Bedrock's move into East Riverfront building buzz for area

Really good article talking about how Bedrock is building buzz for the East Riverfront District. I really hope this year we see some major projects announced for the area.


Bedrock's move into East Riverfront builds buzz for Detroit neighborhood
https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2...pjpg&auto=webp

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The area between Jefferson Avenue and the river has seen some progress thanks to ongoing efforts of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. Now signs are emerging that the city’s plans will gain additional momentum from another key stakeholder: Bedrock, the real estate arm of mortgage mogul Dan Gilbert.


“When you have one major player who is investing in a specific geography, it’s much more impactful than having smaller individual investors all competing with each other,” said Mark Wallace, CEO of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. “That’s one of the reasons I’m excited about Bedrock being in the neighborhood.”


Last month, Bedrock announced it had bought the shuttered Roberts Riverwalk Hotel on River Place Drive. That follows the purchases last year of Stroh River Place on River Place Drive and the former UAW-GM Center for Human Resources on Walker Street.


Bedrock has said it wants to further position the riverfront “as the ideal sustainable urban neighborhood.” The city’s East Riverfront stretches along Jefferson from Rivard Street east to Grand Avenue. Within those boundaries, Bedrock has said its property consists of more than 900,000 square feet of office space, amenities and residential space, as well as 1,600 parking spots.

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https://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...t/69745469007/

Someone has to do it. It's a shame that one man had singlehandedly revived downtown and will be soon the Riverfront while others in the past just sat on the properties and let the properties deteriorate and the areas underutilized.

I would really like to see some added density to the area. There is so much potential and I think you could have a really strong residential and retail district if they just started building some new construction on those empty lots. I just hope they adhere to the framework plan they came up with and push most of the parking and traffic towards Jefferson to make the area more pedestrian friendly on weekends and during events.

Can't see past the paywall but is there any mention of the GM parking lots as part of the plan? That empty space plus all the empty space between Atwater and Franklin, they could really add a ton of density to that area.

Developing the east riverfront has been talked about for decades from at least the time they first started discussing the Uniroyal site cleanup. There is clearly more demand for downtown living now but is there enough to put much of a dent in all this area? I assume it's still mostly non-child households in all these highrises, lofts, Brush Park, Corktown and New Center. With the growth of office demand at the very least stalled, it's going to take a very long time, just like Gilbert's huge plans for the Cleveland riverfront.

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Originally Posted by mikeg19

Can't see past the paywall but is there any mention of the GM parking lots as part of the plan? That empty space plus all the empty space between Atwater and Franklin, they could really add a ton of density to that area.

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No mention, the article mostly focuses on the area east of those lots. Agree that it could be a huge opportunity.

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Originally Posted by mikeg19

Can't see past the paywall but is there any mention of the GM parking lots as part of the plan? That empty space plus all the empty space between Atwater and Franklin, they could really add a ton of density to that area.

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AT least one of those massive lots is now being used for the Grand Prix, so any hope to change their status as as concrete and chain link desert between downtown and Rivertown is probably dead.

Let Gilbert play his toy Q-Line Trains. At least he's brought Detroit back on the map.

I wonder if he makes a play for the Uniroyal site [[again). That is the last undeveloped large swath of Riverfront land available for something truly transformational to be built. I don't recall who holds those development rights at this point but it is PRIME.

I have a few suggestions for Bedrock. One, Bedrock should consider opening Adair Street to the east of the UAW-GM building to create more foot traffic to the RiverWalk. Currently it is only opened for deliveries to the building. There is a mound of grass between the building and the RiverWalk. The underground/ground floor parking structure is visible. Some kind of low-rise residential where the grass mound is located or apartments [[just one story) above the parking structure would bring residents closer to the RiverWalk. Opening Adair Street would help make the area more walkable for these new residents and their guests.

Secondly, there is a walkway behind the River Place office structure. There are a number of offices that have doors that lead out to this walkway. If Bedrock opened up Guion Street to pedestrian and or pedestrian/vehicle traffic, they might be able to convert those offices to retail shops or restaurants, giving residents in the area more places to walk to and shop.

Thirldly and finally, I think Chene Park/The Aretha Franklin Amphitheater needs to be moved to Hart Plaza where the Ford Auditorium used to be. That would free up that huge parking lot in front of the park/amphitheater for residential/mixed-use development. Convert the current amphitheater area into a real park and have the RiverWalk extend behind it. Well, that's my two cents.

BTW, the reporter of this story throws in Grand Avenue as one of the east riverfront's boundaries. There is a Grand Street in Detroit and of course Grand Boulevard. Maybe he or she meant Grand Boulevard, which comes down to the riverfront on the west side.

I know it is a bit further east than is on topic, but I wish someone could do something with the Whittier riverfront building. I know that with few exceptions Detroit was never into apartment living as much as New York or Chicago where one could have multi-room units that are as big as houses, but properly renovated the Whittier could be such a place.

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Originally Posted by mikeg19

Can't see past the paywall but is there any mention of the GM parking lots as part of the plan? That empty space plus all the empty space between Atwater and Franklin, they could really add a ton of density to that area.

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The city would look to the East Riverfront masterplan. The last update was July 2022 here

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Originally Posted by royce

I have a few suggestions for Bedrock. One, Bedrock should consider opening Adair Street to the east of the UAW-GM building to create more foot traffic to the RiverWalk. Currently it is only opened for deliveries to the building. There is a mound of grass between the building and the RiverWalk. The underground/ground floor parking structure is visible. Some kind of low-rise residential where the grass mound is located or apartments [[just one story) above the parking structure would bring residents closer to the RiverWalk. Opening Adair Street would help make the area more walkable for these new residents and their guests.

Secondly, there is a walkway behind the River Place office structure. There are a number of offices that have doors that lead out to this walkway. If Bedrock opened up Guion Street to pedestrian and or pedestrian/vehicle traffic, they might be able to convert those offices to retail shops or restaurants, giving residents in the area more places to walk to and shop.

Thirldly and finally, I think Chene Park/The Aretha Franklin Amphitheater needs to be moved to Hart Plaza where the Ford Auditorium used to be. That would free up that huge parking lot in front of the park/amphitheater for residential/mixed-use development. Convert the current amphitheater area into a real park and have the RiverWalk extend behind it. Well, that's my two cents.

BTW, the reporter of this story throws in Grand Avenue as one of the east riverfront's boundaries. There is a Grand Street in Detroit and of course Grand Boulevard. Maybe he or she meant Grand Boulevard, which comes down to the riverfront on the west side.

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I'd be fine with the Aretha moving. It's blocking the RiverWalk, and the music at that facility has gotten progressively worse over the past decade...I live just up the street, and while I don't begrudge anyone their acoustic tastes, I don't want to hear the N-word repeatedly screamed alongside a technobeat multiple times a week while my windows are open in the summer...

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Originally Posted by KnnNike

I'd be fine with the Aretha moving. It's blocking the RiverWalk, and the music at that facility has gotten progressively worse over the past decade...I live just up the street, and while I don't begrudge anyone their acoustic tastes, I don't want to hear the N-word repeatedly screamed alongside a technobeat multiple times a week while my windows are open in the summer...

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Agree 100%, plus its totally redundant when you have the amphitheater at Hart Plaza that's used maybe twice per year [[movement & Jazz Fest) and in a much more central location with plenty of parking.