DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[animatedmartian]

There were hints that this district would bring a "full connection between two areas" of downtown. 1st thought is the area north of 75.

[hudkina]

I'm just afraid he'll put it over by MotorCity in an effort to get event attendees to go to his casino.

I really hope he puts it just north of I-75. The Cass Park area could easily become a great neighborhood, and this would obviously jump-start development.

[JonathanGRR]

I like the area north of I-75, but would the Cass, Clifford and Woodward bridges be enough of a connection to downtown to encourage pedestrians to traverse across the highway?

I wonder if they could do some sort of combination with sites two and three to encourage connectivity...

[JonathanGRR]

Now that was quick...

New Red Wings arena in Detroit Ok'd by Michigan Senate

LANSING, MI - A divided Michigan Senate on Wednesday approved fast-tracked legislation that the Ilitch family says is needed for an events center that could house a new Red Wings arena in downtown Detroit.

The proposed mixed-use development would be funded by private investment and existing dollars collected by the city's Downtown Development Authority. No new taxes would be needed to build the development, but lawmakers are passing a bill to allow the DDA to continue to get money for these kinds of developments.

The legislation was sent back to the House for final action before year's end.

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/in..._river_default

[LMich]

Originally Posted by jonathan.jam

I like the area north of I-75, but would the Cass, Clifford and Woodward bridges be enough of a connection to downtown to encourage pedestrians to traverse across the highway?

I imagine if they build the thing north of the Fisher, you better believe they'd enhance the bridges in some way.

BTW, maybe the renderings are somewhere still out there, but I remember when they were planning Comerica they showed an entire district behind the Fox that they hope would come to fruition. It never did, but I wonder if this isn't exactly what they are thinking about, now? To complete the plan. I believe it was called Adams Street-something, and, of course, was centered on Adams.

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by LMich

I imagine if they build the thing north of the Fisher, you better believe they'd enhance the bridges in some way.

BTW, maybe the renderings are somewhere still out there, but I remember when they were planning Comerica they showed an entire district behind the Fox that they hope would come to fruition. It never did, but I wonder if this isn't exactly what they are thinking about, now? To complete the plan. I believe it was called Adams Street-something, and, of course, was centered on Adams.

I think I know what renderings you're talking about and I was sure I had the webpage bookmarked. I think it was on some developer's website that had a connection to Illitch. Wasn't there a different name for Comerica Park before the naming right were given to them? It may have been Adams Street Stadium or Entertainment District, but I'm not sure.

Also, in my search for the mentioned stadium renderings, I found what an ideal "Fisher Greenway" would look like from Crain. Even this alone without the stadium would be a massive improvement for the area.


http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...isher-greenway

[JonathanGRR]

Agreed. The parts of the Fisher, Lodge and Chrysler Freeways that encircle downtown should all ideally be removed or covered in order to create a tighter--and more healthy--urban fabric.

[LMich]

I fear we're stuck with the layout of the freeways for the forseeable future. The city and states would have to match the feds, but even just matching the feds would prove difficult, cost-wise. In a perfect world, the Fisher would be removed entirely between the Lodge and Chrysler, and I-375 would be turned into an at-grade boulevard. But, the system is so pieceed together that taking out even a few blocks of a certain freeway renders entire sections of others useless.

BTW, while I don't expect any skyscrapers, I would hope that there'd be a few buildings in around these thing that would be above four floors. I mean, you don't want to waste these views and proximity with more Auburn-type developments this far south in Midtown. It should really started to build up higher the closer you get to downtown.

[hudkina]

If Detroit ever had a true urban renaissance complete with Toronto/Chicago-style residential towers, the area south of Corktown would probably be the best place to start. Midtown should stick with the low-rise/mid-rise architecture with the occasional tower, while the skyline should stretch along the riverfront.

[JonathanGRR]

Detroit by Design 2012 announced the winner of the Riverfront Competition:


1st Place | Atelier WHY | Hyun Tek Yoon | Soo Bum You
Jersey City, United States
http://www.aiadetroitbydesign2012.co...regNum=6619761

The Second Place entry is probably my favorite of the ones I've looked at:


2nd Place | Matthew Edward Getch | Maciej Woroniecki | John Coogan | Simon Ronan
London, United Kingdom
http://www.aiadetroitbydesign2012.co...regNum=1374305

[animatedmartian]

I like the 2nd one for how radical it is, but I like the first one for how it preserves Hart Plaza's landmarks. Still, I think of of the other ones did a better job of creating a focal point.

I'm partial to this one. http://www.aiadetroitbydesign2012.co...ns/3502534.jpg

[stormkingfan]

Originally Posted by LMich

Moving in:

Glad to see that the Broderick got a second life.

Was a little worried about this bldg. I remember it well from my last visit to Detroit back in '99, with it's huge mural.

[JonathanGRR]

The removal of the landmarks in the second place surprised me too. I think that the landmarks could still fit into the space nicely though.

I've been looking at some of the other proposals, and a reoccurring theme is to bury Jefferson Street between the freeways. My favorite of these proposals was the one that buried it with a smaller street on top and buried the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel with the entrance underground. I thought that was a really great way to expand the available space there.

In Other News: It appears that the Lafayette Towers may have been bought by Gregory Jackson, the CEO of Prestige Automotive Group. It'll be interesting to see what changes the new owner will make to the place.

[The North One]

Holy s@*t, They both look amazing. Is this really happening?

[JonathanGRR]

Unfortunately, all the designs are still just visionary. The competition was put on my the American Institute of Architects-Detroit. The President of the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy was one of the jurors though, so some of the ideas could come to fruition eventually.

[colemonkee]

Any of those would be pretty amazing. I hope they build something along these lines eventually.

[hudkina]

I think they should take the second design and build it down by the Ambassador Bridge. The area bounded by the bridge, Fort St, Grand Blvd and the river would be great. It would anchor the western half the riverfront. It would give residents of Southwest Detroit better access to the riverfront.

[Tom In Chicago]

Worth posting here. . .

New Thirst for Urban Living, and Few Detroit Rentals

New York Times - December 11, 2012

Abandoned houses with overgrown yards may be the image most people associate with Detroit, but the city’s downtown and midtown neighborhoods have the opposite problem: a shortage of rental apartments to meet a growing demand for an urban lifestyle.

Developers say occupancy rates in these areas are at least 96 percent, spurred by young professionals, students and empty nesters who want an easy commute to school or work and a short walk to local cafes and bars.

more

[LMich]

Good to see the New York Times find out what was reported in Detroit media a year ago. lol But, no, really, always good to get good press.

[hudkina]

The NYT writes one of these fluff pieces every few months or so.