DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[animatedmartian]

Neat little short about the eco-friendly restoration of the El Moore.

• Video Link

[deja vu]

Really well done - both the short and the entire project. It just feels like a lot of thought and good design was put into El Moore. I love those terraces on the back. Nice little shoutout to John Gallagher's Reimagining Detroit book too.

[Docta_Love]

Speaking of preservation work ...

Historic Fort Wayne to get preservation work Sept. 10

By TYLER CLIFFORD
Crain's Detroit Business
August 30, 2017



Hands-On Preservation Experience of the National Trust for Historic Preservation plans to hold a community day to help rehabilitate Historic Fort Wayne on Sept. 10.

In collaboration with the Detroit Recreation Department, the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition, the Michigan Historic Preservation Network, the Preservation Trades Network and the National Park Service's National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, the effort seeks to help preserve and catalyze plans for the site, a news release said.

Volunteers for HOPE Crew Community Day will learn basic preservation carpentry, masonry, painting and window repair skills. The event will also include a block party.

Historic Fort Wayne, in the Delray neighborhood in southwest Detroit, contains the original 1848 limestone barracks building, 1845 star fort, commanding officers house, Spanish-American War guard house and the Tuskegee Airmen Museum, which are open to the public.


Volunteers can register here to help with the preservation efforts ---} https://savingplaces.org/fort-wayne-...n#.WagDtrKGOpo

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...n-work-sept-10

[Docta_Love]

Forgot this one

GM doubling design space at Warren tech center as part of $1 billion investment

By Michael Wayland - Automotive News
Crain's Detroit Business
August 30, 2017



General Motors Co. is doubling the size of its design studios as part of a previously announced $1 billion investment and renovation of its global technical center in Warren.

The automaker on Wednesday said it will break ground in mid-2018 on a 360,000-square-foot studio building, which will surround its historic design dome, auditorium and viewing patio. The new studio will connect to the company's existing 350,000-square-foot design center.

The project is expected to take two to three years and includes the addition of a parking structure underway at the southwest corner of the campus.

Michael Simcoe, GM's vice president of global design, said the new space will help his team be better prepared to develop cutting-edge designs for emerging autonomous vehicles and popular services such as ride sharing and ride hailing.

"Investing in our creative and skilled team and providing them with inspiring, modern spaces, new technologies and more ways to work together will foster innovation that leads to real solutions for customers," he said in a statement.

GM announced the $1 billion investment in the Warren tech center in May 2015, a year after substantial flooding damaged several parts of the campus. The investment included new construction, significant renovations of some facilities and the expansion of some operations. Significant renovations were made to operations that included vehicle engineering, preproduction engineering and an alternative energy center.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...t-of-1-billion

[LMich]

The construction banner for The Ashton Detroit was put up late last month:


The Ashton Detroit facebook

To jog everyone's memory, The Ashton Detroit is 96-unit condo building (including 5 penthouse suites) to rise at 659 Howard in the west end of downtown. It will have an amenities floor which will include a boardwalk patio on on side of the building with a grass patio on the other with an indoor spa and pool and fitnesses room between the two.











Completion is scheduled for 2019.

[Detroit1995]

Good, that side of downtown desperately needs some development.

[deja vu]

The Ashton should be a great addition to the area. FYI, for anyone who may not have seen it yet, there is a dedicated thread for it that animatedmartian started some time ago.

[skyscraperpage17]

Alright Dan Gilbert, work your mojo. Detroit would be perfect for this (and it would be a game changer)...

Amazon Is Planning a Second Headquarters With 50,000 Jobs

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/07/t...a.html?mcubz=0

[animatedmartian]

That would be pretty amazing for Detroit, but I can't see Detroit out competing other cities for a company like Amazon. There's just not a wealth of an IT economy (outside of automotive) that I think would attract to a company HQ like Amazon.

I'd expect them to open up in a place like Austin, or Denver, or even NYC for the sheer size of it. Detroit has some positives, no doubt, and certainly Gilbert is growing an IT industry in the city but it's small fish compared to the ocean of talent Amazon would be used to on the West Coast.

[subterranean]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

That would be pretty amazing for Detroit, but I can't see Detroit out competing other cities for a company like Amazon. There's just not a wealth of an IT economy (outside of automotive) that I think would attract to a company HQ like Amazon.

I'd expect them to open up in a place like Austin, or Denver, or even NYC for the sheer size of it. Detroit has some positives, no doubt, and certainly Gilbert is growing an IT industry in the city but it's small fish compared to the ocean of talent Amazon would be used to on the West Coast.

I think it could be a serious contender. I've seen multiple lists online whittle it down to cities that fit the bill as requested in their RFP, and many of them have listed Detroit as a possibility. Though I wonder if its school system alone would be enough to deter them. But yeah, Austin seems almost predestined.

[The North One]

Well, they already have an office in the city and are investing in a warehouse.

If they want to collaborate on self-driving cars (which is really important for their logistics) the city would be a great pick for that, not to mention unlimited space to grow and a world class airport.

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by The North One

Well, they already have an office in the city and are investing in a warehouse.

If they want to collaborate on self-driving cars (which is really important for their logistics) the city would be a great pick for that, not to mention unlimited space to grow and a world class airport.

Speaking of self-driving cars, Dan Gilbert is going to start testing self-driving shuttle cars around downtown next month.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/bus...oit/105338890/

[skyscraperpage17]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

That would be pretty amazing for Detroit, but I can't see Detroit out competing other cities for a company like Amazon. There's just not a wealth of an IT economy (outside of automotive) that I think would attract to a company HQ like Amazon.

I'd expect them to open up in a place like Austin, or Denver, or even NYC for the sheer size of it. Detroit has some positives, no doubt, and certainly Gilbert is growing an IT industry in the city but it's small fish compared to the ocean of talent Amazon would be used to on the West Coast.

Detroit's only real drawback is the lack of transit. But even then, that may not be a dealbreaker (we have one of, if not the best road system of any major city).

Here's what we have going for us:

1. DTW is a Delta hub (so is Seattle, thus a ton of direct flights between the cities) that is underutilized and also relatively modern compared to airports in other major cities.

2. Home to the University of Michigan, the top public university in the country. Not to mention MSU, Wayne State, etc.

3. Very low COL compared to other cities that are similar in size and offer similar amenities.

You also have to consider the people involved as well. There's no doubt Dan Gilbert is going to do all sorts of acrobats and back flips to make this happen. And then you also have someone like Jeff Bezos who loves to say they were influential in the next big thing (Detroit's comeback?).

[skyscraperpage17]

Originally Posted by subterranean

I think it could be a serious contender. I've seen multiple lists online whittle it down to cities that fit the bill as requested in their RFP, and many of them have listed Detroit as a possibility. Though I wonder if its school system alone would be enough to deter them. But yeah, Austin seems almost predestined.

The suburban school districts are pretty much on par with the suburban school districts in other major cities. Chicago, Philadelphia and Atlanta proper's schools are only marginally less disastrous than DPS.

And beyond secondary education, see my post above about the Universities in/around Metro Detroit.

EDIT: As far as Austin, they have a ridiculously small airport without a ton of direct flights. Their infrastructure is also not built to handle the population growth they're experiencing (traffic is horrible there).

[The North One]

I think Michigan could provide a rapid bus transit deal for Amazon if it really got serious. Especially since Snyder is very pro transit. Amazon does well with buses in Seattle. And the city already has a rail connection with Ann Arbor.

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by skyscraperpage17

Detroit's only real drawback is the lack of transit. But even then, that may not be a dealbreaker (we have one of, if not the best road system of any major city).

Here's what we have going for us:

1. DTW is a Delta hub (so is Seattle, thus a ton of direct flights between the cities) that is underutilized and also relatively modern compared to airports in other major cities.

2. Home to the University of Michigan, the top public university in the country. Not to mention MSU, Wayne State, etc.

3. Very low COL compared to other cities that are similar in size and offer similar amenities.

You also have to consider the people involved as well. There's no doubt Dan Gilbert is going to do all sorts of acrobats and back flips to make this happen. And then you also have someone like Jeff Bezos who loves to say they were influential in the next big thing (Detroit's comeback?).

I don't disagree... but I guess my worry is that Metro Detroit is still heavily rooted in the auto industry and Amazon might be seen more as a disruption rather than a savior. I mean, in the end, Detroit (and Michigan) need to diversify to maintain growth, but would Amazon be too much too quickly? That's partly rhetorical, but just something to consider.

[skyscraperpage17]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

I don't disagree... but I guess my worry is that Metro Detroit is still heavily rooted in the auto industry and Amazon might be seen more as a disruption rather than a savior. I mean, in the end, Detroit (and Michigan) need to diversify to maintain growth, but would Amazon be too much too quickly? That's partly rhetorical, but just something to consider.

Detroit desperately needs that type of disruption.

The auto industry, with its sharp downturns and having matured long ago, has also been the very reason why Detroit remains stuck in neutral. It's hardly creating new jobs or making capital investments that would generate the type of population and economic growth that other cities are experiencing.

If you want Detroit to become like Denver, Minneapolis, Seattle, etc., landing Amazon *NEEDS* to happen. If you're OK with (metro) Detroit remaining the same way it's been since the 70s, then yeah, you probably wouldn't too much care about landing Amazon

[skyscraperpage17]

To put things in perspective, below is the impact Amazon has had on Seattle.

I understand they have nearly 100 skyscrapers (ranging from 20 stories to as high as 90+ stories) either recently built, under construction or in the planning phase.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....517821883_.jpg

[skyscraperpage17]

Dan Gilbert confirms he’s trying to get Amazon to build its second HQ in Detroit

https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/07/da...hq-in-detroit/

[davidberko]

Originally Posted by skyscraperpage17

Dan Gilbert confirms he’s trying to get Amazon to build its second HQ in Detroit

https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/07/da...hq-in-detroit/

This is getting intense now! xD