Quote:
Originally Posted by fishrose
It's awful in theory, and right now it's an unsightly behemoth, but I honestly don't see this huge negative impact on downtown that everyone's talking about. I guess it functions as an unnatural barrier to the outward growth of the CBD, but it's at the very outside corner of it anyway. If the city was healthy (which it isn't) and growing (which it isn't) then I would have more of a problem with it, I think.
Can you honestly say you've ever been trying to get somewhere and been annoyed that Cobo was in your way? I walk all over downtown and I've never felt it had a negative impact on the city for any other reason than its ugliness.
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Well your question is answered in your first paragraph. It's on the edge of the CBD, and there isn't any regular destination* on the other sides. But yes, if Detroit's downtown were growing, it would be unfortunate that some of the city's best real estate was occupied by a large box with an ugly parking lot on top. I'm sure the view from office buildings above still won't get much of an improvement after renovations. A parking lot is a parking lot.
* Joe Louis arena is not a regular destination, it's seasonal.