I'm kind of worried about that anonymous source complaining about how hard it would be, financially, to knock down anything already built. That's really kind of code for the fact that they expect further public dollars to reclear the site, and that ain't gonna happen. I suggest that if any private developer gets the site, that they try and take what's already there and turn lemons into lemonade.
It would actually seem to me that the county just needs to finish the project, but with an abbreviated design. There always seems to be "interest", downtown, but the developers seem to think the city and county are desperate enough that they can just offer any price. It feels unseemly and vulturey. So far, only Ilitch and Gilbert are putting their money where their mouth is going from "interest" to solid plans and actual construction. All the parties in this downtown market still seem disjointed, and I'd like to see more coordination and more fair dealing on all sides, because things are doing good downntown almost in spite of many of the parties involved.
Speaking of the good things happening downtown...
Quote:
Troy tech firm looking for office in downtown Detroit, hosting job fairs this week
By David Muller | MLive.com
July 15, 2013
DETROIT, MI - Stories of data loss in the media, from Facebook breaches all the way to Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contract worker who leaked American spy activities to the press, are, in part, helping to fuel Creative Breakthrough’s growth.
“Believe or not, it’s a boon for our business,” President and CEO Steve Barone said.
Now, the Troy-based network security firm is looking to hire a variety of positions as it continues to expand and also look for a presence in downtown Detroit.
Barone said the company, which currently has 65 employees, plans to hire another 50 people before the end of the year. It is especially interested in software engineers, or at least people who have analytical skills and are interested in software development.
“My commitment to Detroit means we got to find people who maybe aren’t already out there as expert engineers, and instead we have to make them into them,” Barone said. Those candidates could be working at Best Buy, for example, but Creative Breakthroughs can then train them in-house, he said.
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Meanwhile, Barone said the company is slowly outgrowing its base in Troy, and has been looking for a space in downtown Detroit. The Detroit office would be in addition to the Troy headquarters, not in lieu of it.
“We’re looking downtown,” Barone said. “We’re talking to (Quicken Loans founder) Dan Gilbert’s group, we’re talking to a couple others. There’s a lot of cool software and innovative companies down there.”
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