[LMich]

I was disappointed to see them make part of the site parking, though, I understand it. So long as they develop it so that parking is behind, it should be fine, since that's what's done on much of Michigan Avenue. Soup Spoon seems to be very busy. I've actually never been, but it seems to be one of those under-the-radar success stories. There should really be more around it.

Yeah, this is Gillespie work in the area. The Goodyear lot is rather oddly shaped, and a finger of goes very deep (back to Jerome, I think). Along with the old Bingham Elementary site across from Sparrow, these few blocks around Sparrow should be something of significant density, and definitely something over your regular two-story streetscape. This area should act as a "Midtown", of sorts, in between downtown and the low-rise East Michigan retail district beyond.

As for Larch and Saginaw, before they built the McDonald's gas station, I actually faintly remember some historic buildings fronting the street. They'd been modified, had been painted over a white that'd turned a kind of sick yellow over the years, and I'm pretty sure they were empty for the last few years of their existence. So, you can definitely build something to the sidewalk in this area. In a perfect world, MDOT would make it a priority to redo these intersections on what the city long-ago designated the "Island" because of how the streets cut off everything. The south sidewalk between Cedar and Larch along Saginaw is TINY and you feel so unsafe walking about it, and there is absolutely no room for any kind of landscaping. This whole area is a horrible entrance to downtown.