DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[subterranean]

Hart Plaza is just entirely too underwhelming, cold, and run-down for its location. I think the programming of this park may need to be rethought, too. I would love to see not only the land from Ford Auditorium included in a redesign, but also a cap put on the entrance to the tunnel to Canada. Get the police parking lot out of there or put it underground. Bring the terminus of the QLine down into the park. Connect it better with Cobo. Then take all that surface parking east of the RenCen and make that all into a park. you can see that shit from space, time to go.

[LMich]

Well, that was quick. This morning council unanimously approved the renaming of Chene Park to the "Aretha Louise Franklin Amphitheatre." Mayor Duggan has just announced the propose name change at the funeral on Friday, and they held her tribute concert there on Thursday. From the Freep:

The name change will be completed before the 2019 season begins next summer, and the mayor said that the city would provide money, through bonds and fundraising efforts, to make needed improvements at the 30-year-old park.

[DetroitSky]

Originally Posted by subterranean

Hart Plaza is just entirely too underwhelming, cold, and run-down for its location. I think the programming of this park may need to be rethought, too. I would love to see not only the land from Ford Auditorium included in a redesign, but also a cap put on the entrance to the tunnel to Canada. Get the police parking lot out of there or put it underground. Bring the terminus of the QLine down into the park. Connect it better with Cobo. Then take all that surface parking east of the RenCen and make that all into a park. you can see that shit from space, time to go.

Agreed. It’s due for upgrades. The fountain needs a restoration, the loose and uneven blocks that form most of the surface of the plaza are becoming a hazard, there’s graffiti throughout the plaza, most of the features look old and worn, and it’s underused most of the year.

If the Detroit Zoo builds the aquarium on the Ford Auditorium site, as they said was being considered months ago, that could take up the police parking lot as well and allow entrances and sidewalk cafes along the Riverwalk. There could also be cafes and shops along the east side of the plaza in the aquarium.

[LMich]

Second time the aquarium brought up. While not impossible, Duggan was out very quickly that he doesn't really support the Ford Auditorium site; so no one should be hanging their hats on that site. It was pretty much shot down as soon as the Detroit Zoo announced this is a potential location.

Anyway, this is a neat shot of the alley in between the Shinola and its addition that also shows the work being down on the Metropolitan. The picture is from early August:


Shinola Hotel

This will open before the end of the year.

[subterranean]

^ Cool shot

[Jasoncw]

The reason Hart Plaza is in the state it is in now is because the city ran it into the ground.

There's tons of deferred maintenance, and an accumulation of poorly considered additions (light poles, security cameras, manholes, utility boxes, etc.).

They do a good job of filling the summer with events, but they need to work on activating the various program areas outside of events. Everything that people say Hart Plaza lacks was already incorporated into the design, it just doesn't get used. There are intimate secluded tree lined paths, a grassy knoll overlooking the river, multiple performance spaces, ice skating rink, iconic interactive fountain, permanent commercial spaces, spaces for food trucks...


And while I can't personally say that I'm in Hart Plaza very often, I think most of the complaints about the design of the park don't hold water, and I don't think the people who are making the complaints have been there outside of events. Wandering through it, it's not bad at all, and it's easy to see the inherent potential, and it's also never been anywhere near as dead as people say it is whenever I've been there.

[LMich]

Interesting little development on the far east side.

Flower farms transform vacant lots on Detroit’s east side

A vacant lot in a neighborhood can summon a number of reactions: despair, anger, apathy. But many Detroiters are finding ways in which a vacant lot can lift up a community and inspire—even create a place for sanctuary.

Last week, we visited the Garden Detroit in Jefferson-Chalmers, with both a corner lot with hoop house and a plot of nine vacant lots transformed into a lush garden. The land and the flora is indeed inspiring.

Nancy Weigandt and Tom Milano of the Garden Detroit had been cleaning up vacant land as volunteers for years. Both experienced gardeners, they understood the potential for turning blighted land into a place of beauty, and started working with the Land Bank to acquire vacant lots. They intended on planting vegetables, but neighbors worried they might attract rats, so now flowers create a sanctuary on the lots on Manistique Street.

Garden at the home plot on Newport:


Michelle & Chris Gerard


Michelle & Chris Gerard

...and the garden over at Manistique:


Michelle & Chris Gerard


Michelle & Chris Gerard

They sell cut flowers around town and at events, apparently.

[mousquet]

Originally Posted by LMich

They sell cut flowers around town and at events, apparently.

Ah ouais, it's much like the Dutch do. That's alright; flowers are pretty and can sometimes feed ladies' souls in some old-fashioned way, but you also have to fill in stomachs from time to time.
I always find veggies and fruits are actually pretty convenient in that respect...

Don't overlook advanced organic agriculture. It's not just a peasant/redneck thing.
I hear there is a whole lot of future, and money to make in that business.

It's hugely marketed where I am. Even laughable sometimes, quite frankly.
They would do any scam to have their stuff labelled 'organic' these days.

[Detroit1995]

Any update on the Monroe Block development? Demolition on the two buildings at the site was supposed to take place in June, but hasn't as far as I know. The funds have been secured since March too.

[seabee1526]

Originally Posted by Detroit1995

Any update on the Monroe Block development? Demolition on the two buildings at the site was supposed to take place in June, but hasn't as far as I know. The funds have been secured since March too.

Great question, I hope that we have answers soon. I'm sure there are many delays and hoops to jump through, we'll just have to be patient.

The last update I saw at Hudson's is that they were still in the demo / stabilization phase at the site. I really hope they can work the foundation before the weather gets bad so they will be ready for construction in the spring.

[DetroitSky]

Originally Posted by Detroit1995

Any update on the Monroe Block development? Demolition on the two buildings at the site was supposed to take place in June, but hasn't as far as I know. The funds have been secured since March too.

There has been some work done on the interior of those two buildings, probably in preparation for demolition. No traditional demolition has begun, though. They also recently dismantled the skate park next to the National Theatre. Those are about the only happenings at the Monroe Block site.

Seabee, the garage at the Hudson’s site has been scraped clean and they’ve been removing debris. I’d imagine foundation work and construction of the new garage isn’t far off. They seem to be on schedule.

[DetroitSky]

First three houses in Fitzgerald redevelopment hit the market

Earlier this summer, the group closed on 128 parcels to really get the work started. Ella Fitzgerald Park opened recently, offering new green space in the neighborhood. Now, three of the first for-sale houses are listed. They’re priced on par with Rehabbed & Ready houses—a Land Bank program—between $55,000 and $90,000.

16230 Lilac Street


16557 San Juan Street


16770 Tuller Street

Big Sean movie theater: Two sites in contention, massive screen planned

The rapper and his partners at the cinema chain Emagine Entertainment have narrowed their search to two sites in the city, Emagine CEO Anthony LaVerde told the Free Press.

LaVerde wouldn't name the sites in play, but said he hopes to announce the final choice by year's end.

"We're waiting to see which site makes the most sense economically," he said.

Crain's Detroit reported in June that the Michigan Central Station was among the sites in contention. The train station, purchased by Ford in the spring, is undergoing an extensive, years-long renovation.

The $20 million movie complex will include 10 to 12 auditoriums, including one with a 120-foot-wide, 65-foot-tall screen, LaVerde said. That theater would seat up to 1,000.

They also announced the complex's name: The Sean Anderson Theatre Powered by Emagine.

State grants $205K to East Jefferson Meijer development to remove contaminants

The state environment department has granted $205,000 to revitalize three East Jefferson Avenue properties, including the future site of a Meijer.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality said Friday it awarded a brownfield redevelopment grant to East Jefferson Development LLC to remove contaminated soil on three properties in the 1400 block of the avenue. The developer is building a $60 million multi-story retail and apartment building there.

Frita Batidos restaurant to open in District Detroit near Fox Theatre

The Detroit Frita Batidos comes under the wing of Olympia Development and will be part of a new shopping and dining destination within District Detroit, the Columbia Street promenade, between the Fox Theatre and the forthcoming Little Caesars world headquarters campus expansion. Additional tenants for the 40,000-square-foot, pedestrian-friendly strip will be announced at a later date.

Expect the menu at Detroit’s Frita Batidos to be similar to the Ann Arbor location, 117 W. Washington, with Cuban-inspired pressed sandwiches, churros, salads, burgers, milkshakes and alcoholic drinks. There are also plans for a Frita Batidos Airstream trailer food truck to serve at Woodward and Columbia.

Fred Astaire Dance Studio Michigan to Add 10 Locations in 5 Years, First in West Bloomfield Township

“We are excited about opening our second studio, in what will be the first of a long line of dance studios across the state,” says Evan. “We plan to have 10 more studios within the next five years. We’re already in discussions with potential investors and managers about locations in Detroit.”

Podcast Detroit expands as metro Detroit's appetite for audio medium grows

Earlier this month, the pair opened their latest podcast outpost — inside the new Detroit Shipping Co. in Cass Corridor — bringing the total number of studios to six, across three locations.

I had stated in previous updates that part of Farmer Street outside One Campus Martius was closed off and it seemed like it was for the addition of One Campus Martius. This link verifies that it is. They're planning on installing a tower crane there. The permit was issued August 9th.

Hey, so Dan Gilbert's Bedrock LLC received another building permit from the city yesterday for its addition to One Campus Martius. Work should start this year on the $95 million, 310,000-square-foot addition. I told you in this space a month ago about another building permit that was issued for the project, that one to install a foundation for a tower crane on Farmer Street downtown. The crane is expected to arrive in about a month and be at the site through March as it installs the addition.

[DetroitRises]

https://imgur.com/gallery/QhsVtkK

Pictures I took of the City Club development on 9/8/18. I know it’s not a tall building but I was really surprised by all the lumber going up so soon.

[davidberko]

Originally Posted by DetroitRises

https://imgur.com/gallery/QhsVtkK

Pictures I took of the City Club development on 9/8/18. I know it’s not a tall building but I was really surprised by all the lumber going up so soon.

I just gotta say, it's embarrassing to see any kind of wooden construction going on in a downtown core lol. Oof. Oh well

[The North One]

Color every major US city embarrassed then?

[davidberko]

Originally Posted by The North One

Color every major US city embarrassed then?

I'm just saying. Have you seen much of the country? Lived near a major city with a downtown (other than Detroit)? I live close to Chicago. There ain't no wooden structures going up. That's the kind of construction that has its place in the suburbs or the midtown part of a city, not the core. Just an observation. That being said, I am very glad Detroit is building on long-since vacant land such as this site. High time. Eventually they'll get taller developments but I guess we have to be grateful and learn to settle while Detroit is just beginning to turn things around.

[The North One]

Yes I have, you've got wood construction going on in cores like Seattle, this isn't new or unique, nobody is "settling". This weird stigma on wood construction is dumb, you realize a lot of the 19th-century/very early twentieth buildings downtown are structured with wood right?

Chicago builds parking podiums everywhere, I don't really care what materials they're using.

[DetroitRises]

Originally Posted by The North One

Yes I have, you've got wood construction going on in cores like Seattle, this isn't new or unique, nobody is "settling". This weird stigma on wood construction is dumb, you realize a lot of the 19th-century/very early twentieth buildings downtown are structured with wood right?

Chicago builds parking podiums everywhere, I don't really care what materials they're using.

Personally, I don’t have anything against wood construction, but the developer was calling this a high rise development at its groundbreaking. If housing is in such high demand by the workers downtown why is this just a typical mid-rise being built on a historic site in the city. The older city club Apartments directly behind the new building are highrise apartments, not a 6-7 story building. This building really does seem like it was designed for midtown or new center.

I am very happy to see any development in Detroit but historic sites should be save saved for historic buildings. It’s not like there a shortage of parking lots with no historic value the developer could have chosen for this type of building. Imagine if Dan Gilbert was only building the podium without the highrise portion on the Hudsons site.

[animatedmartian]

I still think it'll be awhile before Detroit sees a rush of any new skyscrapers. There's still a lot of issues that hold the city back politically and economically that make (true) high rise building plausible in only a few exceptional cases.

[The North One]

You're forgetting that there are residential skyscrapers coming online to meet the demand they're just not new construction (The Stott, Book Tower, etc.) We have to wait for these older buildings to come back before you start seeing a highrise boom downtown. There are plenty of parking lots which is exactly why I'd rather see more human-scaled urban-friendly development to fill them and create more of a streetscape rather than concentrating things in a few vanity skyscraper condo towers.

Shoulda, woulda, coulda; the Statler site probably deserved something better but it is what it is.