DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[Docta_Love]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

Probably just the difference in quantity of scenic areas compared to other parts of the state.

Since the Thumb Region is mostly flat, there's a ton of farming which makes the journey uninteresting and boring. Only the few miles (or less) off of Lake Huron are anything interesting. Up north, you get miles and miles of scenery plus the varied terrain and even some inland lakes. It's easier to find your own little hideaway in nooks and crannies so to speak. The irony is that the remoteness up north makes it more attractive.

Somewhat related, IIRC, there's was a book on Metro Detroit's expected growth during the 1960s or 70s where urban planners thought the city would sprawl towards Port Huron within the next 100 years, but instead most people headed northwest into Oakland County. They were fairly optimistic Port Huron would become a new major port because of the connection to Canada and it's location between Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair. They also expected the region to have 15 million residents by now so... yea. Maybe if Port Huron (and by extension, Detroit) managed to keep up that sort of growth, Lake Huron would become dotted with resorts and attractions but since it's just not as attractive as up north by itself, it's just stayed under the radar.

I guess i should have been a little more clear about what i was getting, Lake Huron's Michigan coast tends to have rocky beaches in the first place and while id say the thumb has handsome farmland its a boring drive. But the very tip of the thumb has "up north" qualities turnip rock can't be comapared to pictured rocks but is very out of place in SE MI. For the same reason most of Lake Huron tends to have rocky beaches (prevailing winds piling sand on eastern shores) the west side of the tip of the thumb has large dunes at port crescent state park.

Lake Huron's coast even up north has always lagged behind lake Michigan as has been said for a number. As for development in St. Clair county its definitely out of the way but it would seem to me places like Lexington for example aren't given any thought by most. I like to pride myself as having traveled to the our best parks, beaches and wilderness areas but i was taken a aback by the thumb of all places having such a nice area.

Turnip Rock



Port Crescent State Park Beach (at the mouth of Saginaw Bay technically, the water is a tends to be 5 degrees or more warmer than the rest of southern Lake Huron 80 degrees or warmer in mid summer in this area has become common nowadays. Also its down wind position from Saginaw Bay the prevailing westerly winds allowed large dunes to form as well not pictured)



Edit; we may just be spoiled having more coastline than any other state in the lower 48, but with all the lakes in oakland county (1000) and not to mention livingston county with just these areas there really aren't a lack of options even closer in, pinckney state park area for example or kensington metropark are really "up north" vacation areas that have started to become exurban ... fortunately not to the degree of the former resort towns in oakland like walled lake where the water quality was ruined.

[LMich]

Don't want to get too far off topic, but Lake Huron was never going to be what Lake Michigan was simply because of the weather. The heaviest winds come in from the west, which basically created sandy beaches and dunelands along the entire eastern coast of Lake Michigan. It's why it's far more tourism developed than the west coast of the lake. That, and the sun sets on the eastern shores of the lakes.

That's not to say that you probably couldn't get more tourism up north of Detroit; and it's far more beautiful than people give it credit for. But no one should be surprised or expect it to rival Lake Michigan's tourism industry.

[north 42]

The eastern shore of Lake Huron in Ontario is very sandy and is very popular. It has some very busy beach towns along its shores, especially south of the Bruce Peninsula. Grand Bend and Sauble Beach are the two biggest beach towns.

[Docta_Love]

^That's what i heard too that the Sarnia side has a much nicer coast however i always see a lot of Ontario plates at the state park north of Port Huron something about the provincial park near Sarnia being booze free.

Fitzgerald neighborhood work starts with new park, community center

BY ROBIN RUNYAN
Curbed Detroit
OCT 17, 2017



The official groundbreaking started today in the Livernois-McNichols area for the Fitzgerald neighborhood revitalization, which is a multi-faceted approach to improve the neighborhood. The first two projects—Ella Fitzgerald Park and a “HomeBase” community center—broke ground today.

The neighborhood revitalization is a collaboration between multiple partners, including the City of Detroit, the Reimagining the Civic Commons program, the Live6 Alliance, developers FitzForward, and more.

The Ella Fitzgerald Park will have a multipurpose sports field and basketball court, as well as play equipment, green space, and a greenway running through the park. The park will also have two murals by local artist Hubert Massey. It will add a vibrant, attractive gathering place to the surrounding community.

HomeBase, a new community center on McNichols Avenue, will be home to the Live6 Alliance, along with the Detroit Collaborative Design Center—a nonprofit architecture and urban design firm at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture, and shared space for various city of Detroit staff and community groups.

“You can’t underestimate what the establishment of HomeBase will do to accelerate the collaboration between the various organizations who are working toward revitalizing this area,” says Lauren Hood, Live6 Alliance co-director. “And a well-trafficked office can only help spur more development in the immediate vicinity. This means there’ll be one less abandoned building on this street. We’ll be a good neighbor to the about-to-open coffee shop next door, the restaurant in the works across the street and the other active buildings in the vicinity. Activity attracts more activity for everyone.

https://detroit.curbed.com/2017/10/1...-redevelopment

[LMich]

More from the neighborhood revitalization to jog some memories:









A smaller development, but a really interesting one is The Kelemen fourplex on Elliot in between John R and Brush in Brush Park. It includes three rowhomes and an upper-level penthouse. Each unit includes 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, rear decks, and backyard parking.


The Kelemen Residences of Brush Park


The Kelemen Residences of Brush Park

[skyscraperpage17]

Flint is also going to join in with Detroit's Amazon HQ2 bid.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...submit-its-own

[animatedmartian]

Just noticed off in the distance of the LCA cam the Henry Ford Hospital project. Looks like it's already up about 3 or 4 floors.


http://www.districtdetroit.com/live-web-cam/

[Docta_Love]

Originally Posted by LMich

A smaller development, but a really interesting one is The Kelemen fourplex on Elliot in between John R and Brush in Brush Park. It includes three rowhomes and an upper-level penthouse. Each unit includes 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, rear decks, and backyard parking.

Sweet

MoGo reaches bike ridership goal more than 6 months early

By ANNALISE FRANK
Crain's Detroit Business
October 17, 2017



The MoGo bike-share system published figures on ridership since its May 23 launch:

-An average of 705 trips per day
-2,100 rides on peak ridership day, its free ride day Oct. 1
-Average ride length of 22 minutes
-Riders have biked a total of 76,000 miles
-About 2,000 monthly and annual passes sold

Detroit's MoGo bike share service reached its 100,000-ride goal more than six months early, the nonprofit announced Tuesday.

Mogo recorded 100,000 rides in the five months since its May 23 launch — a number it expected to reach after a full year of operations, MoGo founder and Executive Director Lisa Nuszkowski said.

MoGo has 430 bikes docked at 43 stations across 10 neighborhoods of the city.

Nuszkowski said the bicycles have held up as expected, with "minor maintenance" required. MoGo chose Quebec, Canada-based PBSC Urban Solutions to build the $1,200 bikes specifically for its products' durability, she said.

Stealing "hasn't been much of an issue," she added. There have been a "few instances" in which bicycles haven't been returned at all, but MoGo's responses to missing bicycles and reasons for them to go missing vary. Numbers on missing bikes weren't immediately available.

Often when a bike is "missing" in the system, it's because it hasn't been docked properly, or the rider doesn't realize there is a half-hour time limit. A major challenge has been educating the public about how to use a bike share — a relatively new concept that's more about short-term use than normal bicycle rentals are, Nuszkowski said.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...6-months-early

[detroit_alive]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

Just noticed off in the distance of the LCA cam the Henry Ford Hospital project. Looks like it's already up about 3 or 4 floors.

I just drove by the Henry Ford project and they are still doing site work, nothing above ground. I think what you are seeing in the photos are the new dorms going up on 3rd in front of the Wayne State parking garage.

[Detroit]

Originally Posted by detroit_alive

I just drove by the Henry Ford project and they are still doing site work, nothing above ground. I think what you are seeing in the photos are the new dorms going up on 3rd in front of the Wayne State parking garage.

That was my thought too

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by detroit_alive

I just drove by the Henry Ford project and they are still doing site work, nothing above ground. I think what you are seeing in the photos are the new dorms going up on 3rd in front of the Wayne State parking garage.

You're probably right. I forgot how big those dorms are going to be. The tallest building will be 11 floors so it'll be pretty noticeable from the webcam view.

[LMich]

Which dorms are we talking about, again?

[animatedmartian]

Anthony Wayne Drive Apartments. Broke ground back in April. Meant to replace the Deroy apartment building across the street as that tower will be demolished when the new dorms are complete.

• Video Link

Oh, and just came across the construction cam for these dorms.

https://app.oxblue.com/open/gilbane/awdwaynestate

[subterranean]

Wow, that is going to be great fro WSU.

Sidebar - I just noticed that Skyscraper City forums are compatible with Tapatalk - and it's awesome, just not updated as much as here. Why is it that people don't use that forum as much?

[Docta_Love]

^^Ahh I almost forgot about that one. I can't say i'd shed any tears for the old student housing tower (brown building to the right of new dorms in LCA cam, i believe) but it would be cool if before tearing it down Wayne State would shop the idea of some kind of conversion around considering the 98% residential occupancy rate in midtown.

Wayne State fundraising for activated park at Woodward and Warren

BY ROBIN RUNYAN
Curbed Detroit
OCT 18, 2017



How can Wayne State University (WSU) best use a plot of land that could create a stronger link between the public and the university? A new crowdfunding campaign would activate the large green space at the corner of Woodward and Warren. If WSU can raise $25,000 by November 17, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation will match it with a $25,000 Public Spaces, Community Places grant.

The campaign has already raised nearly $11,000 with contributions from the Michigan Department of Transportation, Rainbow Child Care Center, and the Detroit Public Library Foundation.

The initiative aims at creating more of a gateway to Wayne State at this high-traffic corner. Funding would go toward adding seating, shading, landscaping, and lawn games. It will also be home to a satellite kiosk for Detroit Experience Factory and WSU Placemaking. This park isn’t meant to be a permanent fixture; according to the campaign, “Our prototype park will help us understand how students, employees, residents, and visitors use this space before deciding on a long-term use.”

https://detroit.curbed.com/2017/10/1...oodward-warren

[subterranean]

• Video Link

[animatedmartian]

Why do I get the sense that that video isn't necessarily aimed at Amazon but basically any major company not located in Detroit right now? Would it be too far-fetched to believe that Gilbert is basically starting a national corporate recruiting campaign?

[The North One]

It's definitely good promotion in general, regardless of Amazon.

[LMich]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

Why do I get the sense that that video isn't necessarily aimed at Amazon but basically any major company not located in Detroit right now? Would it be too far-fetched to believe that Gilbert is basically starting a national corporate recruiting campaign?

Isn't that what this Amazon fevor is for most cities? Most of the cities competing have no chance; this is really a means of leveraging attention more than actually competing for Amazon.

[LMich]

Detroit-based Kraemer Design Group architects have been keeping track of a lot of their downtown projects. Here are some photos from the past two months courtesy their facebook page:

Book Building: Looks like the new windows have been installed.


Rebecca Bino Savage

Shinola Hotel









Lofts at Merchants Row: This is an expansion of the Woodward Avenue apartment complex.





Farwell Building



28 Grand: This micro-unit new construction tower on Capitol Park has been hosting move-ins since at least September. It's a pretty amazing use of precast concrete, which can oftentimes look really cheap. One of the two ground floor spaces has already been leased by a restaurant.