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I don't picture of just the Metropolis, but here's what I could find from my own pictures

From last fall - (The Community Foundation building was in the early stages of renovation)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3102/...6cb2be51ca.jpg

View of the 500(?) block of Saginaw earlier this year- the Metropolis is right in the middle
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3042/...2147967eba.jpg

And here's an older pic (1995) from flickr user bethzookie

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1219/...2848d6.jpg?v=0

I won't post the entire article here, but The Flint Journal is reporting that there will be a big announcement next week about the rest of the "Mott Block".

Well, you could at least post part of the article and the link. :)

Wade Trim Building open to public; more news on downtown expected next week

http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/bu...en_to_pub.html

Quote:

Wade Trim Building open to public; more news on downtown expected next week
by Melissa Burden | The Flint Journal
Tuesday October 07, 2008, 5:40 AM

The Wade-Trim building in downtown Flint is open to the public today.

FLINT, Michigan -- What a difference a few years can make. A stroll down two blocks of brick-paved South Saginaw Street earlier this decade would have been met with several closed-up storefronts and empty, deteriorating buildings.

The scene today is much different and more vibrant in the 400 and 500 blocks of S. Saginaw Street today -- the day a new, $5.2-million, three-story building is being unveiled to the public.

The Wade Trim Building, named for the engineering firm anchoring it and occupying 8,500 square feet on the second floor, will be open from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. today for public tours.

The building is at 555 S. Saginaw St. is just across the street from the $20-million Rowe Professional Services Co. Building that's expected to be completed in mid-2009.

"We've got a lot of momentum," said Tim Herman, president of Uptown Reinvestment Corp., the nonprofit agency behind much of downtown Flint's redevelopment. Herman also is chief executive officer of the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce.

And there's more news about downtown to come, said Ridgway White, project manager of Uptown Developments, a real-estate development and management company that, with partners such as the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, has helped pour $35 million into downtown Flint in recent years

An announcement is planned next week on "the rest of the block," White said, speaking about the 500 block of S. Saginaw Street, dubbed the Mott Block.

And talks between Uptown Developments and HealthPlus of Michigan are continuing to try to bring the health insurance company from Flint Township to a new building on the site of a parking lot on South Saginaw Street, south of the University of Michigan-Flint pavilion. That move could bring nearly 400 employees downtown.

"We're not stopping with these projects," White said. "We can provide incentive packages and unique products that you can't get anywhere else in the county" or state.

Meanwhile, the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, which moved into its own new space in the 500 block, may spend an estimated $3 million to $4 million to tear down the Metropolis building, 510 S. Saginaw St., and replace it with a new, three-story building.

The 36,000-square-foot Wade Trim Building includes four lofts (three of which are rented) on the third floor, studio and office space for WNEM (Channel 5) and space for a new Mexican restaurant, Soyla's, that should open by Dec. 1.

The about 1,200-square-foot restaurant will have seating for about 50 people. "My tamales and enchiladas are going to be a hit," said Soyla Roberts, 45, of Mundy Township. She will co-own the restaurant with her husband, Dave Roberts, production manager for The Flint Journal.

For the warmer months, there's hope for outdoor seating in a new grassy area that was developed between the building and Second Street, Dave Roberts said. Rotary Club of Flint gave $60,000 to beautify the plaza, and the Ruth Mott Foundation also provided funding.

White said Uptown Developments, which focuses on mixed use projects with housing, retail and office space, is seeking to add more retailers such as florists or restaurants to its buildings downtown. It's already helped bring more than 20 loft apartments downtown with eight more on tap for the new Rowe Building.

"Our goal is to have five new restaurants in downtown operating within the next two years," White said. Herman said Uptown Developments' multi-use focus follows protocol on what has made other downtowns successful. "If you have a strong, vibrant downtown you can attract businesses from out of state, out of town," White said.

Wade Trim and its 25 employees moved into their new Flint quarters in early August from a location just a few blocks north on S. Saginaw Street, said Jason Kenyon, Wade Trim vice president and office manager for the Flint office. Kenyon said employees are energized about their new "state of the art" work space and excited to be part of downtown's revitalization. And many stay downtown and walk to get a sandwich at lunch time, Kenyon said. "It wasn't often you'd see them walk downtown for lunch," he said. "Instead of hopping into their cars and heading to Miller Road, they're staying" downtown.

So, I was in Flint today and thought I would take some new pictures since a lot has happened in the last few months.

New UM-Flint dorm. Definately changed the feel of walking onto campus and seeing students walking to and from the dorm.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3157/...5eabc0.jpg?v=0

I didn't realize the Kearsley Street re-connection was already underway. They are reconnecting the road through the UM-Flint campus, right in front of the new dorm.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3295/...b55ea1.jpg?v=0

New dorm from the distance.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3074/...098d09.jpg?v=0

Metropolis Building - soon to be torn down and replaced?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3188/...b86087.jpg?v=0

Rowe Building - progress on the northern half!!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3237/...2b1ddd.jpg?v=0

Wade Trim Building and new grassy area

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3238/...5eb771.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3099/...07a920.jpg?v=0

The Berridge is shaping up nicely

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3175/...651891.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/...abd310.jpg?v=0

The Tinlin Building (next to the Berridge) is also being renovated

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3016/...86a8f3.jpg?v=0

The new 3-story parking garage site

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3080/...86f7a8.jpg?v=0

Interior demolition continues on the Durant (my batteries were dying at this point so I this is all you get).

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3124/...a0039e.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3071/...a5f6ef.jpg?v=0

Thanks for the pics, really.

I'm glad UofM is putting up dorms in Flint, but, man, does it look like a suburban apartment complex in the middle of the city.

Those renovations, though, are awesome. And, I'm so glad to see the Durant being renovated. In fact, it's being renovated by a Lansing-based developer who also redid the Arbaugh Department Store, here. If it's anything like the Arbaugh, it's going to be great. I was for sure that it was going to be a goner. Glad I was wrong.

The major announcement has been announced

http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/bu...urant_hea.html

Quote:

New Blackstone's restaurant heading to downtown Flint; latest of string of projects to revitalize area, cater to students
by Melissa Burden | The Flint Journal
Wednesday October 15, 2008, 7:23 AM

FLINT, Michigan -- College students and downtown workers are about to get something they've wanted for a long time: a full-service restaurant and bar that's open nights and weekends.

Uptown Reinvestment Corp. and Blackstone's LLC were to announce during a news conference this morning plans to renovate the former Blackstone's men's clothing store, 531 S. Saginaw St.

Blackstone's Pub & Grill, with about 90 seats, could open in March 2009, and bring 40 to 60 new jobs, said Keith D. Green, a partner in Blackstone's LLC and Fenton Township resident.

Green, 43, and David Lurvey, 35, of Argentine Township, are partnering with the nonprofit Uptown Reinvestment Corp. to redevelop the building that has been vacant for about 10 years.

Green and Lurvey said they want to be part of downtown's revival and said student housing and the increasing number of downtown workers are big incentives to bring a much-needed restaurant and entertainment venue downtown.

"The plan right now is to be open seven days a week," Green said.

Lurvey, who has been working on renovation projects downtown since 2003 and who works for the company that built the new Wade Trim Building, said two to three years ago it would be difficult to speculate this project being a success.

"Now, we feel it's evident there's a need," he said.

The restaurant will feature a "modern, rustic" decor, with cobblestone wood floors, exposed ceiling and glass doors that open outside for sidewalk seating in the warmer months. The facade will be refurbished with a grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Flint.

Blackstone's Pub & Grill will offer live entertainment, which could open up to the sidewalk during activities such as the Crim Festival of Races and Back to the Bricks, Green said.

"This is not going to be a peanuts-on-the-floor college bar," he said.

Blackstone's LLC will lease the building for seven years, but also is partnering on some of the cost.

A renovation price tag is not available, said Ridgway White, project manager for Uptown Developments, a real estate development and management company working with the partners.

The building was donated by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to Uptown Reinvestment Corp.

Today's announcement follows last week's official opening of the Wade Trim Building, a $5.2 million project that includes the engineering firm as the anchor tenant, four loft apartments and a new Mexican restaurant Soyla's, set to open by Dec. 1.

Uptown Developments hopes to help open five new restaurants in the downtown over the next two years.

Green said Blackstone's would welcome more dining options for the city center.

And Nadine Cook, co-owner of Churchill's, a restaurant and bar open for more than a decade along South Saginaw Street, would welcome new restaurants that offer something different from hers.

The restaurant, which is open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday, is adding karaoke on Wednesday nights and extended its kitchen hours on some evenings to accommodate the about 300 students who live in the University of Michigan-Flint's new First Street Residence Hall.

"We are so excited about new businesses coming downtown and turning this into a college town," Cook said. "But it's kind of like until we get more people ... you're worried if you're going to survive."

Great to see so much going on in Flint, especially considering the state of the economy and credit markets.

I wish we had as much development news coming out of St. Louis as you guys have had these days. It's nice to hear that firms are moving to downtown Flint.

Looks like the city is putting all the ridiculous gimmicks depicted in "Roger & Me" behind it and is pulling itself up by its bootstraps.

And now, Flint is caught in a good cycle because of the student housing downtown. The students want more restaurants and stores with longer hours, and the business community is more than happy to oblige (evidenced after only 2 months of having the dorm open). That, of course, will make it more attractive to live in the dorms, and I think UM-Flint will find itself building another one in the near future.

Maybe the CRIM will get something figured out with the hotel soon. Haven't heard any news on that front in a while.

A rendering of the Blackstone project (taken from mlive.com/courtesy of Blackstone's LLC)

http://blog.mlive.com/businessnow_im..._rendering.jpg

Nice! Are there currently any higher-end, sit-down restaurants in downtown Flint at the moment? Downtown seems to be one quite the roll, now. The new engine plant should really help things, locally, too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LMich (Post 3858475)

Nice! Are there currently any higher-end, sit-down restaurants in downtown Flint at the moment?

Does the MEGA Coney Island count?

I forgot to mention this, but it appeared that all renovation work has stopped on the Classic Taylor Building, and it was up for sale. The Biggby Coffee signs were down, too, I think. This pic was from May.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3098/...b042ef67_b.jpg

Flint is so well situated to be such a great canvas as an economic generator for the State of Michigan. It has a lot of staying power despite so much leaving. If we could just focus a lot on recreating the urbanity that use to be at its core, I think you will start to see a snowball effect of people wanting to be there. It will never be what it was (kind of like all MI cities) but I think its authenticity, despite its image can really be a selling mechanism for people who call the metro area home. Flint isn't a bad place by any stretch of the imagination, at least given the low standards that its reputation insists...these are two different things...reputation and the undercover reality. Uncover that undercover reality, and suddenly Flint's perceptions starts to change.

You can see that happening, even if just the slightest in many of the photo documents of Flint. It doesn't take much when the change occurs, but what does take a lot of committment and heroism is getting to the point of activating the change. It takes courage, time, patience, money, and especially faith that new urban policies can work even in economically distressed systems like Flint.

Saginaw on the other hand? That city has similar potential, but should be more reliant on a prayer.

I don't think I've ever seen 'tryna' typed out, before. :cool:

^ DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE TALKING TO !?!?! lol

In all honesty, there is some comparable redevelopment going on in Saginaw, but it's not downtown, rather right on the edge of downtown or else spread throughout the neighborhoods. There's a new 4 story office buildings about the size of Rowe under construction at Court and Michigan Av as well as a couple new retail structures to go up on the edge of downtown. There's a few store/loft renovations along Hamilton and there's also a major housing development slated to go up along the river. All good news, but even if I made a Saginaw development thread, I'm not sure how many people would read it considering my attempt at an Ann Arbor thread has gained few responses except for a conversation between a few people. It's also difficult for me to get update photos since I no longer live in the 'nasty.

BTW, history discovered
http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/in...struction.html

More pictures (cough, cough). :)

hey hows the population growth of Flint?

the downtown looks like it's doing really well from these renovation projects.

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