DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[subterranean]

Awesome, thanks for sharing!

[animatedmartian]

http://www.freep.com/article/20110908/BUSINESS06/110908052/Apartment-project-ease-housing-shortage-Midtown

Apartment project to ease housing shortage in Midtown

BY JOHN GALLAGHER
DETROIT FREE PRESS
Sep. 8, 2011

The shortage of rental apartments in Detroit’s popular Midtown district would be eased a little by construction of a new mixed-use project breaking ground Tuesday.

Known as the Auburn, the $12-million project will create 58 rental apartments and 11 retail storefronts on a vacant site on the southeast corner of Cass and Canfield. There will be 97 parking spaces behind the L-shaped building. The project is scheduled to open in August 2012.

....

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20110908&Category=BUSINESS06&ArtNo=110908052&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0
Berg Muirhead and Associates

[Rizzo]

http://www.freep.com/article/20110908/BUSINESS06/110908052/Apartment-project-ease-housing-shortage-Midtown

There's more zoomed in renderings out there. The facade appears to be some sort metal on top and with brick on the bottom which may be very nice. But those wrought iron balconies must go!!!! They clash with the building's contemporary look. A simple piece of translucent glass will do the job :tup:

[animatedmartian]

The only ones I know of are from the developer's website. I might as well post them though.

http://198.171.44.249/projectimages/139/the_auburn_02__detail.jpg

http://198.171.44.249/projectimages/139/the_auburn_01__detail.jpg

http://198.171.44.249/projectimages/139/aurburn_unit_01__detail.jpg
http://www.thekraemeredge.com/index.php/projects/residentialdetail/the_auburn

From the inside it looks like it's clear glass but then I dunno what's going on from the outside.

[Rizzo]

Looking at the interior render, it's possible they could be glass. I've had a grain-effect on glass when subdivides in renders are too low and lights starts bouncing between the glass surface and the door behind. Let's just hope it's that.

[Illithid Dude]

I have to say, Detroit is certainly turning into an awesome city. In ten years, I bet we'll be looking at the next Portland or something similar.

[subterranean]

I have to say, Detroit is certainly turning into an awesome city. In ten years, I bet we'll be looking at the next Portland or something similar.

Watch your mouth! ;)

A Portland with better bones and more diversity.

[The North One]

Big Beaver Redevelopment Proposals to be unveiled to Troy City Planning this evening, 7.24.06.
http://www.birchlerarroyo.com/Clients/Troy/thumbnails/servicelane-logo.jpg

Street Scene
http://www.birchlerarroyo.com/Clients/Troy/thumbnails/streetscene-logo.jpg

http://www.birchlerarroyo.com/Clients/Troy/thumbnails/publicsquare.jpg

http://www.birchlerarroyo.com/Clients/Troy/thumbnails/viewfromSomerset.jpg

http://www.birchlerarroyo.com/Clients/Troy/thumbnails/farmersmarket.jpg

http://www.birchlerarroyo.com/Clients/Troy/thumbnails/promenade.jpg

http://www.birchlerarroyo.com/Clients/Troy/thumbnails/I75.jpg

*Photos property of Birchler Arroyo & Assoc.

Does anyone know what happened to this?

[animatedmartian]

Does anyone know what happened to this?

http://troymi.gov/BigBeaverCorridorStudy/

One of those ideas that probably lacks funding at the moment but I wouldn't be surprised if the city of Troy is keeping the idea in mind for when the economy gets better.

[DTW]

Nice renovation going on the eastside

On East Jefferson, near the Grosse Pointe border, Chalmers Square is getting a serious rehab. The building, boarded up for quite some time, had a beautiful facade, but some creaky bones. Its rehabbers gutted the inside, but left the facade standing. It made me quite nervous to drive by while they left it like that for some time. This morning, however, I am pleased to report that the building has all new bones and the facade is being improved, too. Its starting to recapture some of its former glory, as seen below
http://hereisdetroit.blogspot.com/

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nkY8_PcV0f0/TmoQlUUXSwI/AAAAAAAAADQ/JF7S8kqJhFY/s1600/2009-09-09+Chalmers+Square.jpg


New blog about Detroit real estate
http://detroit.curbed.com/

[LMich]

So glad to see that area of Jefferson getting some attention. It has such incredible potential being right their at the Pointes.

BTW, Troy has been fighting over something as simple keeping it's library open; I don't see the Big Beaver thing getting off the ground without a serious push from local, state, and federal authorities given tha the tea party has just about taken over the town. Seriously, the politics up in Oakland County have gotten more difficult for any kind of public works, let alone beautification. A shame, really.

[animatedmartian]

Yea, that's too bad. Compared to other downtowns, Troy's is really spread out and that project might have at least condensed it just a bit. Oh well, I'm not too worried about affluent suburbs. :P


http://detnews.com/article/20110910/BIZ/109100323/Detroit%E2%80%99s-Temple-Street-attracting-attention-from-mysterious-buyers#ixzz1XaE43zBL


Detroit's Temple Street attracting attention from mysterious buyers
Rag-tag strip draws buyers amid rail, arena speculation

Louis Aguilar/ The Detroit News

September 10. 2011

....

The Temple Hotel is for sale. Asking price: $3.7 million — or $3.6 million more than anything else bought on this block and publicly listed in recent years.

The area has been a real estate hot spot for the past two years. A mysterious buying frenzy has seen 22 mostly empty or blighted parcels sold or optioned for higher-than-market prices.

The hotel is one of the last holdouts. Like other property owners in the area who have not yet sold, they do not intend to sell cheap. Or in the case of the Masonic Temple, do not intend to sell at all.

"You have to start somewhere," said Realtor Margaret Palmer, who represents the hotel owners, explaining the selling price. She also represents an owner of a nearby apartment complex on Second Street asking $1.2 million for the building.

....


http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20110910&Category=BIZ&ArtNo=109100323&Ref=AR
Realtor Margaret Palmer says “someone is very interested in this area.” It could be a site for a new Ilitch arena project, some say. (Clarence Tabb Jr. / The Detroit News)

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110910/BIZ/109100323/Detroit’s-Temple-Street-attracting-attention-from-mysterious-buyers#ixzz1XcmBYLek

[Rizzo]

I don't like this arena project. None of it is making much sense. The footprint lately of this arena land grab is nearly 4 times the size of what is actually needed to build a new arena.

Let me say that again:

4 TIMES THE SIZE

[animatedmartian]

There are also rumors that there are developer(s) looking to build mixed use development in the same area. Either that or this hockey arena is going to have a huge parking lot. A lot of these land grabs are made in secret without any names out in the open and at the moment it's all just speculation.

Tis a mystery it is.

[LMich]

Yeah, who's to say that the land area won't be an arena along with mixed use development (which actually seems more likely), if this is even for an arena, at all?

[subterranean]

That area is pretty desolate. I don't know what the retail market is like, but in terms of creating a vibrant corridor, that area really could use some commercial with housing above to help it seem more lively.

But who wants to live with the noise and that much traffic day in and day out if a stadium site included housing?

[LMich]

More jobs headed downtown:

Quicken to add 500 jobs — mostly in Detroit (http://detnews.com/article/20110912/BIZ/109120387/1001/rss21)

By Melissa Burden | Detroit News

September 12, 2011

Quicken Loans Inc., the nation's largest online mortgage company, said Monday it plans to add 500 new workers, with a majority of the jobs based in Detroit.

The company will host a career fair 10 a.m.-1 p.m. this Saturday at its headquarters in the Compuware Building, 1050 Woodward Ave., in Detroit.

Positions available are in fields such as technology, marketing and mortgage banking, according to an announcement from the company.

...

[animatedmartian]

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2011/09/detroit_balks_at_chevrolet_off.html

Detroit balks at Chevrolet offer to rehab baseball field at old Tiger Stadium site

Jonathan Oosting | MLive.com

September 14, 2011



The Detroit Economic Growth Corporation has rejected an offer by Chevorlet to pay for rehabilitation of the baseball field at site of old Tiger Stadium, which the city has largely ignored as it attempts to lure would-be developers.

In an August 9 letter sent to Mayor Dave Bing and DEGC President George Jackson, Chevy promotional manager Phil Caruso explained how the auto brand could help makeover the field for youth baseball this year:

Chevrolet is offering to provide financing and labor (in the form of employee volunteers) to put the field at the site of Tiger Stadium back into playable shape as part of our commitment to revitalizing Detroit and to help support the Tiger Stadium Conservancy's efforts to more fully develop the location. We have had informal discussions with both the Conservancy and the Detroit Tigers and both support our efforts to refurbish the field.

Once the field has been refurbished we'd anticipate the city and/or Conservancy would be responsible for on-going maintenance and any additional element on-site. What we'd provide, frankly, is a new ballpark for Detroit's youth on the site of the city's most hallowed baseball stadium.

But Jackson, in a subsequent letter sent to Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy President Thom Linn, made it abundatly clear the DEGC, which acts on behalf of the city's Economic Development Corporation, was not interested in the offer.

"The site you refer to is a valuable piece of property for redevelopment because of its size and location," he wrote. "It is being reserved for a comprehensive development that will bring a substantial investment and new economic activity to the city.

"Most developers would see any arrangement such as the one you propose a significant obstacle. Ceding management of the site under even an interim arrangement is not acceptbable to us."

Jackson, of course, did not mention the fact that the city already has essentially ceded management to community volunteers who have been maintaining the field and mowing the grass while the DEGC waits for a redevelopment project to materialize.

The DEGC rejected several proposals for the site last year, including the promising mixed-use Corner Development plan, and did not respond to our inquiries for this story.

Meanwhile, the conservancy is looking for ways to spend a fully obligated $3.8 million federal earmark secured by Sen. Carl Levin in an unsuccessful attempt to save a portion of Tiger Stadium from the wrecking ball in 2009.

"Not withstanding the city's current lack of interest in redeveloping the field, that's what we'd like to use it for," Linn told MLive.com. "They have kind of a different vision for the site, but I think there would be community support for maintenance of the ball field."

The conservancy plans to meet with Levin this month to discuss the earmark, which includes open-ended language allowing the funds to be used for "preservation and redevelopment of a public park and related business activities" in Corktown.

Since the city appears unwilling to work with the conservancy on the old Tiger Stadium site, it is increasingly likely the funds will go toward other local projects. The conservancy does not intend to return the earmark, as suggested in a recent editorial by The Detroit News.

"The money was designated by Congress for use in Detroit," Linn said. "We're committed to seeing that it's used for the benefit of the Corktown."

http://media.mlive.com/news/detroit_impact/photo/9427715-large.jpg

[animatedmartian]

http://www.freep.com/article/20110916/NEWS01/110916048/Deloitte-sign-put-RenCen-s-200-tower

Deloitte sign to be put on RenCen's 200 tower

Sep. 16, 2011

BY GRETA GUEST

DETROIT FREE PRESS

Watch for a warm glow this afternoon at the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit.

Deloitte, the global professional service firm, will light a new low-carbon LED sign on the 200 tower at the RenCen at 3 p.m.

The sign commemorates the commit Deloitte has had to the city in its more than 50 years operating here, said Mark Davidoff, managing partner for Deloitte’s Michigan operations.

“For us, it is a bridge to the community,” Davidoff said. “We are making a statement with that sign that we are here to stay.

The company is moving its 1,050 employees to the 200 tower from the 600 tower over the weekend of Sept. 24. It will open in its new space on Sept. 26 with a ribbon-cutting featuring Detroit Mayor Dave Bing.

Deloitte will take floors 24 and 35-39, which adds up to 102,000 square feet in the 200 tower.

The firm also plans to hire more than 100 professionals this fall from Michigan’s colleges and universities.

....
http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20110916&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=110916048&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0
PATRICIA BECK

Company is a growin'. :cool:

[animatedmartian]

Found floor plans and renderings for the Michigan Bell building renovation.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5144/5640743875_620a8ff44b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/detroitunspun/5640743875/)
Floor plans, Bell Building (http://www.flickr.com/photos/detroitunspun/5640743875/) by detroitunspun (http://www.flickr.com/people/detroitunspun/)

http://deakplanningdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dpd-lb-land-arch-img-61.jpg
http://www.deakplanningdesign.com/bell-building-renovation/

http://kennethdunn.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/front-corner-view.jpg

http://kennethdunn.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/terrace-view-2.jpg
http://kennethrcdunn.com/michigan-bell-building-renovation/

[Rizzo]

That area is pretty desolate. I don't know what the retail market is like, but in terms of creating a vibrant corridor, that area really could use some commercial with housing above to help it seem more lively.

But who wants to live with the noise and that much traffic day in and day out if a stadium site included housing?

No one. In fact mixed use "stadium districts" were in vogue 1995-2010. You can still build up around stadiums but it's heavily commercial only, at much more a piecemeal pattern.

Areas that have constant vibrancy and aren't fabricated retail districts will be the most marketable and attractive to homeowners.

I'm not saying building a residential tower near a stadium is doomed to failure, rather a master planned complex is.



...as far as traffic and noise, it has to be the right kind of traffic and noise. I've gotten used to the absolutely noisy hell outside my window of living above one of Chicago's busiest bar, club, and restaurants areas. but I could never live near stadium. It's a different kind of noise... one that absolutely gets on your nerves.

[subterranean]

No one. In fact mixed use "stadium districts" were in vogue 1995-2010. You can still build up around stadiums but it's heavily commercial only, at much more a piecemeal pattern.

Areas that have constant vibrancy and aren't fabricated retail districts will be the most marketable and attractive to homeowners.

I'm not saying building a residential tower near a stadium is doomed to failure, rather a master planned complex is.



...as far as traffic and noise, it has to be the right kind of traffic and noise. I've gotten used to the absolutely noisy hell outside my window of living above one of Chicago's busiest bar, club, and restaurants areas. but I could never live near stadium. It's a different kind of noise... one that absolutely gets on your nerves.


Exactly my point! I would never choose to live right near a stadium. The crowds cheering, announcers, fireworks, performances...just not my idea of a peaceful and happy existence. I guess when I read Lmich's point about mixed use on-site, my initial reaction was housing/commercial, not really considering commercial being a mix of uses...but I guess that would be considered "mixed-use". A closed-in stadium may not be as bad...but open baseball fields and football stadiums are the absolute worst.

[LMich]

Not quite sure what to make of this. Is this just Quicken expediating it's existing move, or did they decide to move employees that hadn't originally expected to move? Either way, more momentum:

Dan Gilbert quickens Detroit revival: 2,000 more Quicken jobs moving downtown soon (http://www.freep.com/article/20110920/BUSINESS04/109200384/1002/rss02)

By John Gallagher | Detroit Free Press

September 20, 2011

In about two weeks, Quicken Loans will start moving another 2,000 employees to Detroit from the suburbs, nudging downtown closer to what Quicken founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert calls the tipping point for revitalization.

Gilbert told the Free Press editorial board Monday that most of those workers will move into the Chase Tower, a longtime bank headquarters on Woodward on Campus Martius Park that he bought this year.

Others will move into the First National Building, a 1922 skyscraper across Woodward from the Chase Tower that Gilbert also acquired this year.

The moves will bring Quicken's downtown work force to nearly 4,000. Combined with 3,000 new Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan workers moving downtown, as well as more from DTE Energy and other employers, the moves promise to shake up and enliven the long-depressed downtown scene.

...

[LMich]

Not quite sure what to make of this. Is this just Quicken expediating it's existing move, or did they decide to move employees that hadn't originally expected to move? Either way, more momentum:

Dan Gilbert quickens Detroit revival: 2,000 more Quicken jobs moving downtown soon (http://www.freep.com/article/20110920/BUSINESS04/109200384/1002/rss02)

By John Gallagher | Detroit Free Press

September 20, 2011

In about two weeks, Quicken Loans will start moving another 2,000 employees to Detroit from the suburbs, nudging downtown closer to what Quicken founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert calls the tipping point for revitalization.

Gilbert told the Free Press editorial board Monday that most of those workers will move into the Chase Tower, a longtime bank headquarters on Woodward on Campus Martius Park that he bought this year.

Others will move into the First National Building, a 1922 skyscraper across Woodward from the Chase Tower that Gilbert also acquired this year.

The moves will bring Quicken's downtown work force to nearly 4,000. Combined with 3,000 new Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan workers moving downtown, as well as more from DTE Energy and other employers, the moves promise to shake up and enliven the long-depressed downtown scene.

...

Even with several buildings already in his portfolio, Quicken Loans founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert said Monday that he's not done shopping for downtown real estate.

...

Nor is Gilbert satisfied with the state of the four buildings that he has bought downtown. He and his top aides want all four -- the Chase Tower and the First National, Dime and Madison Theatre buildings -- to get dramatic makeovers, with new first-floor retail and modern signage.

...

[DTW]

Not quite sure what to make of this. Is this just Quicken expediating it's existing move, or did they decide to move employees that hadn't originally expected to move? Either way, more momentum:

Their plan was always to bring all their employees downtown.

[animatedmartian]

More Dan Gilbert news.

http://www.freep.com/article/20110921/NEWS01/110921040/Dan-Gilbert-purchase-two-more-buildings-downtown-Detroit-


BY JOHN GALLAGHER

DETROIT FREE PRESS

Sep. 21, 2011

Dan Gilbert to purchase two more buildings in downtown Detroit

Quicken Loans founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert has agreed to buy two more downtown buildings on Woodward Avenue, adding to his portfolio of real estate as he tries to shape a new entrepreneurial zone in the heart of the city.

Gilbert and his partners will acquire two city-owned structures at 1520 and 1528 Woodward, just south of Grand Circus Park. The city took control of the buildings during the run-up to Super Bowl XL in 2006 and has been marketing them without success ever since.

Documents from the Detroit Downtown Development Authority reveal that Quicken will pay $337,500 each for the buildings. A closing on the deal is expected no later than Dec. 20.

Meeting with Free Press reporters and editors this week, Gilbert said he is acquiring so much real estate so that he can offer creative space to digital start-up firms as a way of nurturing an entrepreneurial hub downtown.

Gilbert and his partners have already closed on four other buildings downtown – the Chase Tower and the First National, Dime, and Madison Theatre buildings, plus a major parking garage.

DDA documents indicate that Quicken hopes to redevelop the two newest buildings on Woodward as creative office environments similar to what Gilbert is doing with the Madison Theatre building, which is expected to open in a few weeks as a site for new entrepreneurial firms..

This guy is going to shape Downtown Detroit and I hope he's hugely successful in doing it. :banana:

[LMich]

Their plan was always to bring all their employees downtown.

Yeah, which makes the recent announcement even more weird because Gilbert is making it sounds like this is some addition or new move when it's simply speeding up the existing move.

Originally, they were going to move all at once, and then when the recession hit, they decided to move in chunks. Now, it sounds like he's simply moving up the date to move them all downtown. Whatever the case, there will be 3,700 Quicken employees packed into different locations in the financial district, with a few hundred more downtown workers they'll be hiring over the coming months, and that's just the actual Quicken employees, not accounting for the other small business and companies Gilbert either partially owns or has invested in.

BTW, the two new buildings he's buying are the old, 6-story, Art Deco Layne Bryant Building (1528 Woodward), and 1528 Woodward is the really detailed 6-story building right at the corner there at John R. a building south. Apparently, they are both between 40,000-50,000 square feet. It seems that neither the city nor Quicken is playing around when it comes to reusing these buildings. Here is what Crain's had to say (http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20110921/FREE/110929970/dan-gilbert-set-to-add-lane-bryant-arts-league-buildings-to-downtown-detroit-holdings#) about the two projects:

The building sales are subject to certain conditions as part of the DDA deal.

If the project is not completed in 18 months, a fine of $550 per day will be assessed, up to $675,000 per building.

...

It joins Gilbert's other recent acquisitions, which have made him the second-largest private owner of office space in Detroit's central business district behind General Motors Co.

...

[fishrose]

Yeah, which makes the recent announcement even more weird because Gilbert is making it sounds like this is some addition or new move when it's simply speeding up the existing move.

Originally, they were going to move all at once, and then when the recession hit, they decided to move in chunks. Now, it sounds like he's simply moving up the date to move them all downtown. Whatever the case, there will be 3,700 Quicken employees packed into different locations in the financial district, with a few hundred more downtown workers they'll be hiring over the coming months, and that's just the actual Quicken employees, not accounting for the other small business and companies Gilbert either partially owns or has invested in.

It's not like Gilbert called a press conference and announced this on live TV. The Freep just ran an article on the move and met with Gilbert to talk about it. I don't think there's anything weird about it.

BTW, the two new buildings he's buying are the old, 6-story, Art Deco Layne Bryant Building (1528 Woodward), and 1528 Woodward is the really detailed 6-story building right at the corner there at John R. a building south. Apparently, they are both between 40,000-50,000 square feet. It seems that neither the city nor Quicken is playing around when it comes to reusing these buildings. Here is what Crain's had to say (http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20110921/FREE/110929970/dan-gilbert-set-to-add-lane-bryant-arts-league-buildings-to-downtown-detroit-holdings#) about the two projects:

1528 is the modernist building one door north of the Lane Bryant Building. The address of the building on the corner of John R is 1500 Woodward.

[animatedmartian]

http://www.freep.com/article/20110924/BUSINESS06/109240336/GM-s-bright-idea-illuminate-RenCen


GM's bright idea to illuminate RenCen

JOHN GALLAGHER | Detroit Free Press

Sep. 24, 2011

When General Motors first installed bands of colorful LED lighting around the tops of its Renaissance Center towers this year, some people liked it and some thought it looked a little too Las Vegas-y.

Whatever your opinion, get ready for more.

General Motors is working with the City of Detroit to allow it to put more such LED bands of lighting on its RenCen world headquarters. The company would like to install vertical bands of lighting on the exterior elevator towers of the RenCen. And it wants the city's permission to relax its signage code so that GM could display a more varied menu of messages on the 25-foot sign high atop the RenCen's central tower.

Mike Taylor, the construction manager for Hines, the real estate firm that manages the RenCen for GM, said the lighting is meant to add "a little bit more life" to the RenCen's monotone façade, but keep it "very subtle, very professional." GM emphasizes that it doesn't want it headquarters to look like a casino, he said, adding, "I've heard more positive stuff than negative."

At the very least, the RenCen lighting has got people talking yet again about Detroit's most famous building, often the subject of controversy over its 34-year history.

Detroit has enjoyed a mostly successful history of lighting its major skyscrapers. The Penobscot, the Fisher Building, and others have been lit with greater or lesser artistry for many years. Postcard images of downtown from the 1920s show a city vibrant with lighting.

What seems different about the recently installed LED lighting atop the Renaissance Center is its intensity. LED (light-emitting diode) lighting can be visible for miles; when used as on the RenCen, it also tends to have a somewhat more artificial look than more traditional lighting techniques used on other buildings.

So plans by GM to add even more of the LED lighting may spark debate over the design and imagery of Detroit's tallest and most famous building. Not far behind, Quicken Loans founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert is hoping to use modern lighting and signage to renew his collection of older buildings that he recently purchased downtown.

There is also GM's logo atop the highest central tower in 25-by-25-foot LED signs, electronic billboards that occasionally shows something like the Tigers logo, too. GM hopes to get the city's OK to show a broader range of messages on this highest sign, including more public service messages, such as ones promoting breast cancer awareness. Currently, the city code restricts signage mostly to messages related to the business in the building.

Ron Harwood, a lighting designer and founder of Farmington Hills-based Illuminating Concepts, said the RenCen lights stand out in part because nothing else around the RenCen is illuminated in a similar way. Harwood dismisses critics of such lighting. He points out that most cities we consider lively all use lots of lighting in creative ways, from New York's Times Square to Tokyo.

"Darkness is the opposite of entertainment," he said. "Good times, entertainment and security all depend on illumination."

If nothing else, the new LED lighting reminds us that the Renaissance Center remains a work in progress nearly 40 years after it opened.

Personal pictures of what they look like now.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5306/5885993009_cd5daf35f6_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5239/5886562634_24ebc087b6_b.jpg

[GRsupercity]

That looks interesting. How long has the rencen said gmc?

[TheTusch]

The logo at the top is actually a digital LCD. As you can see in the top photo that is shows the Buick logo. It was put up there some time in 2011.

[animatedmartian]

Yea here's it showing the Cadillac logo.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5239/5885996019_957e0f685f_b.jpg

When Obama was in town I think I saw it show his campaign logo or something related. They could probably show a whole movie on it if they got the rights to.

[jodelli]

Quick night shot:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6225/6216291632_f023250be4_b.jpg

[bigboy]

Illitch, maroon, Ford or one of the other billionaires should build a casino somewhere in the middle of downtown. That way thousands of people would come there by default and spark more business down there. I really cant see a downside to it. Also put the people mover underground where it belongs its a eyesore

[bigboy]

Maybe not maroon since he doesn't give a dam about Detroit but the others are fine.

[animatedmartian]

Illitch, maroon, Ford or one of the other billionaires should build a casino somewhere in the middle of downtown. That way thousands of people would come there by default and spark more business down there. I really cant see a downside to it. Also put the people mover underground where it belongs its a eyesore

There's already 3.

http://www.michigan.org/interactive-map/#&&ips=G981&miles=20&page=0&city=G2974

I personally think the stadiums bring in more. I would be all in favor of moving the Palace of Auburn Hills downtown and keeping Joe Louis Arena close to more bars and restaurants. Have like a "Sports Town" district. :tup:

[animatedmartian]

A Detroit developer's return to the city
Daniel Duggan | October 06, 2011 | crainsdetroit.com


It's been a lot of years since Jonathan Holtzman has been fully engaged in Detroit.

Once known as one of the city's top residential developers, Holtzman moved on to the suburbs and then the rest of the United States with his Village Green company during the times when most of the region's developers did the same thing.

Before his business break-up with Gilbert "Buzz" Silverman, the then-named Holtzman and Silverman company developed a slew of single family and apartment buildings. The Riverfront Apartments, Elmwood Park Plaza, Virginia Park subdivision and the redevelopment of the historic Fyfe Building apartments are on the list. Now, as Village Green, the Farmington Hills company owns and operates 40,000 units around the country.

He had a lot to say about his future role in residential development in Detroit yesterday, when I had a chance to corner the third-generation developer at the grand re-opening for Detroit City Apartments, the 29-story apartment complex at 1431 Washington Blvd., just north of the Westin Book-Cadillac.

"And now I see it as a time for companies like Village Green to jump back in," he told me. "And the inspiring part is that it's a business reason. An economic reason. It's time to invest in Detroit as a business decision."

In Detroit City Apartments, he sees a first phase to a much larger jump into the market.

And that's been quite an undertaking.

Known in the past as Trolley Plaza over the years, and recently as Washington Square Apartments, the 351-unit building has carried the image of a tired downtown apartment building in recent history. It was cool in 1981, when it was built, and has slipped.

Village Green had been managing the property, and Holtzman said that Chicago investment company Avergis and Associates Inc. approached him with the idea of being an investor in the building.

"I said I'd do it, but only if there are some changes made first," he said.

He bought in and made some changes.

In the last year, Holtzman formed a joint-venture with Avergis, with the venture now owning the building. Holtzman was short on details about the ownership structure and the price.

In the last year, he's added an amazing rooftop deck on the 4th floor and renovated the penthouse units which boast an amazing view of both Comerica Park and the Detroit River. He added a "Sky Bar," a lounge area for residents on the 29th floor with pool tables, flat screen TVs and a fireplace.

The next phase is a complete overhaul to the exterior, he said, to get rid of the tired look to the building.

The building is essentially full, he said, and while that's good for him, he said it's a problem for Detroit. One that he wants to help fix.

"I have a lot of ideas to propose, a lot of ideas that I will be proposing to everyone in the very near future," he said. "We need housing. We need it in phases, in different prices and forms, but we need to get it out there at affordable levels."

Holtzman calls for 1,000 units a year, for the foreseeable future to address the needs for the city.

That would be about 1,000 units more than we've had for the last few years. And most of the product in Detroit has been renovation; the Studio One building on Woodward near Midtown, in fact, was the first new construction apartment complex built in almost a generation.

Holtzman has been a major developer in the past. And when he starts pointing at Detroit buildings near his Detroit City Apartments as "good ideas" for new residential and mentioning things like the Capitol Park redevelopment, it's a sign that things will likely happen.


This is Trolley Plaza. Grey tower under Book Tower. I've always thought of it as a very ugly tower. Even for one that's not empty and dirty. :yuck:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3219/2900262892_fdff065ceb_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eridony/2900262892/)
A Cold Day in Detroit (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eridony/2900262892/) by Eridony (http://www.flickr.com/people/eridony/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3482/3234426837_db1fbfb70a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eridony/3234426837/)
Gloomy Cityscape (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eridony/3234426837/) by Eridony (http://www.flickr.com/people/eridony/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3363/3232371288_f837696889_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eridony/3232371288/)
Detroit Cityscape (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eridony/3232371288/) by Eridony (http://www.flickr.com/people/eridony/)

[DTW]

I wonder how they plan to change the exterior.

[north 42]

I love the idea of lighting up more buildings in downtown detroit, I live across the river in Windsor and have the RenCen in view from my condo terrace, and the new lights look amazing! The brighter Detroit looks, the more people will want to live and work there.

[DetroitSky]

A few new things happening downtown I've noticed:

-Slices, a pizza restaurant, recently opened in the 1001 Woodward garage
-Jazz Convenience Store opened over the summer in Lower Woodward
-Hudson Cafe will be opening soon where the Detroit Breakfast House (I believe that's what it was called) was
-Buhl Bar will open soon in the Buhl Building and is being developed by the Roxbury Group who's also opening The Auburn
-a new art gallery is open at 1260 Library

[RockMont]

Ncf

[RockMont]

This is Trolley Plaza. Grey tower under Book Tower. I've always thought of it as a very ugly tower. Even for one that's not empty and dirty. :yuck:






I don't think it's ugly whatsoever. It just doesn't have the spectacular characteristics that those old ones did, back in their heyday. However I would hate to see these beautiful old depression era skyscrapers demolished. Hopefully, the empty ones can be gutted inside, reconstructed, and restored again.

[subterranean]

This is Trolley Plaza. Grey tower under Book Tower. I've always thought of it as a very ugly tower. Even for one that's not empty and dirty. :yuck:






I don't think it's ugly whatsoever. It just doesn't have the spectacular characteristics that those old ones did, back in their heyday. However I would hate to see these beautiful old depression era skyscrapers demolished. Hopefully, the empty ones can be gutted inside, reconstructed, and restored again.

I agree with you. I don't think it's ugly at all. Maybe some minor sprucing up, but I actually like the variety.

As for the depression era 'scrapers: most of the big ones are being redeveloped, or there are plans in the works. Detroit is more hopeful than ever in my lifetime.

[Virtual Urban Vision]

I agree with you. I don't think it's ugly at all. Maybe some minor sprucing up, but I actually like the variety.

As for the depression era 'scrapers: most of the big ones are being redeveloped, or there are plans in the works. Detroit is more hopeful than ever in my lifetime.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think this a nice structure worthy of saving. It is quite unique, not just in detroit but within the country.

[animatedmartian]

http://www.detnews.com/article/20111015/BIZ/110150317/Westin-investor-has-eyes-set-on-Capitol-Park


Westin investor has eyes set on Capitol Park

Louis Aguilar/ The Detroit News
October 15. 2011

The developer behind the $200 million renovation of the Westin Book Cadillac Detroit is interested in buying another downtown building.
Cleveland-based John Ferchill says he is one of the bidders to purchase up to three empty buildings in Detroit's Capitol Park area that are now under the control of a group of economic development agencies. Capitol Park is a triangular enclave bounded by Shelby, Griswold and State streets. It's just west of Woodward Avenue and one block away from the Westin Book Cadillac on Washington Boulevard.

"The only detail you're going to get out of me is that I'm working with a partner," Ferchill said. "Obviously, I think that area will be a great success because of the success of the Book Cadillac. There are more people around that building all the time."

The deadline for bids was Friday. Officials plan to make a final selection by Dec. 15. Interest in the three buildings appeared to be strong, said David Di Rita, a principal with The Roxbury Group development firm, who gave tours to developers of the area. But Di Rita declined to be specific.

For now, Capitol Park is more promise than reality. Named because it was home of the state's first Capitol building, the cluster of 17 buildings bordering the park is plagued by vacancy. Detroit economic development officials would like to see plans for a walkable neighborhood with new apartment buildings and retail shops

....

[animatedmartian]

http://detroityes.com/webisodes/2011/Borderick-70878.jpg


Progress on Broderick.

[bigboy]

YAYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!! WINDOWS :yes::yes::yes::yes::yes::yes::yes:

[animatedmartian]

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20111025/FREE/111029950/dan-gilbert-8217-s-real-estate-unit-considers-development-near

Dan Gilbert’s real estate unit considers development near Compuware that would include apartments

By Daniel Duggan | Crain's Detroit Business
October 25, 2011

Dan Gilbert and his real estate group have started exploring the idea of a mixed-use development with retail and loft-style apartments immediately north of the Compuware Building on the site of the former J.L. Hudson department store.

It marks a departure from the plan floated five years ago on that site, which would have been used for the headquarters of Gilbert’s Quicken Loans Inc.

While Gilbert and his group are typically silent on pending deals, the group released a statement today because the tax incentives previously approved on the site need to be reauthorized by the end of 2011.

Gilbert and his real estate group, Bedrock Management, will pursue a 15-year extension of a renaissance zone, which carries with it a host of tax incentives. The current set of incentives will last until 2017.

“Bedrock and its affiliates currently own rights to develop the site and are evaluating options to do so — including potential retail, parking and residential loft-style apartments — at some point in the future,” according to the statement issued through Quicken’s vice president of communications, Paula Silver, by email.

When Gilbert announced his move downtown in 2007, part of the plan included the construction of an office complex on one of several sites in Detroit. In addition to the Hudson site, the site of the former Statler Hilton just to the west was also discussed as an option.

The new development plan was later tabled during the worst part of the recession, then tabled again as Gilbert switched to the strategy of acquiring existing buildings instead of building a new tower.

In 2011, he has acquired 1.7 million square feet of office space and 3,500 parking spaces. He has purchased the Madison Theatre Building, the Chase Tower, the First National Building and the Dime Building, all in Detroit.

He also has three smaller buildings under contract on the east side of Woodward Avenue just south of Grand Circus Park.

The need for more residential space in Detroit is something that many developers, consultants and businesses have discussed in recent months.

Most apartments in the central business district are fully occupied with waiting lists, and the Midtown neighborhood is more than 93 percent occupied.

[Onn]

Metro Detroit home prices rise 2.7% in August, among hottest in country

Greta Guest | Detroit Free Press
Oct. 25, 2011

Home prices in metro Detroit rose 2.7% in August, making it one of the strongest summer selling markets in the country.

For the second month in a row, metro Detroit and Washington, D.C., ranked as the only two major metropolitan areas to see price appreciation in the past year though many areas showed prices rose from July to August, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices released this morning.

Midwest cities including Detroit, Minneapolis and Chicago have posted monthly increases since May.

“These markets were some of the weakest during the crisis, particularly Detroit,” said David M. Blitzer, chairman of the index committee at S&P Indices. “But as of August 2011, Detroit is the healthiest when viewed on an annual basis.”

Metro Detroit home prices still linger at 1995 levels, however. Average home prices in the metro area rose 1.4% from July to August and 4.3% from June to July.

http://www.freep.com/article/20111025/BUSINESS04/111025028/Metro-Detroit-home-prices-rise-2-7-August-among-hottest-country

[animatedmartian]

Hoping to see a lot in this area. :cool:

_aNrgZQBdWM

[animatedmartian]

This is starting to become a Broderick thread. They had an open tour recently and here are the pics. :tup:

http://photos.mlive.com/5628/gallery/the_broderick_tower_a_unique_view_of_downtown_detroit/index.html

Michael Wayland | MLive.com



http://media.mlive.com/detroit/photo/10224379-standard.jpg

http://media.mlive.com/detroit/photo/10224377-standard.jpg

http://media.mlive.com/detroit/photo/10224383-standard.jpg

http://media.mlive.com/detroit/photo/10224396-standard.jpg

http://media.mlive.com/detroit/photo/10224381-standard.jpg

http://media.mlive.com/detroit/photo/10224380-standard.jpg

http://media.mlive.com/detroit/photo/10224378-standard.jpg

http://media.mlive.com/detroit/photo/10224393-standard.jpg

http://media.mlive.com/detroit/photo/10224392-standard.jpg

http://media.mlive.com/detroit/photo/10224387-standard.jpg

http://media.mlive.com/detroit/photo/10224391-standard.jpg

http://media.mlive.com/detroit/photo/10224389-standard.jpg

http://media.mlive.com/detroit/photo/10224385-standard.jpg

http://media.mlive.com/detroit/photo/10224382-standard.jpg

http://media.mlive.com/detroit/photo/10224388-standard.jpg

[The North One]

Dancin banana time! :banana::banana::banana:

Please let book tower be next!

[mind field]

I'm in those pics of the Broderick Tower preview. It was so neat seeing the before part of this renovation in progress. Will be unreal to witness the building with lights on, people living there and the exterior lit once more.

[Onn]

They really need to get rid of some of those surface parking lots. :yuck:

[subterranean]

They really need to get rid of some of those surface parking lots. :yuck:


You don't get rid of a surface parking lot. You find a higher and better use for it. And while we're on the topic, are you interested in buying a few?

[bigboy]

You don't get rid of a surface parking lot. You find a higher and better use for it. And while we're on the topic, are you interested in buying a few?

how much money does a parking lot generally make a year in downtown Detroit?

[animatedmartian]

Oh uhh...the David Whitney Building is going to renovated (as evidenced as the smaller sign) also the windows are done half way up the Broderick.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6093/6379409229_40bf9f65c7_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/detroitmi97/6379409229/)
IMG_4078 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/detroitmi97/6379409229/) by Detroitmi97 Aka Mark The kid (http://www.flickr.com/people/detroitmi97/)

[Onn]

Not that there is anything wrong with the iPad 2 ad, but that is huge news if true! Great shot also! Nothing like a mini renaissance taking place (along with the Book Cadillac, of course!)

[subterranean]

I can't keep track of what's being renovated downtown. Can anyone provide a brief list?

[TTU Arch]

I have never been to Detroit, but looking at the pictures; Detroit has some great architecture from the early 1900's. Good to read about a number of buildings being repurposed for new uses. I have sneaky feeling in a few years Detroit's downtown center will be a model for renovation and revitalization.

[bigboy]

Oh uhh...the David Whitney Building is going to renovated (as evidenced as the smaller sign) also the windows are done half way up the Broderick.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6093/6379409229_40bf9f65c7_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/detroitmi97/6379409229/)
IMG_4078 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/detroitmi97/6379409229/) by Detroitmi97 Aka Mark The kid (http://www.flickr.com/people/detroitmi97/)

how recent is this picture? it hardly looks like anything has been done to the Broderick in it

[Onn]

U.S. OKs $150M for Chicago-Detroit high-speed rail

Associated Press l Detroit News

November 22. 2011

Kalamazoo— U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he's awarded $150 million to Michigan to buy a rail line for high-speed passenger service between Chicago and Detroit.

LaHood said in a news release Tuesday the project "will increase the safety and reliability of Amtrak's Wolverine and Blue Water services" and create 800 jobs this spring.

The money enables the Michigan Department of Transportation to buy much of the Chicago-Detroit rail corridor.

On Oct. 5, Michigan said it had agreed to buy the tracks between Kalamazoo and Dearborn in suburban Detroit. The U.S. said then that it was giving Michigan $196 million for signal and track improvements.

The project allows speeds of up to 110 mph on 77 percent of the Detroit-Chicago line, cutting travel time by 30 minutes.

http://detnews.com/article/20111122/METRO05/111220430/U.S.-OKs-$150M-for-Chicago-Detroit-high-speed-rail

[Onn]

I can't keep track of what's being renovated downtown. Can anyone provide a brief list?

We should create a list, I don't know all the projects myself. :haha:

[animatedmartian]

how recent is this picture? it hardly looks like anything has been done to the Broderick in it

Nothing has started yet...(lemme find an article right quick)

http://www.transinns.com/press-and-media.html

Basically, the 2nd link on that page (http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20110527/FREE/110529909/new-hotel-plan-emerges-for-the-david-whitney-building#) says that if they get financing set by the end of this year, construction will start next year and be finish in 2013.

[animatedmartian]

Current renovations

Broderick : Expected completion 2012
David Whitney: Possibly starting in 2012 with completion in 2013
Chase Tower: Possible Apple Store or some form of retail in the lobby
Cobo Hall : Finances for final phase have been acquired with expected completion before 2012 Auto Show (January) (http://www.freep.com/article/20111109/BUSINESS06/111109049/Financing-secured-Cobo-renovation?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE).


Rumors

Hudson's Block: Could possibly see development in the next year, nothing official (http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/New-plan-in-the-works-for-older-Hudson-s-site-in-Detroit-on-Woodward/-/1719418/4700462/-/i6peq7z/-/index.html)
Book Tower: Possible renovations by the W hotel chain, nothing official.
David Scott Tower: Ground floor and top floor renovated into sky bars. Possible full building converted into condos and apartments.


In the works

Wayne County Jail: A new jail will be built north of Greektown Casino with expect completion in 2014 (http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2011/09/wayne_county_breaking_ground_o.html)


I think that covers most of what's going on aside from restaurants opening up. If I missed anything, I'll try an add it to this list (too lazy to find links that aren't dead).

[Rizzo]

I hope we see Book Tower popping up on that list very soon. I feel like we'll either hear an announcement on that or possibly David Stott Tower in the near future.

[animatedmartian]

Ah forgot about those, I added them to the list.

Both those towers are really iffy though. Book has barely any news and it's often included and news stories about the general area. "Developers looking to Detroit with Book Tower as an option" or something like that. David Scott is actually being used, but not by a whole lot. From what I hear, there are were offices within the building...but it wouldn't be more than 10 or 15% of the building occupied. Currently there's a SkyBar on the first floor (that's some good irony), and they're in the process of / already renovated the top floors.

http://www.modeldmedia.com/devnews/skybarstahl061411.aspx

There was also news of the Free Press building being converted into condos, but not much has happened around that end.

So I dunno. I guess they're the hidden ghosts of Detroit's skyscrapers shrouded in mystery. :shrug:

Personally, what I really want to see is a brand new tower or complex. It'll most likely be residential with lots of mixed use, but Detroit has lots of space for modest sized residential towers and I hope that these spaces gets put to some good use. :yes:

[animatedmartian]

Investor Tony Goldman interested in Detroit properties
Louis Aguilar | The Detroit News | December 1, 2011

The real estate mogul who played a key role in transforming Miami Beach's South Beach and New York City's SoHo areas into art destinations says he's close to making a major investment in downtown Detroit as well as partnering with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to support art projects in the city.

"I make a critical mass statement," Tony Goldman said in a telephone interview Tuesday from Miami. "I'm a neighborhood builder, and an investment in one building is not going to do it."

The chairman and CEO of New York-based Goldman Properties Co. says he is "about 90 days" away from sealing deals that would make that kind of investment statement in Detroit.

Goldman has been an early investor in depressed urban neighborhoods for four decades, and many of those investments have paid off. The areas include New York's Wall Street Financial District and SoHo neighborhood, the Center City in Philadelphia and, more recently, the warehouse district in Miami's Wynwood area.

Goldman's track record shows he tends to buy multiple properties in an area and often focuses on creating restaurants as well as renovating hotels and housing.

Goldman said it's too soon to name specific downtown property or properties he is targeting. He added that he has not worked out whether he would work with partners in the potential deals.

[...]

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20111201/BIZ/112010344/Investor-Tony-Goldman-interested-in-Detroit-properties#ixzz1fGRod5fY


..........

[LMich]

This is potentially huge news. He's been laying down hints for a few months, now. It gets you wondering exactly which area of the core city he's looking at...?

EDIT: Read the rest of the article, and it's pretty clear he's talking about making some major investments in Rivertown if he can round up local capital and community support.

[Michi]

Before reading, "Dequindre Cut", my initial speculation was Capitol Park. Both would make perfect sense after gathering information on his previous work. :tup:

[animatedmartian]

There's really so many spots he could pick. And the scale of the area he picks can almost be unlimited. I'm really curious to see what news comes out in the next "90 days".

[mousquet]

"What I will say is one of my favorite public spaces is Dequindre Cut."

I just took a little time for a Google Maps and Street View walk through Orleans and St Aubin streets, if I didn't mistake, that is the Dequindre Cut area and frankly I saw nearly nothing around there. There are some residential blocks along St Aubin but it's nothing dense nor historic. The area doesn't seem unpleasant either, it's just all green space along the way. The guy would surely have to develop plenty of new things to make something lively of the neighborhood.

[Michi]

I just took a little time for a Google Maps and Street View walk through Orleans and St Aubin streets, if I didn't mistake, that is the Dequindre Cut area and frankly I saw nearly nothing around there. There are some residential blocks along St Aubin but it's nothing dense nor historic. The area doesn't seem unpleasant either, it's just all green space along the way. The guy would surely have to develop plenty of new things to make something lively of the neighborhood.
Yes and no. Definitely, there is a lot of open space, ripe for new development, and that's what surprised me as well. The Dequindre Cut (Greenway) was also created through what was once the center of the Riverfront Warehouse District. There's really not much left in terms of wonderful, old warehouses to reuse, but that does bring to mind one project, in particular. The old Globe Trading Company warehouse (at/near the foot of the Dequindre Cut) currently has a proposal to remake it into an adventure and discovery center, as part of the Milliken State Park and Harbor complex. It already has a solid plan and funding support, so perhaps Mr. Goldman wants to associate himself with this, or spin-offs of this project.

Here's a little bit about the Globe:
http://www.positivedetroit.net/2011/06/coming-to-detroit-riverfront-rock.html

Also, the Dequindre Cut currently ends at Eastern Market, which is just north of Gratiot Avenue. Eastern Market may also be a focal point of Mr. Goldman, given the City and Eastern Market Corporation's desire to spur private development from the activity already embeded in this area. There is a lot of connecting-the-dots opportunities in this part of town, and it will be neat to see what actually comes to fruition with some major private investment.
http://www.detroiteasternmarket.com/page.php?p=1&s=8

[LMich]

http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20111206&Category=BIZ&ArtNo=112060319&Ref=AR
Daniel Mears / The Detroit News

Chrysler sizes up space in Gilbert's Dime Building

Louis Aguilar/ The Detroit News

December 6, 2011

Chrysler Group LLC is close to signing a lease for a small office space in the Dime Building, one of the historic downtown properties in Detroit bought this year by Quicken Loans Inc. founder Dan Gilbert, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.

Chrysler officials did not comment Monday, and Gilbert's press spokeswoman Paula Silver had no comment. If the deal happens, it would give a Detroit presence for the Auburn Hills-based automaker that has struck a nerve with its "Imported From Detroit" marketing campaign.

Chrysler is said to be interested in leasing about 20,000 square feet, which amounts to about 11/2 floors of space in the 14-story building at 719 Griswold, according to CoStar Realty Information, a commercial real estate information service. That amount of space usually accommodates 100 to 120 workers, said John DeGroot, vice president of research for the Southfield office of Grubb & Ellis.

...

Downtown Detroit already is in the midst of getting an infusion of 9,700 employees being relocated from the suburbs by Quicken Loans and its family of companies, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and DTE Energy. These developments have prompted new restaurants and other retail along with plans to build more housing.

laguilar@detnews.com

http://www.detnews.com/article/20111206/BIZ/112060319/Chrysler-sizes-up-space-in-Gilbert%E2%80%99s-Dime-Building

Not a huge amount of space, the but the symbolism of Chrysler setting up any office space in Detroit at all is a huge symbolic victory.

[subterranean]

I wonder if this has anything to do with the slack they received for capitalizing on Detroit grit with commercials while being headquartered in the suburbs...

Edit: posted this before actually reading the article. Ha.

[nrl2008]

Finally momentum is building again for downtown/midtown development. It will be great to see people living in the northern part of the Woodward retail corridor.

[LMich]

The David Whitney proposal continues to move foward...

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20111212&Category=BUSINESS06&ArtNo=112120370&Ref=AR&MaxW=300&Border=0&David-Whitney-Building-renovation-moves-forward
Mandie Wright - Detroit Free Press

David Whitney Building renovation moves forward (www.freep.com/article/20111212/BUSINESS06/112120370/David-Whitney-Building-renovation-moves-forward?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE)

By John Gallagher - Detroit Free Press

December 12, 2011

A plan to remake the vacant David Whitney Building into retail, apartments and a boutique hotel is taking two big steps forward.

First, developers have signed Starwood Hotels to brand the 136-room hotel as part of its Aloft line, a high-design, urban-oriented model similar to Starwood's W brand hotels but at a more modest price.

And, second, the Michigan Economic Growth Authority is expected Tuesday to take up the project's request for tax credits that will undergird financing for the $82-million project.

David DiRita of the Roxbury Group, the Detroit-based development company heading up the project, said if other financing falls into place then construction could begin in the first half of 2012, with the reopening of the building sometime in late 2013 or 2014.

"We are very pleased with the pace of this," DiRita said Friday. "People are really going to enjoy it. The building is going to be restored in all of its glory."

...

And, the city-owned buildings on Capitol Park are looking closer toward seeing redevelopment...

Capitol Park: 3 finalists (http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20111211/FREE/312119954/capitol-park-3-finalists#)

Daniel Duggan | Crain's Detroit Business

December 11, 2011

Three groups are being interviewed for the task of redeveloping the publicly owned buildings in the run-down Capitol Park district of Detroit.

Among the plans is a mixed-use development with 225-250 units of affordable, high-end and senior housing paired with local and national retailers.

Surprising some real estate insiders are the well-known developers who submitted proposals but aren't on the short list, including Westin Book Cadillac developer John Ferchill, who had teamed with Quicken Loans Inc. founder Dan Gilbert.

...

Making the cut is the developer behind the Broderick Tower, Detroit-based J.C. Beal Construction Inc., in a joint venture with Denver-based Tryba Architects. Also on the list, sources said, are the developers behind the Durant Hotel in Flint, Lansing-based Prater Development Ltd. and Lansing-based Karp and Associates LLC.

...

Both JC Beal and Karp & Associates do nice historic renovations.

[hudkina]

I just took a little time for a Google Maps and Street View walk through Orleans and St Aubin streets, if I didn't mistake, that is the Dequindre Cut area and frankly I saw nearly nothing around there. There are some residential blocks along St Aubin but it's nothing dense nor historic. The area doesn't seem unpleasant either, it's just all green space along the way. The guy would surely have to develop plenty of new things to make something lively of the neighborhood.

The Dequindre Cut is basically an urban rails to trails project. I don't think he is necessarily interested in the neighborhood around the cut, so much as the cut itself.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5023/5885860020_be9457f862_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/healthiermi/5885860020/)
Dequindre Cut (http://www.flickr.com/photos/healthiermi/5885860020/) by healthiermi (http://www.flickr.com/people/healthiermi/), on Flickr

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3617/3605893856_9855ca9b2d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/olinek/3605893856/)
Dequindre Cut (http://www.flickr.com/photos/olinek/3605893856/) by Spencer Olinek (http://www.flickr.com/people/olinek/), on Flickr

And its potential...
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6099/5885830434_ce75f64608_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/healthiermi/5885830434/)
Dequindre Cut (http://www.flickr.com/photos/healthiermi/5885830434/) by healthiermi (http://www.flickr.com/people/healthiermi/), on Flickr

The trail currently runs about a mile from Woodbridge to Gratiot without any cross traffic, which makes it one of the more unique urban trail experiences. It's sort of like New York's High Line, but instead of being elevated, it's below grade. Plans exist to expand the trail another 1/2 mile to at least Mack Ave, meaning residents have the opportunity to travel 1.5 miles through the heart of an urban center without worrying about auto traffic. My guess is that he is excited about the Rivertown and Eastern Market ends of the line. Both areas have old warehouses that could be renovated and both areas have plenty of land that can be developed into modern lofts.

[GRsupercity]

Always makes me sad to see what used to be and what could of been

[Rizzo]

As sad as it is, the downtown losses really aren't terrible in comparison to the modern American city, assuming brand new structures replace the vacant lots. when I look around Chicago, it's unbelievable how many buildings have come down to make way for skyscrapers. I look at Detroit the same way. Assuming we see no more demolitions downtown, you'll still have a decent historic core.

The neighborhoods are something else, but I've always kind of wrote off the majority of Detroit's housing stock as fairly generic. It's not like ornate brownstones are coming down by the day. And you have dense and well kept neighborhoods like Boston Edison and Indian Village that contain the city's showcase architecture.

Ideally, some of the more architecturally interesting structures would continue to stand for another decade or so when enough new growth would give them a second life. But I think once buildings go vacant in Detroit, just a few years is all it takes for them to be unsalvageable.

My hope is that Detroit's replacement building stock be urban, sustainable, and architecturally unique. What I mean by that is Detroit should develop it's own vernacular that makes it very identifiable.

Eventually, I see Detroit as being a very modern city with patches of high density urban development with greenspace in between that can be used as preserve or agriculture.

[mousquet]

The Dequindre Cut is basically an urban rails to trails project. I don't think he is necessarily interested in the neighborhood around the cut, so much as the cut itself.

The trail currently runs about a mile from Woodbridge to Gratiot without any cross traffic, which makes it one of the more unique urban trail experiences. It's sort of like New York's High Line, but instead of being elevated, it's below grade. Plans exist to expand the trail another 1/2 mile to at least Mack Ave, meaning residents have the opportunity to travel 1.5 miles through the heart of an urban center without worrying about auto traffic. My guess is that he is excited about the Rivertown and Eastern Market ends of the line. Both areas have old warehouses that could be renovated and both areas have plenty of land that can be developed into modern lofts.

Okay, Google's Street View hadn't let me see the trail. Sensing something possibly friendly and attractive through those few pictures indeed.
You can sense a lot of opportunities over there in Detroit. Seriously, it doesn't even seem really risky from where I am, the potential there is so obvious with an educated workforce living around, so...
Sincere best wishes to Detroit and Michigan for 2012. Not only a pretty region but also a great history of big industry and engineering, very nice looking vehicles (maybe still lacking reliability and fuel-efficiency though), home of old cool pop singers like Diana Ross and Smokey Robinson, those things everybody likes.

[animatedmartian]

For anyone curious of a first-person ride through the cut, I think this video provides a good example (sans music). The bikers ride the southern half toward the riverfront.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KsQFRBttHo

And if you're curious about the general atmosphere of Eastern Market...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB1nm4bmm6E

If you take the two together, you get a pedestrian-centered ready environment(s) but with no housing and no connectivity between separate areas. Undoubtedly, this would be familiar to any developer who has experience in NYC with pre-gentrified areas or cities with similar situations. Though, Detroit is sort unique in that there's a lot of empty area with a few historic but dilapidated structures. The Dequindre Cut and the Riverwalk provide pedestrian connectivity. That gives developers a little more flexibility in what and where they can build.


And since it was mentioned, here's the Rivertown length of the Riverwalk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag2lkED_9yA

The Harbortown development is a gated community and never utilized the waterfront other than having a marina. Therefore you see a fence along the majority path (ugh). At 2:40-ish is where the bikers go on to the street. They're bypassing the Uniroyal site which as of the moment is being cleaned of industrial waste. It already has plans to be developed and hopefully will provide a nice pedestrian connection to the Riverwalk and the bridge.

But, to the point, this area has the potential to be a pedestrian oriented neighborhood. If everything is built with the right idea in mind (retail, transit, mixed-use, etc.), I could see it becoming a high valued/high density area of the city. How quickly it happens and how effective it will be...I dunno. That's why I'm really curious to see what Mr. Goldman does. I'm praying that 2012 will be a promising year. :cheers:

[Michi]

I wish there were more Detroiters around to post photographs of projects and changes happening in the city. I always check this thread to see if any new additions are made, but rarely there are. I got a chance to visit the city for just a few hours over the Holidays to see as much as I could while the sun was out. :)

Dequindre Cut Greenway This was my first visit since the project broke ground a few years ago. The feeling walking down the cut is very comforting and exciting! I would like to bike, run or roller blade it in the summer months!
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7017/6703393519_217eed4da7_b.jpg

The old Elevator Building Lofts I love the font that markets the product! This building is adjacent to the Dequindre Cut along Franklin Street.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7143/6703392215_e2b0c9228a_b.jpg

As you can see, Franklin Street still has some old warehouses lining it, which is historically representative of this area.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7154/6703391175_0269e66a29_b.jpg

Milliken State Park and Harbor I could only daydream what it looks like in the middle of summer! These are wetlands, not just dead brush.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/6703387967_129b45505d_b.jpg

The previous extent of the East Riverfront project is Rivard Plaza shown with the white tents.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7030/6703386877_863ea6dc76_b.jpg

I don't remember who this guy is (don't think it is Milliken), but it's nice to know there are sculptures as part of the new Riverfront.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7150/6703385721_ea7b8d6bd4_z.jpg

A lot of care was taken when designing the new state park to provide educational tools to students, particularly those in the urban districts.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7007/6703384643_35ff6439a5_b.jpg

An observation platform with educational materials explaining wetland habitat along the riverfront. One can only imagine the urban community that will develop in the background someday. How exciting!
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7170/6703383315_bd18a65828_b.jpg

Detroit Port Authority Terminal A little bit cold in its design, but at least it blocks the big parking garage eyesore that use to hog this part of the prominade. All-in-all, I'd say its design is a success. Beggers can't be choosers, particularly with government projects.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7172/6703382041_e23beafd6a_b.jpg

By the way, relatively new LED lights look great on all 5 towers of the Ren Cen!
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7166/6703378521_c91851d525_b.jpg

Branding the city in a unique way when the sun's out.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7033/6703377169_2ea12903d7_b.jpg

A nice little infill along Library Street (the middle section). Small, but significant for Detroit!
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7016/6703395933_7e394df2f8_b.jpg

[MolsonExport]

Hopeful photos. I like it.

[pip]

The Dequindre Cut Greenway looks fantstic from your pic and others

[Rizzo]

Nice photos Michi. Though correction on the last photo..it was a reclad and full gut rehab. Though I guess practically all n/c

The Detroit riverfront is incredible

[hudkina]

Here's the before picture taken from Google Streetview:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7031/6708725911_0ac9d4270c_b.jpg

[LMich]

Midtown updates. I bolded the residential ones.

Midtown milestones (www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20120115/FREE/301159960/midtown-milestones)

Crain's Detroit Business

January 15, 2012

Projects planned, under way or completed in Midtown:

- Newberry Hall Development LLC recently completed a $5.9 million historic rehabilitation of the Newberry Hall Building at 100 E. Willis, Detroit Medical Center creating 28 rental units. Principals: Ernie Zachary, president of Zachary & Associates Inc., and local developer Mike Prochaska.

- The Auburn LLC, an $11.3 million mixed-use project at 4240 Cass Ave. near Canfield. Creates 58 studio and one-bedroom apartments and 11 small storefronts when completed this fall. Developers: Midtown Detroit Inc., Invest Detroit and The Roxbury Group.

- Whole Foods Market, 100 block of Mack Avenue on the north side, between John R and Woodward, expected to open by spring 2013. Cost estimated at $10 million. Developer: Ram Realty Services

- 4265 Woodward, former Agave Restaurant space. $1.8 million project to begin this spring to redevelop into 3,000 square feet of restaurant space on the lower level and four apartments on the second floor. Developers: Midtown Detroit Inc. and Invest Detroit.

- 4625 Second, Forest Arms Building. $17 million historic rehab to create 75 apartments. Construction to begin this year, finish in 2014. Developers: Midtown Detroit Inc. and local developer Scott Lowell.

- 3919-33 Woodward Garden Theatre. $10.7 million rehab of the former Sassy Cat theater. Completion target is spring 2013. Developer: Woodward SA-PK LLC, Principal: George Stewart.

- 487 Prentis, Brentwood Building. $1.2 million historic rehab to create 38 residential units. Construction starts soon, with completion late 2012. Developer: Brentwood Detroit LLC, whose registered agent with the state is Marc Berger.

- 4130 Cass. $550,000 rehab of vacant warehouse into studio and gallery space for local artists, and two new storefronts. Under way. Developer: local sculptor Adnan Charara.

- 609 E. Kirby. $5.5 million rehab of the historic former Kirby Center Hebrew Day School in the Art Center district into 27 apartments. Construction to begin this year. Developer: Richard Hosey, Bank of America senior vice president.

- 3965 Woodward. $500,000 build-out of the Blue Moon Building, previously developed by local developer George Stewart, to connect to Midtown Detroit's adjacent offices. Will create a coffee and wine bar, community meeting space and outdoor patio. Completion expected by spring. Lessees: Midtown Detroit Inc. and Bloomfield Hills-based Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Co.

- $1.2 million conversion of Second Avenue between I-94 and West Grand Boulevard and Third Avenue between Warren and Ledyard to two-way streets. Completion expected by fall. Developer: Midtown Detroit Inc.

- Second phase of the Midtown Greenway. $2.5 million project to add a second mile to the greenway, picking up at John R and Canfield, continuing down Canfield to Cass, and down John R from Canfield to Mack. Completion expected by year's end. Developer: Midtown Detroit Inc.

[Onn]

DMC breaking ground on $78M Heart Hospital

The Detroit News
Melissa Burden
January 17, 2012

http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20120117&Category=BIZ&ArtNo=201170392&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&DMC-breaking-ground-78M-Heart-Hospital

Detroit — The Detroit Medical Center broke ground Tuesday on its $78 million Heart Hospital, a new five-story hospital expected to open in January 2014.

The new 200,000-square-foot building will become the home of the DMC's Cardiovascular Institute on its main campus, bringing together cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and vascular surgeons to treat patients and conduct research in one location.

"This is the first heart hospital in our state," Dr. Theodore L. Schreiber, Cardiovascular Institute president, said at a Tuesday morning ceremony. "It's going to be ... beyond cutting edge."

The DMC Heart Hospital is among the larger construction projects pledged by owner Vanguard Health Systems Inc. Vanguard, when it bought the DMC on Jan. 1, 2010, pledged to spend $500 million over five years on new construction and expansion projects, including the Heart Hospital.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120117/BIZ/201170392/DMC-breaking-ground-78M-Heart-Hospital?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

[fishrose]

Midtown updates. I bolded the residential ones.

That's 226 new residential units for Midtown over the course of the next two years. Honestly, I don't think it'll be enough to satisfy the demand.

[hudkina]

I know this is probably the least important of the projects, but I am sort of excited about the conversion of 2nd and 3rd to two-way streets. It might have made sense in the the 20's, but today it makes absolutely no sense to have them be one way. 2nd Street in particular is one of the most confusing "one way" streets on the planet.;)

[subterranean]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120117/BIZ/201170392/DMC-breaking-ground-78M-Heart-Hospital?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE (http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120117/BIZ/201170392/DMC-breaking-ground-78M-Heart-Hospital?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE)


I can't see the acronym DMC without thinking of Run DMC. I think they should pump their music in the hallways at all times.

[fishrose]

I know this is probably the least important of the projects, but I am sort of excited about the conversion of 2nd and 3rd to two-way streets. It might have made sense in the the 20's, but today it makes absolutely no sense to have them be one way. 2nd Street in particular is one of the most confusing "one way" streets on the planet.;)

This will be huge for promoting further development, as well.

[LMich]

I know this is probably the least important of the projects, but I am sort of excited about the conversion of 2nd and 3rd to two-way streets. It might have made sense in the the 20's, but today it makes absolutely no sense to have them be one way. 2nd Street in particular is one of the most confusing "one way" streets on the planet.;)

Same here. To me, the two biggest projects on that list are the greenway extension and the street conversion. Those things will mean more in the long-run because they facilitate future development. Anyone know if 2nd and 3rd were made one-ways prior to or afte the completion of the freeways? The parellel freeways really kind of defeat their purpose, so I imagine this was before they pushed the Lodge and Chrysler do, but don't know for sure.

BTW, completely agree about the new units not being enough. What I find impressive is that most of those are building conversions. Just imagine would kind of progress would be made if this was happening with more new construction, particularly more mid-rise/high-density stuff. That's what I've been waiting for. To me, that'll be the tipping point when there simply isn't enough left to convert, and they'll have to start infilling with multi-story density.

EDIT:

Midtowners, exactly how much of the Midtown Loop is completed?

http://www.detroitmidtown.com/05/image_lib/Map_Detroit_AerialCopy.jpg

From the description, it sounds like they are going to finish the bottom of it, and also start on the pedestrian connector shown as the dotted red line in the graphic.

[hudkina]

The northern stretch was essentially done last spring. If I remember correctly, it was in Fall 2010 that the actual pathway was widened and "colorized" and Spring 2011 was when all the finishing touches were completed. Granted, I could be wrong...;)

[DetroitSky]

http://www.udmercy.edu/facilitiesmgt/images/studentfit.jpg
UDM breaks ground on new Student Fitness Center

University of Detroit Mercy broke ground on a new 40,000 square-foot Student Fitness Center on the McNichols Campus, on Sept. 22. The Center will feature a two-court gymnasium for recreation and intramural sports such as basketball, volleyball, badminton and floor hockey; an elevated three-lane track; a group exercise room; men's and women's lockers rooms and restrooms; a lobby and student lounge and snack bar.
http://www.udmercy.edu/news_events/news/by-year/2011/09-23-fitness-ctr-groundbreaking.htm

Granted I probably won't use it, I'm still excited about the construction of this building on my campus.

Also going on at UDM: restoration and upgrade of the Chemistry Building
http://americajr.us/entertainment/IMG_3553.JPG
PHOTO BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com

[mind field]

The Detroit riverfront is incredible

This. Detroit has a world class riverfront now, the best of the best.

[Rizzo]

I can't see the acronym DMC without thinking of Run DMC. I think they should pump their music in the hallways at all times.

Patient rehab music

TLGWQfK-6DY

[Onn]

http://www.udmercy.edu/facilitiesmgt/images/studentfit.jpg
UDM breaks ground on new Student Fitness Center

University of Detroit Mercy broke ground on a new 40,000 square-foot Student Fitness Center on the McNichols Campus, on Sept. 22. The Center will feature a two-court gymnasium for recreation and intramural sports such as basketball, volleyball, badminton and floor hockey; an elevated three-lane track; a group exercise room; men's and women's lockers rooms and restrooms; a lobby and student lounge and snack bar.
http://www.udmercy.edu/news_events/news/by-year/2011/09-23-fitness-ctr-groundbreaking.htm

Granted I probably won't use it, I'm still excited about the construction of this building on my campus.


I'm glad they're building this, but I think they really need to replace the Student Center most of all. That building is incredibly sterile by today's standards, it's like a parking garage on the inside. The Chemistry Building needs a lot of work also, hopefully they remodel it as good as they did Commerce and Finance. That's the ultimate building on the campus, love those swivel chairs. :yes:

[animatedmartian]

A reflection of the Detroit International Riverfront. Don't forget, it's still a work in progress! :notacrook:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLCkOX-DE4g