DETROIT | Ren Cen | potential redevelopment

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by seabee1526

Is Detroit reaching market saturation for residential? Seems like new riverfront, united artists building and the broadway block, the exchange etc should be enough?

There's actually a lot more residential coming online though most metrics tend to include the whole city/metro area and not just downtown.

Downtown specifically has "stable" rent prices, but that's skewed from the fact that there's so few rental properties (relative to other neighborhoods in the city) and there's often a big time gap between when big new projects add new units on to the market.

If anything, Downtown Detroit could probably add thousands of new units and still be fine, but I think there's still a financing gap where developers rely on a mix of public and private financing especially for any renovation projects.

And actually, now that I think about it, using public funds for the Ren Cen would probably drain a huge chunk of future funding that could be used for smaller projects around Downtown. So whether or not that's the goal, going that route would not necessarily help as much as whatever renovations would add residential to the Ren Cen, imo.

[Blocky858]

I hope they don't demolish any of it.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by seabee1526

Is Detroit reaching market saturation for residential? Seems like new riverfront, united artists building and the broadway block, the exchange etc should be enough?

What would saturation look like?

AFAIK, Detroit isn't having any trouble filling apartment buildings in and around downtown now. Detroit can probably build 100,000 units and fill them if they are well located.

[NYguy]

https://wrkr.com/renaissance-center-demolition/

Nearly Half of Detroit’s Renaissance Center Could Be Demolished, Changing the City’s Skyline Forever

Meatball
July 30, 2024



• Video Link

[Rizzo]

Something that may help partially save it is how fragmented the base of the complex is. I suppose you could demolish entire sections without affecting others. I could envision a scenario keeping the new front entrance and winter garden area, the modernist central core and central hotel tower and then removing the four office towers and the base commercial levels that never got updated. In their place, rebuild a new base with integrated parking and amenity levels that tie seamlessly into what remains and then new residential towers on top. And who knows how those towers might look. Obviously more efficient floor plates but maybe the shapes are more complimentary of the central tower

[bobdreamz]

Has anybody heard about this?

• Video Link

[Velvet_Highground]

I think this quote should give context to the nature of this round of speculation about the future of the Ren Cen, it’s purely political.

The state paying tax dollars to demolish the Ren Cen to build light rail over it hits all the right buttons politically.

The debate didn’t go well for Trump and the Big Rapids EV plant was a hyper local issue that gained traction nationally. It’s an effort to capitalize on the same effect plain and simple by distorting the facts.

The current narrative is an announcement is being withheld until after the election while city officials and business leaders are talking about not repeating the mistakes of the 80’s is pretty clear. With a friendly federal administration the Ren Cen may be dramatically altered including demolition of towers an unfriendly federal administration could mean total demolition. If the city and state are left to play triage in the wake of deep spending cuts.

House Minority Leader Matt Hall is accusing Michigan Democrats of keeping about $320 million of the state’s budget and using part of that to demolish the building.

“They left it there because they wanna spend it tearing down the Renaissance center and putting light rail over, but I would say a bigger problem that we need to solve is the failing education system in our state,” said Hall.

[Steely Dan]

An update straight from Dan Gilbert himself:

(bolding is mine)

“We’re working on the plans, and I’ve got to tell you, the first couple versions I’ve seen, they’re absolutely stunning. I couldn’t believe it.

“I think GM and us are both -- and the city -- we’re all searching for a goal that we can keep most of it. I don’t know if we keep 100% of it, but I think we can keep most of it.

“I think we can also have some great things along the riverwalk. The riverwalk has been a beautiful thing for Detroit, but we have a lot of land, part of the Renaissance Center, that we can also activate that river, so we’re looking into doing that, as well.”

- Dan Gilbert

Source: https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/...er-in-detroit/

[Zapatan]

This is sad. I rarely ever support demolishing a skyscraper (let alone several) unless it'll be replaced by a much bigger, better looking one (like 270 Park Ave).

It's also an identical twin of the Westin tower in Atlanta, pretty rare in the skyscraper world to have a twin in another city.

[seabee1526]

I'm not in favor of tearing it down, but transforming it into something more modern / edgy and useful would be nice, be bold down at the riverfront. Detroit's version of Chicago's Navy Pier and San Francisco's Pier 39 would really be exciting, they may even be able to bring the Q down to tie it downtown better. I'd like to see a drawing or two on what they are thinking,

[Yackemflaber69]

At this point if they can save most of it I'll take it. Sad regardless

[Zapatan]

Originally Posted by Yackemflaber69

At this point if they can save most of it I'll take it. Sad regardless

I hope so, this complex looks badass.

What are the odds they save it? Why are they tearing it down in the first place?

Do we know which ones they plan on keeping? The tallest would look a bit off standalone. The other towers really help.

(Sorry I didn't read through all the pages and articles).

[deja vu]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

I hope so, this complex looks badass.

What are the odds they save it? Why are they tearing it down in the first place?

Do we know which ones they plan on keeping? The tallest would look a bit off standalone. The other towers really help.

(Sorry I didn't read through all the pages and articles).

Super-short version is this: the RenCen is cursed with high vacancy rates, paired with multiple barriers (physical & perceived) to the energized downtown core. It's long-term tenant, GM, is relocating from the building and shrinking its corporate footprint. Skyscraper fans struggle to imagine a Motor City skyline without the RenCen, despite its design flaws. We don't yet know which tower(s) are under consideration for demolition (not to mention the cavernous podium / base), but money is king and will ultimately dictate the fate of this iconic complex.

Side note: it's still TBD exactly when Detroit will be re-named "Gilberton"

[north 42]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

This is sad. I rarely ever support demolishing a skyscraper (let alone several) unless it'll be replaced by a much bigger, better looking one (like 270 Park Ave).

It's also an identical twin of the Westin tower in Atlanta, pretty rare in the skyscraper world to have a twin in another city.

The central hotel tower will definitely stay, it’s the other surrounding towers that are in question.

[Zapatan]

Originally Posted by deja vu

Super-short version is this: the RenCen is cursed with high vacancy rates, paired with multiple barriers (physical & perceived) to the energized downtown core. It's long-term tenant, GM, is relocating from the building and shrinking its corporate footprint. Skyscraper fans struggle to imagine a Motor City skyline without the RenCen, despite its design flaws. We don't yet know which tower(s) are under consideration for demolition (not to mention the cavernous podium / base), but money is king and will ultimately dictate the fate of this iconic complex.

Side note: it's still TBD exactly when Detroit will be re-named "Gilberton"

Thanks! I really wish a makeover / renovation were on the table rather than demolition. With Detroit's supposed renaissance, hopefully the vacancy rates wouldn't last too long.

The central hotel tower will definitely stay, it’s the other surrounding towers that are in question.

That's good, but sad to potentially lose 500+ foot quadruplets. Those aren't so common.

[deja vu]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

Thanks! I really wish a makeover / renovation were on the table rather than demolition. With Detroit's supposed renaissance, hopefully the vacancy rates wouldn't last too long.

Y'know, I hadn't really considered the irony that Detroit's latest renaissance could be the cause of the "Renaissance Center's" eventual demise, until this comment.

[The North One]

Partial demolition makes no sense in terms of the towers. Everything is interconnected structurally so not sure how that would even be possible. And the two small separate towers are owned by a different entity so they can't touch them.

Again office space here has only been vacant for a short period. It's hardly "cursed". And if it really was that hard to simply lease another company, conversion into rentals would be much more logical. Floorplans aren't that big and they all have great views. They just want tax credits for whatever re-use plans they have.

[Zapatan]

Originally Posted by The North One

Partial demolition makes no sense in terms of the towers. Everything is interconnected structurally so not sure how that would even be possible. And the two small separate towers are owned by a different entity so they can't touch them.

Again office space here has only been vacant for a short period. It's hardly "cursed". And if it really was that hard to simply lease another company, conversion into rentals would be much more logical. Floorplans aren't that big and they all have great views. They just want tax credits for whatever re-use plans they have.

+1, though I'm not an expert by any means.

What are the odds they don't go through with this?

IIRC this has been under consideration for a while. I wonder when we'll know more by.

[Yackemflaber69]

Originally Posted by NYguy

https://wrkr.com/renaissance-center-demolition/

Nearly Half of Detroit’s Renaissance Center Could Be Demolished, Changing the City’s Skyline Forever

Meatball
July 30, 2024



• Video Link

Great little documentary, the soundtrack is so funky I love it