. It's been slow if unapparent at the very least and they haven't provided a reason for why it's been that way.

In the mean time, the rest of Downtown continues on it's revival.

Sale of Gabriel Richard Building closes; new owner Barbat plans to invest $6.5M in renovations (http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20150225/NEWS/150229914/sale-of-gabriel-richard-building-closes-new-owner-barbat-plans-to)
By Kirk Pinho

https://41.media.tumblr.com/f1708c048d2ad8cabeaa6099cb60aa28/tumblr_nkcqqoJbJn1tv48zjo1_540.jpg

Joe Barbat closed on the purchase of the 96,000-square-foot Gabriel Richard Building in downtown Detroit for $3.2 million on Tuesday, the metro Detroit businessman said.

Barbat plans to turn the building into about 110 multifamily residential units in a $6.5 million renovation at Michigan Avenue and Washington Boulevard downtown Detroit. The building is expected to be renamed The Gabriel House.

The building had been owned by GRB New Detroit LLC, an entity registered to Gary Roncelli, chairman of the Sterling Heights-based construction firm Roncelli Inc., according to CoStar Group Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based real estate information service.

The Detroit office of Jones Lang LaSalle marketed the building, the previous home of the Archdiocese of Detroit.

This is the fourth building purchase in greater downtown for Barbat, the CEO and chairman of Southfield-based Wireless Toyz and chairman of West Bloomfield Township-based real estate investment and management company Barbat Holdings LLC.

All told, his $35 million-plus redevelopment plan for nearly 400 multifamily units includes the Gabriel Richard Building; the Park Apartments, formerly the Hotel Briggs (118 apartments with first-floor retail); an annex of the Hotel St. Regis (60 apartments with first-floor retail); and the Philip J. Neudeck office building (100 apartments or condominium units with first-floor retail).

All of his downtown building purchases have occurred in the last 12 months.

"Excellent progress is being made on the Briggs House," Barbat said. "We are expected to be open in September with 118 new units. And excellent progress on the St. Regis, which we plan on opening in July with 58 new units."