DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[Michi]

Thanks for supplying the pics of the Fort Shelby and the Rosa Parks. Please be sure to update when the Hooverville Tents are installed at the transit center! :)

[hudkina]

At least we have someone to carry on the development update torch since Michi abandoned us for Houston! j/k;)

Anyway, great shots, jodelli! It's amazing, but Woodward doesn't look as wide as it normally does with the two streetfront buildings creating a canyon effect. Just imagine what the street would look like with LRT down the middle.

Oh and BTW, just adding the windows to the Fort Shelby instantly made it one of my favorite buildings downtown. The Book-Cadillac looks awesome, but there's something about the red brick that is so beautiful.

[EuphoricOctopus]

Yeah, Michi is a traitor! Lets burn him at the stake! :P

[gopher]

any snap pictures of tiger stadium? they got it ripped wide open

[detmi7mile]

Ann Arbor-Detroit rail project on track for 2010

Long-term funding could be issue for line, which includes stop in W. Dearborn

By Jason Carmel Davis, Press & Guide Newspapers.

PUBLISHED: July 13, 2008

DEARBORN - By fall 2010, residents of Dearborn will be able to hop on a train and head to downtown Detroit to take in a Tigers game or a show at the Detroit Opera House.

Advertisement
And visitors to the city will be able to hop off a train at the Henry Ford and walk directly into the museum, walk to West Downtown Dearborn, or head to the University of Michigan-Dearborn or Fairlane Town Center.

That's because a proposed Ann Arbor to Detroit regional rail project is on track for completion in October 2010, according to Carmine Palombo, director of transportation programs for the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG).

Palombo said SEMCOG is awaiting estimates from the Norfolk Southern Rail Company and the Canadian National Railway as to what the cost would be to make necessary improvements along the proposed route, which, Palombo said, would allow for alternative routes and additional trains.

"As soon as we get that information, we should be set to go," Palombo said. "Everything's going fairly smoothly."

SEMCOG has looked into the feasibility of a commuter rail between the two major cities for more than a year now. The concept would be to rely on existing infrastructure as much as possible as a system was developed to shuttle people between Detroit, Ann Arbor and Metro Airport.

Palombo said the question of where the stop that will service Detroit Metropolitan Airport will sit. So far, stations are already planned for Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, a Detroit Metro Airport stop, a stop at the Henry Ford in Dearborn and near the New Center Area in downtown Detroit.

Amtrak is at the heart of the issue, as, if the mass transit project comes to fruition, the city would like to move its train station from its current post near the Dearborn Police Department further west near the Henry Ford on Elm Street, according to city of Dearborn Director of Economic & Community Development Barry Murray. The new station, which would be called an intermodal station, would also serve as a transportation hub and feature a bus station, taxi and limousine service.

"If we're able to move the station, people can just get right off and go to the Henry Ford or go straight to the Michigan Avenue businesses," Murray said. "This will all go along with (city officials') vision of having a 21st century rail station, along with going along with plans for the redevelopment of the city."

The Ann Arbor-to-Detroit line would be regional, Murray said, and be a Michigan Department of Transportation project. Amtrak, the railway at the heart of the project, is an inner-city railway.

The city of Dearborn received a $1 million grant from the Michigan Department of Transportation to conduct a study focusing on the feasibility of the proposed railway system, Murray said.

But Palombo said that although the project is progressing nicely, there is still no long-term source of funding for the railway. He said the idea is to have a three- to five-year look at ridership before determining the long-term future of the railway.

"We have some leads on long-term funding," Palombo said. "We have some federal money set aside, but we may have to talk to each community that's involved, each county and (the Michigan Department of Transportation.

"Even though everything is going well right now, there are still some things we need to look at."

Contact News Editor Jason Carmel Davis at (313) 359-7820 or jadavis@heritage.com.

http://www.pressandguide.com/stories/071308/loc_20080713003.shtml

[detmi7mile]

any snap pictures of tiger stadium? they got it ripped wide open

yeah jodelli posted them on the previous page

[Affrojuice]

Hello Detroit forumers. I just moved to Detroit about a month ago from LA. I am a big architecture and city development junkie. I got the chance to take a nice long walk through downtown today and snap some pics.

Iodent lofts - adaptive reuse project - just a couple of weeks from completion

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii169/affrojuice/DSC_0053.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii169/affrojuice/DSC_0056.jpg

sorry I can't figure out how to rotate these

inside 1 bedroom unit under construction

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii169/affrojuice/DSC_0042.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii169/affrojuice/DSC_0047.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii169/affrojuice/DSC_0048.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii169/affrojuice/DSC_0051.jpg

The Book Cadillac Renovation

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii169/affrojuice/DSC_0080.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii169/affrojuice/DSC_0079.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii169/affrojuice/DSC_0081.jpg

Ren Cen with People Mover passing by

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii169/affrojuice/DSC_0089.jpg

Greektown hotel going up

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii169/affrojuice/DSC_0118.jpg


Thats it for now. I am looking forward to seeing much more downtown development during my time here.

[subterranean]

Awesome, Affrojuice! Welcome to Michigan. You'll get your wish about seeing more development. You've come during a loft craze, many new infill projects, casinos going up, new bridges planned, talks of a new arena, real public transit efforts, and Rock/Quicken moving downtown that nearly guarantees an interesting set of projects. Not to mention all of the urban ag projects going on, and grass roots housing and neighborhood initiatives.

What brings you to Detroit? Thanks for posting.

[Affrojuice]

Thanks for the welcome. I am here doing my residency at the DMC.

[Michi]

Awesome, it's nice to get out-of-towners in on the action!

And for the record, who's the man that got you all nearly-monthly updates of all the excitement going on in Detroit while I was there? Oh, I guess I just answered my own question.

Anyway, I've been itching for some Dequindre Cut.

And don't believe what you hear about AA-Detroit. Believe what you see. If you settle for the former, you're an idiot. :sly:

[hudkina]

Don't worry, Michi, you know we appreciated your great photo threads!

Great shots, Affrojuice! The Iodent Building is looking good.

BTW, do you have family in the Detroit/Michigan area or are you completely new to the city? Hope your residency goes well.:)

[skyfan]

Has anyone noticed how the actual expansion of the Greektown casino is coming along? I've really only have paid attention to the construction of the hotel tower

[detmi7mile]

Welcome!! Always good to see more people out there taking pics.

And that is a good point about the overall expansion.

[skyfan]

Both the Free Press and News this week took new pics of the Book-Cadillac interior.


construction workers chat as they break for lunch in the lobby bar area on the second floor. Chandliers and light fixtures have recently been installed

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/news/2008/07142008BookCadillacJobs/2008-0714-bb-BookCadillacJobs132T.jpg

Marous Brothers carpenters Scott Czarny (left) and Mike Katip do some finish work on the dark wood lobby bar

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/news/2008/07142008BookCadillacJobs/2008-0714-bb-BookCadillacJobs241T.jpg

Architectural Southwest Stone mason Dan Thurkettle installs cream-colored marble flooring in the lobby bar area.

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/news/2008/07142008BookCadillacJobs/2008-0714-bb-BookCadillacJobs196T.jpg

Eugenio Painting Co.'s Glenn Read (left) and Brian Morgan hang wallpaper in one of the alcoves atop a balcony in the Venetian Ballroom.

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/news/2008/07142008BookCadillacJobs/2008-0714-bb-BookCadillacJobs292T.jpg

Brian Morgan holds a piece of the wallpaper that is covered with tiny glass beads that catch the light.

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/news/2008/07142008BookCadillacJobs/2008-0714-bb-BookCadillacJobs161T.jpg

Yes, this is a photo of paint drying-- in the crystal ballroom

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/news/2008/07142008BookCadillacJobs/2008-0714-bb-BookCadillacJobs144T.jpg

One of the new bedrooms

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=C4&Dato=20080719&Kategori=WESTINBOOKCADILLACDETROIT&Lopenr=807190801&Ref=PH&Item=1&MaxW=600&MaxH=450&border=0&Quality=100

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=C4&Dato=20080719&Kategori=WESTINBOOKCADILLACDETROIT&Lopenr=807190801&Ref=PH&Item=2&MaxW=600&MaxH=450&border=0&Quality=100


http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=C4&Dato=20080719&Kategori=WESTINBOOKCADILLACDETROIT&Lopenr=807190801&Ref=PH&Item=14&MaxW=600&MaxH=450&border=0&Quality=100

Condo unit kitchen

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=C4&Dato=20080719&Kategori=WESTINBOOKCADILLACDETROIT&Lopenr=807190801&Ref=PH&Item=10&MaxW=600&MaxH=450&border=0&Quality=100

[detmi7mile]

i cant wait!!

[detroit_alive]

The freep reports that the Greektown Casino Hotel has topped out:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880730080

[subterranean]

A photo found on Flickr by jj8rock, taken a week ago, with Greektown far to the right:

scroll-------->
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/2696080551_358098e942_o.jpg

[hudkina]

It would be great to see more skyscrapers on the East side of Downtown just to "center" the Ren Cen a little more.

[Austinlee]

Book Cadillac is looking amazing. Love that last flikr photo too.

[subterranean]

It would be great to see more skyscrapers on the East side of Downtown just to "center" the Ren Cen a little more.

I agree with you here. But what I'd really like to see is the focus taken away from the Renny a little bit with a tower in the central area of the city, a new tallest of at least 900-950 ft. I know this is a pipe dream at present, but eventually we'll see one. Scotia Plaza in Toronto, Key Tower in Cleveland, and Columbia Center in Seattle are all in this range, and within medium sized cities. The Detroit skyline is seriously squat for a Metro of its size. First we concentrate on redeveloping all the underutilized buildings such as been happening, fill them up, and then come the buildings. I seriously doubt Gilbert will build anything near this tall, but given the current price of building materials dropping, I don't think he could have announced a better time for his large prospective projects (aside from the fact that he runs a mortgage company). Anyway, pardon my dreaming.

[detmi7mile]

^^^I'm right there with ya.

[jodelli]

http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9621_11008_45614---,00.html

Monday:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3211/2736191735_a59f908857.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3249/2736192299_37e1704ef8_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3034/2736192893_d44487d755_b.jpg

[zuelas]

I wish all those cranes were in our cbd instead!

[hi123]

Any renderings for that project?

[jodelli]

Any renderings for that project?

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Amb_Gateway__CityPlanning060707_199349_7.pdf

[subterranean]

BY JOHN GALLAGHER • FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER • August 13, 2008

Detroit's historic Book Cadillac Hotel is looking more like its old self day by day. (http://www.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Final+touches+being+applied+to+renovation+of+historic+Book+Cadillac&expire=&urlID=30344967&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freep.com%2Fapps%2Fpbcs.dll%2Farticle%3FAID%3D%2F20080813%2FBUSINESS04%2F808130339%2F&partnerID=162736)

WHAT'S NEXT?
• The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit is to open to the public Oct. 1.

• The hotel is accepting room bookings for Nov. 1 onward.

• A celebratory street party for the public called Access Detroit will be held outside the hotel on the evening of Oct. 24.

• The hotel will host a black-tie grand opening party Oct. 25.

For information, see www.bookcadillacnextchapter.com (http://www.bookcadillacnextchapter.com).

Racing against an Oct. 1 deadline, construction crews this week were setting marble tile, hanging crystal chandeliers and otherwise getting the new Westin Book Cadillac Detroit ready for opening day.



On Tuesday, electrician Al Hardt was painstakingly installing Italian hand-blown glass elements on one of two chandeliers in the hotel's Venetian Ballroom. Artisans created the glass elements in Murano, Italy, the legendary glass-making center near Venice, and each of the ballroom's two chandeliers will contain 450 of the pieces. Hardt and other workers must carefully hang every element by hand.

Elsewhere, most of the guest room floors have all the furniture in, while the ground floor, the last to be finished since work proceeds from the top down, was still largely a construction zone Tuesday. The Westin's sales staff already occupies its office on the third floor, despite the piercing sound of a fire alarm being tested throughout the day.

The Westin reservation system is accepting room bookings for stays beginning Nov. 1. The hotel will open to the public on Oct. 1, but no ceremonies are planned until a black-tie event featuring Grammy winner Michael McDonald on Oct. 25.

Tickets for that event are available in three prices -- $2,500, $2,000 and $600 -- with details available at the Web site www.bookcadillacnextchapter.com.

There's also a street party called Access Detroit planned to take place outside the Westin Book Cadillac on Oct. 24.

"People will be able to come down and really celebrate the opening of the Book Cadillac as one more reason to live, work, play in the city," said Scott Stinebaugh, the hotel's director of sales and marketing. "Because we believe that's really the bigger thought here: The hotel opening is just one more reason to come down and take a look at what there is to do in Detroit."

Opened in 1924 and closed because of financial distress in 1984, the hotel languished through various redevelopment schemes until a few years ago. Then Cleveland-based developer John Ferchill stitched together a deal worth about $180 million, including multiple loans, equity investments and tax credits, to make a redevelopment possible.

When the Westin Book Cadillac opens Oct. 1, it will feature 453 rooms, 65 condominiums and an array of ballrooms, meeting rooms and dining options, including Roast, a meat-lover's restaurant run by celebrity chef Michael Symon.

The new Book Cadillac will be similar to the hotel of memories but not a direct copy. For the renovation, crews stripped the interior down to the structural ribs, and then built it out anew. The famous Grand Ballroom is now known as the Venetian, while the old Motor Bar, which used to be located on the ground floor, is now on the second, or lobby, level.

The décor of the Westin will mix some of the Italian Renaissance imagery of the original hotel with dark wood paneling, modern fixtures and flat-screen televisions.

Even the name of the hotel shows a slight variation from the past. Decades ago, the hotel used a hyphen between the words Book and Cadillac; the new Westin does not.

Stinebaugh said the hotel is fully booked for the January 2009 North American International Auto Show and the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament at Ford Field next April. About 20 wedding parties have been scheduled so far.

Basic room rates will run $379 per night and $209 on weekends, but there will be an array of incentives, discounts and corporate rates.

"We're certainly not immune to the economic challenges in this region," Stinebaugh said, "but because this is such an iconic building, because there's been so much anticipation of its return, there has been strong interest in it, and we certainly feel that has been advantageous to us."

Contact JOHN GALLAGHER at 313-222-5173 or gallagher@freepress.com.


http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20080813&Category=BUSINESS04&ArtNo=808130339&Ref=AR&Profile=1017&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0
SUSAN TUSA/DFP
What had been the Book Cadillac's Grand Ballroom has been refurbished and renamed the Venetian Ballroom. Workers Tuesday painstakingly installed hand-blown Italian Murano glass elements into the two chandeliers. The renovated hotel won't be an exact duplicate of the original but is being fitted with the same opulent touches.

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20080813&Category=BUSINESS04&ArtNo=808130339&Ref=V2&Profile=1017&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0
SUSAN TUSA/DFP
The Washington Boulevard entrance to the Book Cadillac. The ground level remains a construction zone, but the Westin's sales staff occupies its office on the third floor.

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20080813&Category=BUSINESS04&ArtNo=808130339&Ref=H3&Profile=1017&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0
SUSAN TUSA/DFP
The sheen of pressure-sensitive glue reflects Tuesday from the floor of a boardroom at the Book Cadillac Hotel.

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20080813&Category=BUSINESS04&ArtNo=808130339&Ref=V4&Profile=1017&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0
SUSAN TUSA/DFP
A curved wall separates the hostess area from a dining area. The hotel is to offer various dining options, including Roast, a restaurant for meat-lovers to be operated by celebrity chef Michael Symon.

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=C4&Dato=20080812&Kategori=BUSINESS&Lopenr=808120804&Ref=PH&Item=3&MaxW=600&MaxH=450&border=0&Quality=100
Jeff Mulawa, 25, left, and Derek Dafoe, 33, both electricians from Chesterfield, install one of the chandeliers in the Venetian Ballroom at the Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (SUSAN TUSA/DFP)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=C4&Dato=20080812&Kategori=BUSINESS&Lopenr=808120804&Ref=PH&Item=5&MaxW=600&MaxH=450&border=0&Quality=100
The view from the Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit looks toward the Ambassador Bridge, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (SUSAN TUSA/DFP)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=C4&Dato=20080812&Kategori=BUSINESS&Lopenr=808120804&Ref=PH&Item=6&MaxW=600&MaxH=450&border=0&Quality=100
The Motor Bar is viewed through taped glass on the second floor at the Book Cadillac in Detroit, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (SUSAN TUSA/DFP)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=C4&Dato=20080812&Kategori=BUSINESS&Lopenr=808120804&Ref=PH&Item=13&MaxW=600&MaxH=450&border=0&Quality=100
This bridge will connect the new parking structure with the Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (SUSAN TUSA/DFP)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=C4&Dato=20080812&Kategori=BUSINESS&Lopenr=808120804&Ref=PH&Item=14&MaxW=600&MaxH=450&border=0&Quality=100
Marc Hoover, 57, of Roseville unwraps some wallpaper as final construction is under way at the Book Cadillac in Detroit, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (SUSAN TUSA/DFP)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=C4&Dato=20080812&Kategori=BUSINESS&Lopenr=808120804&Ref=PH&Item=16&MaxW=600&MaxH=450&border=0&Quality=100
Electrician Al Hardt, 61, of Westland fastens Murano glass crystals to one of the chandeliers in the Venetian Ballroom at the Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (SUSAN TUSA/DFP)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=C4&Dato=20080812&Kategori=BUSINESS&Lopenr=808120804&Ref=PH&Item=17&MaxW=600&MaxH=450&border=0&Quality=100
Murano glass crystals wait to be fastened to chandeliers in the Venetian ballroom at the Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (SUSAN TUSA/DFP)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=C4&Dato=20080812&Kategori=BUSINESS&Lopenr=808120804&Ref=PH&Item=19&MaxW=600&MaxH=450&border=0&Quality=100
A column in the Crystal Ballroom at the Book Cadillac in Detroit, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (SUSAN TUSA/DFP)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=C4&Dato=20080812&Kategori=BUSINESS&Lopenr=808120804&Ref=PH&Item=21&MaxW=600&MaxH=450&border=0&Quality=100
A view of the Italian Ballroom at the Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (SUSAN TUSA/DFP)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=C4&Dato=20080812&Kategori=BUSINESS&Lopenr=808120804&Ref=PH&Item=22&MaxW=600&MaxH=450&border=0&Quality=100
Furniture waits for guests at the Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (SUSAN TUSA/DFP)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=C4&Dato=20080812&Kategori=BUSINESS&Lopenr=808120804&Ref=PH&Item=24&MaxW=600&MaxH=450&border=0&Quality=100
A view looking up at a Murano glass wall sconce in the Italian Garden at the Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (SUSAN TUSA/DFP)

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=C4&Date=20080812&Category=BUSINESS&ArtNo=808120804&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=27
A three-story condo to the right of one of the four copper ziggurats on the roof of the Book Cadillac in Detroit, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (SUSAN TUSA/DFP)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=C4&Dato=20080812&Kategori=BUSINESS&Lopenr=808120804&Ref=PH&Item=27&MaxW=600&MaxH=450&border=0&Quality=100
The view from one of the rooftop penthouses looking toward the Ambassador Bridge at the Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (SUSAN TUSA/DFP)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=C4&Dato=20080812&Kategori=BUSINESS&Lopenr=808120804&Ref=PH&Item=28&MaxW=600&MaxH=450&border=0&Quality=100
Looking across to the new bus station on Washington Boulevard from the roof of the Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (SUSAN TUSA/DFP)

[detmi7mile]

I went on a tour of the BC on Monday. I'll post some pics.

[Funkie]

A cool video about the Dequindre cut from modeldmedia in detroit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdAGmQKsq9w:tup:

[subterranean]

Model D does good work.

[gopher]

the dequinder cut is a nice idea
but i dont get it
Who is gonna be using this thing?
Seems like it missing something.... like a TRAIN

[Funkie]

the dequinder cut is a nice idea
but i dont get it
Who is gonna be using this thing?
Seems like it missing something.... like a TRAIN

Kinda what i thought.
1 mile seems kinda short to go on a biketour for example.
but ive read that theyre thinking about extending it to new center or even up to ferndale. when thats done theyll use the space next to the walkway for lightrail i think

[Michi]

It's called the Dequindre Cut Greenway...meaning parkland. If it was a railroad, then it wouldn't be introduced as the Greenway that it is. There is a later component to involve some sort of rail transportation, but that is supplemental.

The first phase of the DC serves the purpose of a direct link from the East Riverfront to Eastern Market. I don't understand why it seems like something is missing. Any time the waterfront can be connected by a perpendicular line inland would seem like a major accomplishment, especially if the infrastructure is something other than car-oriented.

[hudkina]

And especially when you can walk from the Renaissance Center to Eastern Market without crossing any major roads.

[LMich]

Yes, that's the whole point. The most attractive kind of pedestrian connections are those that are seperated from the grade of the automobile. With the DC, you get to bypass would is a rather pedestrian unfriendly path between the two.

That said, to use one side for a short trolly would be nice once there is actually a critical mass of residents at the Near-East Riverfront to actually make something like that worthwhile.

[LMich]

Made in Detroit pitches plan for luxury lofts in former Detroit Creamery (http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20080911/FREE/809119970)

By Robert Ankeny / Crain's Detroit Business

Sept. 11, 2008

Plans for an ambitious project to create 93 luxury residential lofts in the former Detroit Creamery building near Motor City Casino were revealed Thursday to the Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.

Detroit-based Made in Detroit Inc. CEO William Merriweather said the $37 million project would feature units ranging in size from 1,000 square feet to more than 3,500 square feet, selling for $300,000 to $850,000 and up for fifth floor penthouses.

The developers are seeking single business tax credits and the use of Tax Increment Financing. They also seek Neighborhood Enterprise Zone status for loft purchasers.

Merriweather said the complex, to be called 1015 Spruce St., would be highlighted by 18,000 square feet of common areas, including a spa and pool, workout facilities and meeting rooms. The historic Detroit Creamery Building, designed by architect Albert Kahn and built in 1914, is located south of Grand River Avenue near the John C. Lodge Freeway.

Made in Detroit was caught up in a controversy downriver after the company bought 650 acres in Trenton and Gibraltar in 1997, planning to build more than 300 single-family homes and a golf course.

The company’s plans were stalled by complaints from environmentalists about impact on Humbug Marsh.

Sued by its banks, Made in Detroit filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2002 before it built one house. The Trust for Public Land bought the property in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in 2003.

The bankruptcy case was finally closed in 2006, but Made in Detroit is suing four federal agencies, seeking better compensation for the property that ultimately became part of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge.

Filed in June, 2006 that lawsuit is still pending in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C., with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior, and the Fish and Wildlife Service as defendants.

[Funkie]

A new vid from modeldmedia about downtown:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG21CWIWyIo

And does anyone know something about these two projects?
Fox Creek:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk4bAqONfgc&feature

Belle Harbour:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqlBbexlgXM&feature

[hudkina]

I've never heard of that Belle Harbour development. That would be (or should I say would have been) a really great addition. Would this have been in an empowerment zone or anything? I would love to see it built, though I doubt it will happen.

[subterranean]

Looks like a pile of junk to me. But then again, I don't like much architecture these days. I just hate how it's like a gated community in the heart of a major city. When I see these types of developments, I ask myself, "Would Chicago put this smack dab on the river near downtown?". We must start thinking of Detroit as a great city, and quit selling it short.

Do any of you have the names of a few architectural firms doing truly amazing work and not cheap bullshit? I'm asking seriously, because I'd like to see some truly inspiring work going up. Something other than pure glass?

[hudkina]

Uh... It would have been built on the edge of the city. In fact it was right on the border with Grosse Pointe Park. I have absolutely no problem with it being a gated community. Hell, I wouldn't mind if Grosse Pointe Park annexed that land just so it could get built!

[jodelli]

The Belle Harbor land where the two towers are pictured used to have a trailer park on it. Man did that ever seem an incongruity on prime waterfront property on the border of a major city next to one of its nicer burbs.

The Fox Creek development would spoil the old Berlin Wall effect driving west on Jefferson where the manicured Pointes give way to Detroit's ruined east side within a single block. Gee, too bad.

Hey, I better get pictures.

[zuelas]

Anybody have any recent pics of the Greektown hotel tower?

[stormkingfan]

The work they're doing on the Westin Book-Cad is the very thing I like to see done with old high-rises. Giving it a second life.

I was in Motown nine years ago, visiting relatives. I'm walking around downtown and looking at some of the old bldgs, thinking, "tsk, tsk, tsk, please save them."

Does anybody know what the deal is with the Broderick Tower these days? What about the Book Tower (one of my favs)?

[hudkina]

Here are a few updates taken a few days ago:

The Westin Book-Cadillac:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3102/2891763654_29298254cd_o.jpg
(can you believe that the city wanted to tear this building down?)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3082/2891777774_7f57c1658f_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3126/2890926161_db26b07809_o.jpg

The Greektown Casino Hotel:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3265/2890926139_e974da8559_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3168/2891763600_94e81a0e83_o.jpg

The Doubletree Fort Shelby Hotel:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3285/2890926221_e4bccc82f8_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3270/2890926183_400be9c814_o.jpg

The Rosa Parks Bus Terminal:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3187/2890926247_9cf7c63902_o.jpg

[subterranean]

Detroit is looking GOOD

[Michi]

Thanks, hudkina!! I swear though, that Greektown tower has taken SOOO long to complete. I can't believe how great downtown looks and can't wait to return to see it for myself soon! :)

[hudkina]

It honestly hasn't changed that much since you left.;)

[jodelli]

Book Cadillac opening Wednesday:
http://www.bookcadillacwestin.com/

Ft Shelby scheduled for December opening:
http://doubletree1.hilton.com/en_US/dt/hotel/DTTLFDT-Doubletree-Guest-Suites-Fort-Shelby-Detroit-Downtown-Michigan/index.do?ctyhocn=DTTLFDT

Greektown Casino Hotel scheduled for January:
http://www.greektowncasino.com/GeneralInfo/2008.htm

Rosa Parks Terminal was originally scheduled to be finished this summer, but hey, the buses now have bike racks.
http://www.ci.detroit.mi.us/Departments/DetroitDepartmentofTransportation/tabid/80/Default.aspx

[jodelli]

Does anybody know what the deal is with the Broderick Tower these days? What about the Book Tower (one of my favs)?

Not much, I'm afraid.

[Garbageman]

What is the roofing material on the Westin Book Cadillac?

[hudkina]

It's copper. Eventually it'll turn green and look like it did before the renovation.

[Garbageman]

It's copper. Eventually it'll turn green and look like it did before the renovation.

Cool, thanks. Copper is used so sparingly anymore that it's strange to see so much of it in "new" construction. I think it's really great that they didn't skimp on the details in the restoration.

It looks like this building got saved just in time. Had this project just recently started, it probably would stall due to the credit crunch and general bad state of the economy.

Go Detroit!

[LMich]

I was just thinking about that, today, myself. The complex financing was nothing short of a miracle back when it was finalized; that would have been near-impossible, today. Same goes for the Doubletree Fort Shelby.

BTW, the 8-story @twater Lofts that were to rise near Tricentennial State Park (St. Aubin Marina) were formally cancelled, today, by the DEGC after the developer missed multiple deadlines to get this thing moving forward. Apparently, Bing is still moving forward with Chene West, but I'm starting to wonder if it's only to keep up appearances given his mayoral run.

[TWDPres]

I posted this on another thread, I thought some people here might (hopefully) enjoy this:

Eventual Detroit?
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3033/2970478108_454c41de44_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/2970478118_e9c8c0e345_b.jpg

[WaterWorld]

TWDPres that looks amazing! I can't describe how awesome that looks! Where is this from? Thanks for posting!

[DetroitSky]

Some Book-Cadillac shots from last Sunday:

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100567.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit/p1100892.jpg
Stairs to the lobby from the Michigan Avenue entrance:
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100889.jpg
Lobby:
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100844.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100843.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100842.jpg
3rd floor elevator lobby:
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100845.jpg
The Italian Garden:
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100858.jpg
Crystal Ballroom:
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100862.jpg
Venetian Ballroom:
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100871.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100880.jpg
Hall between the Crystal and Venetian:
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100885.jpg

[LMich]

I still can't believe it's open, again. The place was closed a year before I was born.

[hudkina]

It's amazing what a super-tall or two in the main cluster of buildings would do to help balance the Renaissance Center.

[BrandonJXN]

I posted this on another thread, I thought some people here might (hopefully) enjoy this:

Eventual Detroit?
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3033/2970478108_454c41de44_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/2970478118_e9c8c0e345_b.jpg

Awesome picture. But in terms of the style of architecture, I would love to see a 1,000 foot tall tower that resembles the Penobscot Building as opposed to the IFC.

[hudkina]

Detroit was planning such a tower in the late 20's, but it was scrapped due to the Great Depression. It was planned to be the world's tallest building. (Though the ESB would have passed it almost immediately.)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/69/221662121_858c065533_o.jpg

[TWDPres]

That darned Depression.
How many buildings have been canceled in Detroit because of it?

[liat91]

I posted this on another thread, I thought some people here might (hopefully) enjoy this:

Eventual Detroit?
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3033/2970478108_454c41de44_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/2970478118_e9c8c0e345_b.jpg




What makes observing this awesome potential skyline gut-renching is the fact that, there's no need for a massive load of additional skyscrapers to achieve this

[hudkina]

I guess there were a lot of cancelled projects. The two biggest were the Book Tower (in the picture I posted) and the Fisher Building. The current Fisher Building was originally planned as the right wing of a massive complex with a 60+ story tower in the center.

http://mywebpage.netscape.com/detroitskyline86/17068.jpg

Instead, all we got was this:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1411/1008370162_68f72bb93f_o.jpg
© John & Anna Vovak (http://www.flickr.com/photos/10953579@N02/)

[subterranean]

My great grandfather helped put the copper roof on the Fisher. If he hadn't died long ago, it would have been interesting to get his perspective of the era, and personal experience from that building.

Nevertheless, that building would have been nothing short of amazing. It's still pretty OK today, but just imagine.

Still no word on the Quicken Loans properties?

[hudkina]

The Fisher Building by itself is still one of the greatest architectural examples from the early 20th century. I wonder how expensive it would be to construct the rest of the complex to the same standards as the original wing.

[Michi]

Like a million dollars or something.

[hudkina]

or a bajillion!

[skyfan]

It's about time it's been at least 4 years since they held the ground breaking ceremony for this thing.

Port Authority begins construction on terminal just west of RenCen


Another big chunk of the transformation of the Detroit Riverfront is now underway. The Detroit Wayne County Port Authority has broken ground on its dock and terminal building that will be situated between Hart Plaza and the Renaissance Center.

The two-story 21,000-square-foot facility will hold a tourist processing area, ticket counters, restrooms, the port authority's office and a public plaza with space for educational interpretive exhibits on topics such as alternative energy and homeland security.

The main purpose for the enterprise is the ability for Detroit to host a variety of vessels that currently have no place to dock on the U.S. side of the river, including Great Lakes cruise ships and water taxis. The second phase of the project will include a docking wharf for this purpose.

Currently, old wooden piling is being removed. Structural steel should start going up in January and the building enclosure is expected to be complete in July.

The $15 million project is being funded with federal and state funds via Sen. Carl Levin and the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Until site construction is complete -- an estimate being May 1 -- RiverWalk pedestrians and cyclists are being route along Atwater around the construction site. Directional signage has been installed.

A rendering of the building can be found here.

Source: John Kerr, Detroit Wayne County Port Authority, Steward Klaus, White Construction and Andrew Holewinski, Braun Construction
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

http://www.modeldmedia.com/developmentnews/portauthority16708.aspx

[cabasse]

^that's definitely something i'll have to check out when i come visit. i drove by that thing a hundred times...

[Kingofthehill]

Some Book-Cadillac shots from last Sunday:

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100567.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit/p1100892.jpg
Stairs to the lobby from the Michigan Avenue entrance:
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100889.jpg
Lobby:
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100844.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100843.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100842.jpg
3rd floor elevator lobby:
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100845.jpg
The Italian Garden:
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100858.jpg
Crystal Ballroom:
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100862.jpg
Venetian Ballroom:
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100871.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100880.jpg
Hall between the Crystal and Venetian:
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/urbanex12/Detroit-Book%20Cadillac/p1100885.jpg
WOW!

without flaw.

[LMich]

http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20081115&Category=BIZ&ArtNo=811150414&Ref=AR

The Fort stands ready: Historic hotel to open Dec. 15 (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=102019&page=44)

Louis Aguilar / The Detroit News

Saturday, November 15, 2008

One month from today, the Fort Shelby Doubletree Guest Suites Detroit will open, completing a $90 million renovation of the historic Detroit building empty for so long that trees -- big ones -- grew on the hotel's water-damaged roof.

"On Monday, Dec. 15, this will be a functioning hotel. We will be 100 percent ready to go," said Bill Aprill, the hotel sales director, as he stood next to a tropical green wall and glass door of the future sushi bar. It's the policy of the Hilton Hotel chain, owners of the Doubletree brand, to have the entire hotel functioning when it opens, Aprill said.

That means all 203 rooms will be available, the Finn & Porter steakhouse and sushi bar will be ready, so too will the Round Bar, the BearClaw Coffee shop, and the 38,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting space.

In one month, the 56 high-end rental apartments of the Fort Shelby Tower -- the taller part of this West Lafayette Boulevard building -- also will be complete.

The Fort Shelby could be one of the last major developments in downtown Detroit's for the foreseeable future. With the pending February completion of Greektown Casino hotel, the doubling of the number of downtown hotel rooms in the city comes just as hotel forecasters predict a steep drop in customers.

The Fort Shelby's pricey rental units -- from $1,600 to $2,200 or more a month -- will become available just as the trend to move downtown has slowed.

"Clearly everyone is bracing for a tough economy but there is nothing to do except sell our great product and work that much harder to showcase this amazing building," Aprill said.

And quite a product it is. The original 10-story part of the building opened in 1917 and was called the Hotel Fort Shelby, named after a British fort that once stood near the site. In 1927, a taller 21-story addition was added, designed by the famed architect Albert Kahn. The hotel's last tenant, a bar, left in 1998.

The decor is lighter and there are more colorful touches than the other big historic icon that turned into hotel and residence -- the nearby Westin Book Cadillac Hotel and Residences. The Fort Shelby's rooms are much less pricey, too.

The public weekday rate is $189 a night, compared with the mid-$200 range at the Book Cadillac, and plenty of promotions and discounts should be available, Aprill said.

"We're aimed at the business traveler and we never intend to be the highest-price room in the market," April said.

Nor will it be the most expensive place to eat downtown, he said.

"If you want to pay under $10 for lunch, we're your place," Aprill said.

Those price points may prove to be good selling points in these lean times.

In its annual forecast released last week, the Travel Industry Association said business travel is expected to decline by nearly 4 percent this year and another 3 percent next year, and may not recover until 2010.

PKF Consulting of Atlanta expects hotels in 2009 to fill an average of just 58.3 percent of rooms, or a 4.4 percent drop in the occupancy expected for this year. If the prediction holds true, that would be worst occupancy rate at U.S. hotels since 1998.

The current lowest occupancy rate, according to Smith Travel, was 59 percent in 2002 -- the first full year after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The Fort Shelby already has booked more than 30 events, and is nearly full for the North American International Auto Show in January.

And like most hotels, it's fairly well booked for the NCAA Final Four men's basketball championship to be held at Ford Field April 4-6.

The Fort Shelby Towers apartments will begin to be marketed next week, said Bob Dudick, a representative for the developers handing the apartment rentals. The rental units are larger than most downtown, he said, and the amenities include valet parking, access to the hotel gym and discounts to the restaurants. Dudick said the demand for living downtown hasn't slowed, but rather the ability for many people to buy housing has.

"The housing situation actually benefits the rental market and there are several studies that show the downtown Detroit market is the strongest in the Midwest," Dudick said. "We really look forward to putting these on the market," Dudick said.

You can reach Louis Aguilar at (313) 222-2760 or laguilar@detnews.com.

[TWDPres]

I was reading on wikipedia, and the Cadillac Center sounds dead. does anyone know whats up with this? I havent heard anything about it since they annonced it earlier this year.

[LMich]

Yes, they were unable to meet basic deadlines the city had set for the development of the site, so the city took away their development rights for the land. The developers offered to put up a glorified parking garage, instead, and the city said no deal.

[TWDPres]

Okay, well this might be a stupid question, who enforces these deadlines, and what are they for? If the deal doesnt go through, won't the land just sit vacant indefinitly, which is probably many many years?

This thing was a big deal when it was announced, and it's a shame that it won't be realized.

[LMich]

I believe that the DEGC (Detroit Economic Growth Corporation) is given jurisdiction over this, as they are with most large downtown sites. The deadlines are to make sure that when a developer promises a project, that they are serious about it. Deadlines are supposed to keep them on track. If the deal doesn't go through then the developer simple loses development rights to the site, freeing the site up for other developers to request development rights for the site. In other words, developemt rights keep developers from squatting on a property for too long.

[LMich]

http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20081203&Category=BIZ&ArtNo=812030349&Ref=AR&Profile=1001
Madias Brothers Inc. paper hangers Tom Derdelakos, left, and John Tenn install the new canvas ceiling in the hotel's ballroom. (Brandy Baker / The Detroit News)

Elegant once again: Ballroom at Doubletree hotel gets classy face-lift (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081203/BIZ/812030349/1001/BIZ)

Louis Aguilar / The Detroit News

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Eleven months ago the Crystal Ballroom inside the former Pick Fort Shelby hotel in downtown Detroit had the same decades-long look of neglect as the rest of the iconic building.

Last used as a disco during the 1970s, only a few fragile tiles of the ballroom's 1927 designed ornate ceiling remained.

But thanks to the innovative work by New York artist Kathleen Spicer, the Crystal Ballroom now recalls the elegance architect Albert Kahn intended. It's part of the $90 million renovation of the soon-to-be Doubletree Guest Suites Fort Shelby-Detroit Downtown, which is nearing a Dec. 15 opening. A portion of the West Lafayette building opened in 1917.

Since February, Spicer has spent considerable time devising a way to recreate the ceiling that includes images of Adam and Eve and the snake, a cherubic angel, and an overall florid design. She first traced the remaining tiles onto paper and then researched old photographs and design books of the era to capture the overall look. She then "invented" a process of painting the original imagery and used photography and computer design to pull it all together on a canvas-like replica. The canvas was installed this weekend by Spicer and construction crews.

"When I finally saw the whole design, I was like 'this is fantastic,' " Spicer said.

The Doubletree Fort Shelby -- the latter part of the name refers to British fort that once stood near the site -- will have 203 rooms, a Finn & Porter steakhouse and sushi bar, the Round Bar, a BearClaw Coffee shop, and 38,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting space. The weekday rate is $189 a night and plenty of promotions and discounts should be available.

In addition, 56 high-end rental apartments of the Fort Shelby Tower part of the building are nearing completion.

You can reach Louis Aguilar at (313) 222-2760 or laguilar@detnews.com

[LMich]

This one kind of made me laugh. The story has kind of "there are too many spas downtown" kind of ring to it. Good problems to have, no?

http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20081204&Category=BIZ&ArtNo=812040372&Ref=AR
The Greektown Casino hotel is scheduled to open in February with 400 rooms, but will not have a luxury spa for guests. (David Guralnick / The Detroit News)

No spa for new Greektown Casino (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081204/BIZ/812040372)

Resort-style,400-room lodging will do without center to pamper guests.

Nathan Hurst / The Detroit News

December 4, 2008

DETROIT -- Guests planning a stay at Greektown Casino's soon-to-open resort-style hotel will have luxurious digs and high-rise views of downtown and beyond, but they won't have the chance to be pampered in an on-site spa.

A Greektown spokesman confirmed that the casino, completing construction on its 400-room hotel, won't be building a spa for its opening in February, but didn't rule it out as a possibility in the future.

Rivals MGM Grand Detroit and MotorCity Casino built spas as part of their properties, but have been struggling to eke profits out of the operations, which opened in the past year along with permanent casino floors and resort-style hotels.

Development agreements between the three casino licensees and the city of Detroit require the casinos to build permanent gaming facilities along with 400-room resort-style hotels. Spas weren't required, but MGM Grand and MotorCity included them, following the lead of similar, but usually much larger, properties along the Las Vegas Strip which typically include similar facilities.

The move to add such accoutrements to gambling properties came as Las Vegas developers sought to broaden the city's appeal beyond hard-core gamblers. Many properties in all price ranges offer spa treatments as part of packages and also a la carte to customers seeking some luxury.

MGM Grand Detroit and MotorCity Casino don't publicly release information on the profitability of operations that are part of their resorts, but in broad terms, executives have said the spas are struggling to build profit-generating client bases. The spas charge premium prices for their services -- with 50-minute massages starting around $100 while facial and body treatments can cost more than $300 on the upper end.

Greektown's exclusion of a spa comes as another major downtown hotel -- the Westin Book Cadillac on Washington Boulevard -- gets ready to open its spa. Greektown has built other luxurious offerings for visitors, including a High Limit gaming area, which offers on-site massages for high rollers, and its Eclipz lounge.

Grand openings for those facilities were celebrated Friday.

One leading gaming expert said Greektown's omission of a spa may be a good thing for the financially-beleaguered property, especially with the added competition.

"When I work with investors looking at new projects, they're always bullish on looking at adding things," said Jacob Miklojcik, president of Michigan Consultants, a gaming consulting firm in Lansing. "But in this economy, it's an extra cost that turns into an extra hassle for the casinos, especially if (the spas) aren't making money."

You can reach Nathan Hurst at (313) 222-2293 or nhurst@detnews.com.

[EuphoricOctopus]

Detroit rail line chugs forward

Senate passes key components of plan for project along Woodward

Gary Heinlein and Tanveer Ali / The Detroit News

LANSING -- Key components of a plan to build a light rail line along Woodward Avenue in Detroit were approved without opposition by the state Senate on Thursday, and lawmakers said they plan to complete the multibill package when they resume session next week.

The proposal, pushed by billionaires Dan Gilbert and Roger Penske, would use $103 million in private money to build the street-level rail line looping between Hart Plaza and Grand Boulevard in the New Center area. Its 12 stops would include major businesses, theaters, ballparks, museums and hospitals.

"It has the potential to be a model for creating mass transit in Michigan," said Sen. Jud Gilbert, R-Algonac, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.

Light rail in the heart of Detroit, which eventually could link to hoped-for train systems running north to the suburbs and west past Detroit Metropolitan Airport to Ann Arbor, is endorsed by House and Senate leaders, as well as Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

The Senate passed four of eight bills already adopted by the House, and Gilbert said he expects the Senate to pass the rest of them Wednesday.

The one possible obstacle to passage is a controversy that emerged Thursday regarding an upcoming executive order from Granholm that will make cuts in the current state budget because of a predicted $500 million revenue shortfall. Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, sent Granholm a letter on Thursday threatening to suspend any further Senate voting until the order has been issued.

As proposed, the rail line would be run by a nonprofit corporation whose directors would include public officials and private business executives. The state would provide an annual subsidy for operating costs not covered by the fares collected from passengers.

The Detroit Department of Transportation is in talks to meld its proposed $371-million rail line from downtown to the Oakland County border with the train tracks envisioned in the legislation. There also are hopes for an Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter line in October 2010 with $100 million in federal funds.

Bills approved by the Senate on Thursday would:

• Allow the organization of a nonprofit corporation to build and operate the railway system.

• Permit the railway to obtain land, sell bonds and mortgage its property to provide security for the bonds.

• Let the railway store and use electrical power.

• Authorize the Michigan Department of Transportation to establish a transit development finance zone that would be empowered to collect incremental property tax revenue.

• Require the state transportation department to supplement the railway's fare revenues with up to $8 million annually, beginning with the 2010-11 budget year.

Megan Owens, director of Detroit-based Transportation Riders United, a mass transit advocacy group, said the Senate passage of the bills is encouraging for a region where transit solutions have been stalled for decades.

She said obstacles still remain, and she hopes state funding will be available not only for a Woodward line, but existing and future transit infrastructure.

"We're definitely very excited to see this legislation moving forward," Owens said. "This does move Detroit that much closer to having real rapid transit. Obviously the rapid transit ... on Woodward is absolutely critical, not only to get around Detroit but as an economic tool."

You can reach Gary Heinlein at (517) 371-3660 or gheinlein@detnews.com.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081205/METRO/812050386/1409/METRO

[subterranean]

The private venture is bullshit. It's a slightly bigger people mover with no purpose but for private developments and has nothing to do with the people of Detroit, the people who actually need it. This better not thwart the public venture.

[hudkina]

It looks as though they will probably work together. I think that the money that the city wouldn't have to spend on building the line between New Center and Downtown could go towards extending the line to the Indian Village area. That could really help spur further development along that corridor. If you think about it, it's about 3.5 miles between Jefferson and Grand Blvd. If the city didn't have to pay for that stretch, they could invest that money in a 3.5 mile line between Woodward and Crane St. Such a line could have 8 stops:

Brush St. (Renaissance Center/Bricktown)
Rivard St. (River East/Lafayette Park)
St. Aubin St. (Rivertown/Dequindre Cut)
Jos Campau St. (Rivertown/Elmwood Park)
Mt. Elliott St. (Harbortown/King High School)
E Grand Blvd. (Belle Isle/Islandview)
Van Dyke St. (Gold Coast/West Village)
Crane St. (Joseph Berry/Indian Village)

[subterranean]

If that actually happens, that the lines end up working together, then I can get behind it. But I have a number of issues with the private plan. First off, they've kept the plan private when this SHOULD be public. Second, they want to name the different stations after the G-Ddamn businesses that are contributing money. I think that is bull, and turns Detroit into Disneyland.

A line into Indian Village would be amazing, but I'm not holding my breath.

[MrBlueSky]

The Belle Harbor land where the two towers are pictured used to have a trailer park on it. Man did that ever seem an incongruity on prime waterfront property on the border of a major city next to one of its nicer burbs.


If that was the intended site for Belle Harbour, it's safe to say it's a long dead deal, as the trailer park is now the Shore Pointe subdivision. I couldn't find pictures, but imagine any subdivision anywhere and that's what it looks like. Here is their (sorry excuse for a) website.

http://www.shorepointevillage.com/

[twomutts]

If that was the intended site for Belle Harbour, it's safe to say it's a long dead deal, as the trailer park is now the Shore Pointe subdivision. I couldn't find pictures, but imagine any subdivision anywhere and that's what it looks like. Here is their (sorry excuse for a) website.

http://www.shorepointevillage.com/

Umm... no. Still active. Can't discuss how I know, but unless something very surprising happened, Belle Harbour and Fox Creek are still being planned.

[hudkina]

That Shorepointe Village development is half a mile downstream from where the Belle Harbour development would be.

[LMich]

What's the Belle Harbour development?

[hudkina]

IqlBbexlgXM

If the video doesn't play, you can just click the video link. It seems to not want to work for me on the forum, but it works fine on Youtube.

[MrBlueSky]

I stand corrected. Shorepointe Village was built on and around the site of the demolished Garwood Mansion.

[joshls]

There was an article in the Detroit news a few days back, sorry no link, talking about Quickens move downtown. They seem to be leaning towards renting space currently available as apposed to building a new headquarters. Most likely site is in the Comerica tower which was quoted as being "Very nice" by Quickens CEO. No decisions have been made at this point though. Kind of a bummer(no new building), but it would move more jobs downtown, which is a plus.

[gopher]

I drove by the Service Enevelopy Mfg Co. Inc. Building (1st pic) and see that they are starting to take out the big old broken windows and filling them in with cinder blocks. Wonder what they have planned? any ideas?

i also see that building in the second picture (not sure what it was can anyone chime in?) looked like it has a new tenant, with big lights on inside and advertising on the side...

btw these are old pictures...

http://kd8eyf.org/images/Picture1.png
http://kd8eyf.org/images/Picture2.png

[LMich]

I'd guess that they were simply securing the first building pictured, because, why else would they be bricking up the windows.

The second one is a years-long project that is turning Russell Industrial Center (http://www.ricdetroit.org/) into a creative, mixed-use project. They used to make wagon works, and later auto bodies, there.

Most recently, the Russell Bazaar (http://russellbazaar.com/) was opened within the complex.

[detmsp]

has anyone seen any construction on the port authority terminal/dock? wasn't that supposed have started?

[hudkina]

I haven't even been down to the river since this last summer.

[LMich]

Apparently they started construction on it back in November.

[Cellus]

Granholm To Detail Plans In State Of State Address

POSTED: Tuesday, February 3, 2009
UPDATED: 12:30 pm EST February 3, 2009



DETROIT -- Michigan may be one step closer to becoming the Hollywood of the Midwest.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation approved tax credits to a film company and a special effects studio, which would bring thousands of jobs to the area.

Motown Motion Picture Studios will open a film studio and production facility at the site of a former General Motors Corp. truck plant and office complex in Pontiac.

The studio could create more than 3,500 direct jobs and 1,500 indirect jobs in the area.

Wonderstruck Films company has also been approved to invest $86 million into a studio at the old MGM Grand Casino on Third Street and Michigan Avenue. The project would generate 413 jobs over the next five years. "We're going to build a lot of jobs and spend a lot of money," said Wonderstruck CEO and President Michele Richards, who is also a Michigan native.

Richards said the company specializes in animation and special effects and they are especially interested in hiring former automotive engineers that have Computer Aided Design (CAD) experience.

Richard said she expects the company to see a lot of growth in the animation industry because the Chinese film animation market has seen a 200 percent increase in the past year.

Also, Stardock Systems will be opening a video gaming company that would create 50 jobs in Plymouth.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm plans to announce the deals Tuesday night at her annual State of The State address.

Since the state started new tax incentives to lure in filmmakers, 71 movie projects have been approved, 37 films have been completed and at least 3,000 jobs have been created.


Copyright 2009 by ClickOnDetroit.com.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/community/18629613/detail.html/

[jyax82]

Ahhhhhh, some good news for a change.

[StevenW]

That is good news!!! More Jobs is always good news!!! :yes:

[au5233]

Hey everyone,

I just moved to Detroit a few months ago. I noticed the other day an old building was torn down and land cleared down Woodward in the area between Warren and Mack Avenue (near the McDonalds). Also down Martin Luther King JR, in the area in front of Motor City Casino, another large stretch of land appears to be being cleared and bulldozed. Anyone know of any tentative construction plans for these two sites?

[jodelli]

The Jefferies East project is just south of MLK at the Lodge, and it is due to be demolished, if that's one of the areas you're thinking of.
Between Warren and Mack, I dunno. Is that the block between the Majestic and the Max?

[au5233]

you're right, it probably is the E. Jefferies project bc that's exactly where it is. As for the second location down Woodward, I believe it's right across from the Majestic...maybe a block or less from the Symphony Orchestra and near the McDonalds...

[LMich]

Some news from Model D:



Just 2 of Lafer Building's Broadway Lofts remain available (http://www.modeldmedia.com/developmentnews/broadwaylofts17909.aspx)

February 17, 2009

Luxury lofts in a soft real estate market might sound like a recipe for vacancy pie, but of the 16 residential units at the Lafer Building's Broadway Lofts, just two remain available for rent. "I am surprised a little bit at the demand in this market economy," says developer Michael Mercier. "On the other hand, the apartments kind of sell themselves."

The building houses units that range in price from $1,250 to $2,500 per month. The two two-bedroom units that remain are in the $1,750 to $2,000 range -- one is 1,800 square feet with two bathrooms while the other is 1,500 with one bathroom.

Mercier says that the entire development experience has been really "rewarding" for his team. "We've run into great tenants, the perfect urban mix," he says. "I know real estate developments that have gotten put off, that haven't been as successful, but we have found the market to be very warm for us."

The ground-floor commercial space, complete with a historic 40-foot bar, is still available. "We haven't found an appropriate tenant for that yet," says Mercier.

A film, Red and Blue Marbles, was recently shot on location at the building.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.modeldmedia.com/galleries/Default/Story%20Images/Issue%20179/DN-ForestArms-350.jpg

Forest Arms Apartments to get new lease on life: Developer buys Midtown property (http://www.modeldmedia.com/developmentnews/forestarms17909.aspx)

February 17, 2009

After a tragic fire decimated the Forest Arms Apartments last year, one could be forgiven for assuming that its future held nothing but a wrecking ball. Luckily, Midtown developer Scott Lowell has purchased the building and plans to completely rehab it.

The five-story building, located at Second and Forest, has 74 small residential units, all one-bedrooms and studios. "There's a market for that," says Lowell.

He should know, as he has already tackled the Blackstone Apartments and is wrapping up work on the Beethoven, which should see tenants this spring.

Lowell is partnering with the University Cultural Center Association and Corey Leon on the project. He says an "optimistic" estimate on construction is two years. The building will receive a new roof, an improved facade and solar hot water panels. The two walk-down spaces that previously housed Peoples Records and Amsterdam Espresso will remain commercial.

The Detroit Investment Fund is involved in the project, and historic and brownfield tax credits will be pursued.

[subterranean]

I thought for sure that thing was coming down. Thankfully that didn't turn out to be true. I heard about the fire, and then nothing more. It just sort of flew under my radar...good news.