DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[Rizzo]

Yeah the scale of that facade is intense (in a not so good way) compared to the surroundings.

[LMich]

Well, it's not as if there weren't realistic renderings showing what it would look like, in context, so this really shouldn't have come as a surprise.

In some more downtown news:

Blue Cross to buy building that houses Metro Times

By Michael Martinez | The Detroit Newss

July 19, 2013

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is finalizing plans to purchase the Detroit Cornice and Slate Building — home to the Metro Times — at the corner of St. Antoine and E. Lafayette Streets.

The health care provider plans to convert the second and third floors of the 24,000-square-foot-building to office space for about 100 existing BCBSM employees, according to spokeswoman Helen Stojic. Flood’s Bar & Grille will remain on the first floor.

In addition to Metro Times, the building is also home to Paxahau, an event productions and management company in charge of the Movement Electronic Music Festival, among other events.

The building sits in between BCBSM’s Bricktown customer service facility and its Lafayette Street headquarters. A skywalk between the two properties sits to the south of the Cornice and Slate building.

“It was a natural fit to incorporate it into our campus because of its proximity,” Stojic said in an email.

...

The article goes on to say Metro Times is looking for another space. I can't really imagine them moving out of the greater downtown given their paper's focus.


Andrew Jameson

[animatedmartian]

Wow they've never owned that building? Whenever I pass by it on the street or look at it from google, it looks like there's a modern addition on the the north side of the building. A lot of times it's pretty easy to miss the very nicely preserved facade especially while driving.

I always thought it was just apart of the campus.

[LMich]

There was an addition built on to it sometime last decade, can't remember exactly when. I'd always thought of it as the Metro Times Building. I had always assumed that BCBS didn't own it, or else it probably would have been gone. I'm glad it stayed out of their hands long enough for them to come to appreciate it. That, and the current president of the company is big on preservation (he did the Ottawa Street Station renovation in downtown Lansing).

[animatedmartian]

The name might be familiar to some.

$60M east riverfront development in Detroit to bring housing, streetscape
By JC Reindl
July 23, 2013



A national developer plans to build five blocks’ worth of apartments, town houses and small-scale retail on Detroit’s east riverfront, one of the biggest such projects since the recession and a bet by the company that urban living in Detroit will remain popular with some young professionals.

The $60-million project would fill mostly vacant land east of the Renaissance Center, north of Atwater Street and just west of the popular Dequindre Cut Greenway. The proposed mix of three- to four-story town houses and apartment buildings could offer monthly rental rates of about $850 up to $1,700.

The St. Louis-based developer, McCormack Baron Salazar, specializes in urban market revitalization. Its chairman and CEO, Richard Baron, is a Detroit native.

“We think that there’s pent-up demand for the housing product with the workforcedowntown and others,” said Baron, who hopes to break ground by the spring and finish by early 2016. “I’ve always wanted to come back to Detroit and help with the redevelopment of the city.”

...





...

Like all recent downtown and Midtown developments, this east riverfront project would depend on a hodgepodge of various government subsidies and foundation support, as Detroit rents are not yet high enough to support all-private ventures.

About half of the financing would come from a U.S. Housing and Urban Development mortgage. An additional $6.7 million of support would come from the Michigan Community Revitalization Program and $5.5 million from the Michigan Business Tax program for Brownfield redevelopment.

http://www.freep.com/article/2013072...Globe-Building


Here's what the area looks like as of December 2012 (the only real difference is construction on the Globe Building has started since then):







So yea, kinda glad to see something finally being put here.

[LMich]

Well, this certainly came out of nowhere. And, no, the name doesn't seem to ring a bell, for me. Speaking of Rivertown, I wonder whatever happened to GM's plan for its RiverEast lands directly to the east of headquarters?

[LMich]

Businesses bring new buzz to historic New Center

By Maureen McDonald | The Detroit News

July 23, 2013

Another Detroit neighborhood is showing signs of resurgence.

New Center, once the world headquarters of General Motors and a shopping Mecca that included Sak’s Fifth Avenue and Crowley’s Department Store, is carving its own niche at the corner of Grand Boulevard and Second Street, bolstered by the business boom downtown and in Midtown.

“Revitalizing the New Center area is a fun project of ours,” said Andy Gutman, president of the Farbman Group, which manages the Fisher, Albert Kahn and New Center One buildings. “Business is on such a roll in Detroit it can only get better. The city bankruptcy may help free up money for better police protection and civic services.”

Besides the maintenance and restoration of these historic buildings, the Southfield based-management company has launched events, including bringing a caravan of food trucks to the area, to create buzz and pedestrian traffic. As many as 3,000 people pass through the three buildings daily.

...

New tenants include Detroit Electric, an electric car company, along with stable clients such as Vision Information Technology, WJR Radio, Detroit Public Schools, Henry Ford Health System and the Fisher Theater.

Outside, New Center Park hosts events through the summer and someday soon the M1 rail line will run from downtown to Grand Boulevard.

Farbman is also close to inking a deal with a restaurant client from Boston, which would help bolster night traffic to stores and the Fisher Theater. The site is on the southeast end of the building.

“Farbman certainly makes a big effort to recruit new tenants,” said Sue Mosey, executive director of Midtown Detroit whose organization looks to increase development and energize neighborhoods from Mack Avenue to Grand Boulevard. “As the core of Midtown continues to redevelop, you’ll see a push of activity all the way to New Center.”

...

This is a good read.

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by LMich

Well, this certainly came out of nowhere. And, no, the name doesn't seem to ring a bell, for me. Speaking of Rivertown, I wonder whatever happened to GM's plan for its RiverEast lands directly to the east of headquarters?

Ah, well, this developer has been trying to build in Detroit since pre-recession. He's the same guy who wanted to daylight the Bloody Run creek and build a neighborhood along it and also had a few proposals for residential in Midtown.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...ong-held-dream

Anyway, here's the overhead plans for his current endeavor from the Detroit News.


http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...oit-riverfront

Edit: This is the first phase of the project. Phase-two would be developed west of Riopelle along Atwater and have 200 additional units and retail.

[hudkina]

I honestly don't think it's that big of a difference in density from many other urban neighborhoods. I kind of like the idea that it isn't a bland array of photocopy rowhouses.

I think it also leaves open the possibility of infill towers if the demand ever rises.

[LMich]

Originally Posted by hudkina

I honestly don't think it's that big of a difference in density from many other urban neighborhoods. I kind of like the idea that it isn't a bland array of photocopy rowhouses.

I think it also leaves open the possibility of infill towers if the demand ever rises.

All things considered, it's better than what it could have been, and certainly better than what is there (or isn't there, in this case), now. It's always been my opinion for Rivertown, anyway, that towers be kept away from the riverfront and more up along Jefferson. I don't care what happened outside of the Rivertown, but I've always liked the human-scaled feel of the district.

Rivertown was always village-like, and this will return it to that feel. This time, it looks like it'll have a fresher maritime feel than the heavy warehouse architecture of old. That's not a bad thing. I also like that some of the units will be affordable, because what that shows me is that this could be replicated across the inner city. Imagine that this is the kind of things that becomes common in, say, the emptied out residential areas north of Gratiot. Someone has to take the plunge, eventually.

EDIT: BTW, I kept trying to figure out what the Guoin Mews was before I figured out it'll be a reconstructed street and pedestrian pathway. lol

[hudkina]

I agree that Rivertown should not become a Vancouver-esque bland tower district, but I could see something similar to the Lofts at Rivertown where you have a mid-rise tower surrounded by the street-level development.





Something in the 8 to 12 story range wouldn't be bad, and the larger towers could then go along and north of Jefferson.

[animatedmartian]

Silverdome owners pitch plan for MLS stadium, mall, condos on jail site
By Dustin Walsh
July 24, 2013





The Toronto-based owners of the Pontiac Silverdome have submitted a bid for the Wayne County justice department sites in hopes of opening a stadium for a Detroit Major League Soccer team, along with a mall, residential space and office towers.

Triple Properties Inc. is seeking to acquire the five current justice properties, including the half-built jail site, plus the former Detroit Police Department headquarters at 1300 Beaubien St., said Steve Apostolopoulos, co-founder and managing director of Triple Properties.

Apostolopoulos declined to reveal the specific price of the offer, but called it "competitive."

Along with the stadium, the more than $1 billion development would include a 275,000-square-foot retail complex with high-end retailers and food courts, 1 million square feet of residential space including two towers, and 1.3 million square feet of office space and parking.

Apostolopoulos said his firm has been in discussions with MLS about starting a professional soccer team in Detroit since acquiring the Silverdome in 2009, but the league had reservations about a team in Pontiac.

He said Wednesday he believes a downtown location would help secure a team from the league.

"We've been in discussions with the league for a few years, and it boils down to the stadium," he said. "Ideally they want to be downtown."

The MLS currently has 19 teams that averaged a collective 18,807 fans per game last season. On May 21, the league announced its 20th team would be located in New York City.

[...]

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...s-on-jail-site

Apostolopoulos goes on to say that this would be entirely privately funded . As if I wasn't a bit skeptical with that price-tag, that statement really confirmed my skepticism. No one else has 100% privately funded anything that large in Detroit (or even half that size) so why should we believe Apostolopoulos is capable of doing it? Plus could Detroit really fill a 25K soccer stadium?

[hudkina]

Ironically, the stadium is the least pie-in-the-sky thing about that proposal. There's absolutely no way any of it gets off the ground.

[JonathanGRR]

I was actually going to post yesterday saying "maybe they should be a soccer stadium there!" but I figured it would be too far-fetched. I don't really mind the location since it doesn't tamper with the street grid a whole lot. However, I do remain skeptical that this would happen. If it does, that'd be great, but there are a lot of factors to consider...I think a sizable down-payment would have to be made to the county before the transaction would go through to ensure that the plans actually materialize.

[mind field]

The proposal with the soccer stadium has some pretty unrealistic elements. A mall would fail miserably at that location. Metro Detroit is likely over retailed as it is. The office tower would be out of place and not really too close to any amenities i.e. Campus Martius. And i'm not sure occupancy and rents warrant the construction of a new tower anyway.

[LMich]

Originally Posted by hudkina

Ironically, the stadium is the least pie-in-the-sky thing about that proposal.

I was thinking the exact same thing. lol The soccer stadium seems like the most realistic part of the entire thing.

Yeah, Triple Group is really kind of a joke, to be honest, and I get annoyed at their grandstanding. I wouldn't call them slumlords, but they certainly have ambitions far beyond their actual talents. The 50-and-60-floor towers in this concept just show that they try too hard with their proposals, and what stretches their credibility. Hell, the thing would be unrealistic with 30-story towers. I grumble a lot about the Ilitches and Gilbert, these days, but they'd never propose something so unrealistic and over-the-top. When Triple Group can get something done with the Silverdome, then they can come and make these grandiose plans.

I honestly don't know how this is all going to pan out. It may very well be that Wayne County restarts the jail project, if they keep getting these exaggerated proposals.

[animatedmartian]

Positive news on Detroit's office space vacancy. Detroit could lower to 25% after factoring in Campbell-Ewald's move in 2014. Still pretty high, but the lowest number Detroit's seen in almost a decade.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2.../BIZ/307260081

[animatedmartian]

Detroit's Grand Circus Park gets new life
SERENA MARIA DANIELS THE DETROIT NEWS

[...]

In addition to lofty development projects that promise to transform downtown in the coming years — including M-1 light rail, a planned events arena and entertainment district, as well as the purchase by Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert of more than two dozen downtown properties — the backers of Gilbert’s “Opportunity Detroit” campaign have earmarked $2 million toward smaller, short-term improvements in five of downtown’s parks, including Grand Circus Park, to give the area a neighborhood feel.

That’s resulted in such events as beach party Fridays — complete with real sand — at Campus Martius; film screenings at Capitol Park; hip-hop and ballet dance performances at Paradise Valley Park; and jazz and theater shows Wednesday nights at Grand Circus Park.

[...]

Most renovations are taking shape on the eastern portion of the park, closer to Comerica Park, including a temporary stage where jazz and theatrical performances are taking place Wednesday evenings until Aug. 24. The western portion will remain relatively untouched aside from sprucing up of the landscaping.

Probably the most notable change is the restoration of the park’s two historic fountains — the Russell Alger Memorial Fountain, which anchors the park’s east side, and the Edison Fountain on the west. Both are the only functioning historic fountains downtown, Gregory said.

[...]

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...#ixzz2aWSZ5NT1

[Rail>Auto]

If soccer isn't going in the Silverdome what are they going to do with it?

[LMich]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...#ixzz2aWSZ5NT1

Anyone know the season for the fountains? I've never really paid attention, and the last time I did, it was years ago in the summer and they weren't on.

Anyway, good to hear. The parks always should have been seen as the places to center the downtown districts around, but I guess it's better late than never. BTW, what do you guys think of the reconstruction of Capitol Park?