DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[skyscraperpage17]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

The only spot that fits that information is the triangular parking lot south of Comerica Park.

I'm not sure. That may be the case. And IMO, that would be much better (getting that parking lot that's been sitting empty for roughly 20 years filled with a high rise) than having a hotel move into the Book Tower, which is more likely to be filled with something else eventually any way.

I just asked to see if anyone else had any knowledge of this supposed development to see if it was legitimate. I don't even know if any of this is actually happening.

[The North One]

More photos of Monroe Block here: https://www.dezeen.com/2017/08/24/sc...ntown-detroit/



And here: http://www.shl.dk/monroe-blocks/

[subterranean]

Originally Posted by subterranean

It could feasibly be the 5th tallest after Hudson’s is built.

Originally Posted by The North One

More photos of Monroe Block here: https://www.dezeen.com/2017/08/24/sc...ntown-detroit/



And here: http://www.shl.dk/monroe-blocks/

So this thing will be the 5th tallest, including Hudson's. Impressive. By the way, that is the exact height of Portland's second tallest:



...

[Docta_Love]

In that last rendering the 16 story tower looks a hell of a lot taller, although i know its not focusing on phase 2 but with the height increase in phase one perhaps they're thinking about raising the height on it too. Its hard to tell but it looks near as tall as the Cadillac Tower it looks like it may be upwards of 400 ft if that rendering is at all accurate.

[LMich]

That's not the 16-story tower. That's a seperate one on the block. This is the 26-story tower at the very edge of the development at Randolph and Monroe. The 16-story residential building is on the main block behind the office tower at the corner of Farmer and Bates.

BTW, the 26-story tower looks nowhere near as tall as Cadillac Tower. It's much closer to our view in that perspective, making it look taller. This is more apparent in the aerial rendering. It's clearly shorter than the 438-foot Cadillac Tower, but taller than the neighboring 259-foot Water Board Building, but not that much taller than the Water Board Building.

[animatedmartian]

Shinola Hotel progressing along.







Via Curbed, photos by Michelle & Chris Gerard

[LMich]

To answer concerns about possible over-supply...

Forecast: Big demand for downtown Detroit housing

By Candice Williams | The Detroit News

August 24, 2017

Neighborhoods within the greater downtown Detroit area are expected to see a demand for 10,000 new residential units during the next five years, according to a survey released Thursday by the Downtown Detroit Partnership.

The areas included in the Greater Downtown Residential Market Study are downtown, Corktown, Rivertown, Lafayette Park, Eastern Market, Midtown, Woodbridge, TechTown and New Center.

The figure reflects the demand for both market-rate and affordable-housing options — for sale and for rent.

“We’re seeing a continued demand for residential units, and that demand is increasing faster than the current supply of available units,” Eric Larson, CEO of the Downtown Detroit Partnership said in a statement. “There is a great opportunity in the city for developers for both market-rate and affordable units.”

Findings in the study include:

■There is demand each year for 1,230 to 1,500 new market-rate rental and for-sale multi-family units, and an estimated demand for 414 to 512 affordable rental and for-sale multi-family units.

■Over the next five years, estimated demand for new market-rate rentals and for-sale multi-family units is 6,150 to more than 7,500 units. There will be a demand for 2,070 to more than 2,500 affordable units for rent or sale.

■Nearly 76 percent of units developed since 2014 were market-rate and 24 percent are affordable, or income-restricted units.

Nearly 7,400 new units have been proposed and are in the pipeline throughout the greater downtown area.

[Docta_Love]

Sources: Gilbert close to buying Buhl Building, parking deck downtown

By KIRK PINHO
Crain's Detroit Business
August 25, 2017



Downtown real estate mogul Dan Gilbert is closing in on a deal to buy the Buhl Building and its 652-space parking deck downtown, two sources familiar with the negotiations told Crain's Friday.

The 27-story skyscraper at 535 Griswold St. would become the most recent high-rise the Quicken Loans Inc. and Rock Ventures LLC founder and chairman has added to his real estate portfolio.

Other high-profile purchases include Ally Detroit Center (formerly One Detroit Center), the Book Tower, the David Stott Building and the former Compuware Corp. headquarters, now known as One Campus Martius.

One source said the deal is a few months away from closing and Gilbert had the properties under contract. The other source said a deal was close. Both asked for anonymity because they aren't permitted to publicly discuss the negotiations.

Whitney Eichinger, vice president of communications for Rock Ventures, said the company "cannot comment on rumor and speculation."

The expected sale price is not known.

....

Gilbert .... He owns more than 95 properties totaling more than 15 million square feet in and around downtown, according to figures from his Bedrock LLC real estate development, ownership, management and leasing company.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...-deck-downtown

Davenport University moving from Livonia to Midtown

By KIRK PINHO
Crain's Detroit Business
August 24, 2017

Grand Rapids-based Davenport University is relocating its Livonia location to Detroit's Midtown neighborhood.

A sign in front of its 40,000-square-foot building says it is "opening soon" in the bustling neighborhood in greater downtown Detroit but does not give a specific location or time frame. However, the university said Thursday night the move would not affect students attending in the fall 2017 or winter 2018 semesters.

"Davenport is committed to the Detroit marketplace and believes a new campus in the Midtown area will help it better tap into the growth and excitement of Detroit's renaissance," a statement from the university provided Thursday night reads.

The statement says it's looking for a location close to the QLine streetcar system, and the destination will be finalized after a new Livonia tenant has been secured. It does not say whether it is considering constructing a new building or leasing existing space.

The move comes as the nonprofit university has recently embarked on a spending spree even though enrollment has shrunk by thousands of students in recent years, MiBiz reported in February 2016, falling from 13,000 in 2011-12 to 8,715 in 2015. The university has most recently said it serves "nearly 8,000" students throughout its 80-plus undergraduate and graduate programs.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...nia-to-midtown

[LMich]

Gilbert is going to make off like a bandit when he sells these properties off over the coming years, good grief!

[Detroit1995]

Anyone have an update on those historic buildings at the edge of the Cass Corridor? Wasn't there a rally last week to help prevent their demolition?

[The North One]

Originally Posted by Detroit1995

Anyone have an update on those historic buildings at the edge of the Cass Corridor? Wasn't there a rally last week to help prevent their demolition?

City council says they spoke to Olympia and the buildings are not being demolished.

There's a lot of conflicting information.

[LMich]

When did DuCharmer Place in Lafayette Park, open? I'd forgotten about this one.

Mies’s Lafayette Park gets first new project in 40 years

By Matthew Messner | The Architects Newspaper

August 21, 2017

For the first time in 40 years, Detroit’s famed Lafayette Park has a new addition. Designed by Detroit-based McIntosh Poris Associates, DuCharme Place is a 185-unit apartment community comprised of four midrise buildings. Adding to the Mies van der Rohe–designed historic district, the new development plays liberally with many of Mies’s original concepts.

McIntosh Poris’s contribution, entitled DuCharme Place, draws on many of the modernist ideas designed into the historic portions of the district. Starting with the material palette of brick, metal, and glass, the project also makes larger formal moves that echo Mies’s master plan and design. The four buildings define three large courtyard terraces reminiscent of the iconic courts of Mies’s townhomes. Residents also have access to additional outdoor spaces including private balconies and private green roof terraces, which include a pool and a zen garden. The project’s green roof is the largest in Detroit.

Anyway, some more photos of the development from its facebook page:

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by LMich

When did DuCharmer Place in Lafayette Park, open? I'd forgotten about this one.

Back in May of this year.

[LMich]

I was under the impression this one had already started, but it must have been preliminary work. Anyway, the official start of the conversion of the long-vacant Metropolitan Building into the Element Detroit extended-stay hotel (by Starwood) began today:

Tanya Moutzalias

Detroit hotel kicks off construction with rooftop tree removal at historic high-rise

By Dana Afana | MLive.com

August 29, 2017

DETROIT -- Developers kicked off construction of a hotel inside the historic, long-vacant Metropolitan Building on Tuesday with the removal of a 13-foot-tall tree from the roof.

The $32-million "Element Detroit" hotel project will be an extended-stay hotel under the Starwood collection.

It will include 110 one- and two-bedroom units with kitchens, 2,000-square-feet of meeting spaces on the second floor mezzanine and about 7,000-square-feet of retail space on the lower level of the building at 33 John R. St.

More photos from MLive's Tanya Moutzalias:

[animatedmartian]

Ilitches buy Women's City Club building for $5.85 million
By KIRK PINHO. Crain's Detroit. August 30, 2017.



An entity tied to the Ilitch family's Olympia Development of Michigan quietly purchased the Women's City Club building on Park Avenue in downtown Detroit for $5.85 million in January.

According to Wayne County records, an entity called DETWCC LLC sold the building to 2110 Park Avenue LLC.

The former is registered to Eric Larson, CEO of the Downtown Detroit Partnership and president and CEO of Bloomfield Hills-based Larson Realty Group.

The latter does not expressly disclose who is behind it, but city records list the taxpayer address as 2211 Woodward Ave., the headquarters of Olympia Development and Little Caesars. A text message was sent Tuesday evening to an Olympia spokesman seeking comment on future plans for the building, which is 75,000 square feet.

...

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...or-585-million

In relation to this, the Detroit Historic District Commission had a meeting on the 29th which included "54 Elizabeth - Adjacent to the Park Avenue HD - Demolish building ".

54 Elizabeth is this little building behind the Women's City Club. Google streetview shows that the part of the building on the right had a nice little facade.




In other Olympia demolition news, they just demolished the house on the left pictured here. The one on the right still has private owners and is currently listed for $5 million dollars.

[Docta_Love]

Midtown Detroit unveils plans for $20 million Selden Corridor redevelopment

By KURT NAGL
Crain's Detroit Business
August 30, 2017



A planned $20 million redevelopment of Selden Corridor in Midtown will include a bar arcade, brewing school, meat-centric restaurant, eco-homes and public outdoor workspace for entrepreneurs.

Midtown Detroit Inc. announced Wednesday the updated plans for the mixed-use projects, known as the Selden Corridor Initiative, on Selden Street between Second Avenue and Fourth Street.

The community development agency started the initiative earlier this year and development is expected to be complete by late fall next year.

Barcade, a national chain that couples craft beer with classic video games, will open its first Michigan location at 666 Selden St.

The building will also house a brewing school that will offer a bachelor's degree in fermentation science in partnership with Eastern Michigan University. The brewery school is being funded by Midtown Detroit and 3Mission Design and Developers, which owns Jolly Pumpkin Pizzeria and Brewery on Canfield in Midtown, according to a news release.

The developer is also planning a new restaurant called North Cookshop for the ground floor of 644 Selden St.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...elden-corridor

[animatedmartian]

^Here are more renderings of the Seldon Corridor Initiative.

https://detroit.curbed.com/2017/8/30...elden-corridor

[LMich]

More from the Selden development.

The gallery from MLive:











Where the 14 infill houses will go:





Still not clear on how many residential units are in each building aside from the fact that you'll have 14 single-family homes built down the block as infll.

BTW, in the old development behind the Fillmore the 1900 house is the defaced house on the right, the 1960's addition is on the left, and the 1870's house is behind these two.


Tanya Moutzalias | MLive.com

The whole thing has been so badly reconfigured it's going to be hard to sell the owners on them as being architecturally significant, if they even could. I'd really love to see what a great preservationist architect could do with these. There are the things that make streetscapes interesting.

[hammersklavier]

Originally Posted by LMich

Where the 14 infill houses will go:





Still not clear on how many residential units are in each building aside from the fact that you'll have 14 single-family homes built down the block as infll.

Are they demo'ing that whole block?

That's kind of a disappointment.

BTW, in the old development behind the Fillmore the 1900 house is the defaced house on the right, the 1960's addition is on the left, and the 1870's house is behind these two.


Tanya Moutzalias | MLive.com

The whole thing has been so badly reconfigured it's going to be hard to sell the owners on them as being architecturally significant, if they even could. I'd really love to see what a great preservationist architect could do with these. There are the things that make streetscapes interesting.

Organic buildings that have seen accretion like this are some of a city's best and most interesting. That 1860 house alone looks like it holds plenty of fascinating stories!

[LMich]

I should have been more clear; that's the context into which the 14 houses on Selden are going. The second photo shows the lot the infill will be constructed, I believe.