I was just sitting here thinking...
About 10 years ago (roughly 2002), the Hudson's Block (underground garage) and Compuware World Headquarters were under construction, and along with Campus Martius Park were finished around 2004. It's been about 8 years that we've enjoyed their presence in downtown Detroit and, like I said, about 10 that the initial excitement of a major construction project began to take shape.
10 years seems like a long time for many major cities, but in Detroit, it doesn't seem like that transformation, mentioned above, has been around for that long. Sure, it's a permanent piece of our city and other components of the Campus Martius plan are in the works, but I wonder when the economic stars will once again align to allow for the repeat of 2002, when cranes were errected, shovels in the ground, dirt was moved and steel fused together?
Don't get me wrong, I understand the significance of all the things going on right now and the relavant construction projects going on around town, like the rehabs/renovations, new constructions, like the Auburn, and major public/private works projects like the greenways and riverfront.
We know we will be waiting around for "LRT/Streetcar" for another period of time now, but I wonder if that infrastructure improvement/investment is the "next big thing" to transform the overall face of central Detroit, much like the beginning phases of Campus Martius has?
My point is, again, after 10 years, it seems like we should be prepared and ready to move on to the next phases of what is planned (on the grand scale) in Detroit. We've done so well with "making the economy here", we tend not to wait for it to give us permission to build. That's been how things work here for many decades now. Heck, I equate the reuse of the Broderick & Witney Buildings to that of constructing 2 new towers in the CBD. Same for any existing, abandoned building.
Again, my thoughts here don't associate with the enormous efforts and ambitions led by so many brave and entrepreneurial Detroiters that daily impact this city for the better. Rather, I just question when the next big push, Campus Martius-style, will get us all worked up again? What, if anything, will the next 10 years bring? Fair question, I believe...especially for a place like Detroit.
