Meijer Coming to Detroit

[Parkguy]

I understand everyone's nervousness about a big store coming into a neighborhood, but I think this project will enhance the area. It is well-designed and maintains street-front retail, links with transit, provides pedestrian walkways and mini-parks, and is on the edge of a denser, walkable retail area. If the city plans for traffic flow and parking [[which is all-important in this auto-centric city and region), I think that the local businesses can thrive.

This will be a perfect place for the city and state [[Grand River is a state highway) to show that they mean what they say about supporting transit and complete streets.

Look at areas like Greenfield-Grand River. It wasn't Montgomery Ward, Crowley's, or Federal Department Stores that killed that local retail area. It was when the anchor stores LEFT, disinvested, and shifted their investment and marketing dollars AWAY from the area that it fell apart. And look at what happened to those retailers: they died, too. I hope that this is a model that will begin to return us to local locations for big retailers that will serve as anchors for entire shopping districts, just as they do in the malls. Will the local area businesses have to make adjustments in their business model? Yes. Can they be successful doing it? Absolutely.

[iheartthed]

Isn't there a law against new gas stations in Detroit? Don't they have to be re-built only the sites oF previous gas stations?

I'm an armchair preservationist, but I don't really object to the razing of the former Redford HS building. There is little you can do to salvage the structure that makes sense for the location. Perhaps you could designate it as a historic building and appeal to the developer to reuse the structure.

My main problem is from what I've seen of the plans the store will be built in the suburban big box model: far setback from the street, virtually inaccessible by foot. Meijer needs an urban model like the Target stores.

[animatedmartian]

My main problem is from what I've seen of the plans the store will be built in the suburban big box model: far setback from the street, virtually inaccessible by foot. Meijer needs an urban model like the Target stores.

I'm not so sure about an urban model being used in this area. It'd still be the same size and it doesn't make sense to have the land filled with something other than parking or a street line mall. There's sidewalks that cut through the parking lot from Grand River and the two residential streets on the side so it seems they at least attempted to keep it pedestrian friendly. I also think it wouldn't hurt to add more pedestrian walkways on the south side of the property.

[iheartthed]

I'm not so sure about an urban model being used in this area. It'd still be the same size and it doesn't make sense to have the land filled with something other than parking or a street line mall. There's sidewalks that cut through the parking lot from Grand River and the two residential streets on the side so it seems they at least attempted to keep it pedestrian friendly. I also think it wouldn't hurt to add more pedestrian walkways on the south side of the property.

I would have rather they build the store up to to the street and put the parking in back. Why not just build the main store right over the site of the school building?

[Jason]

I would have rather they build the store up to to the street and put the parking in back. Why not just build the main store right over the site of the school building?

Then you'd have the entrance to the building in the back, and you'd have a lot of parking lot lights and activity right against the houses.


I think for this kind of format they did a good job. They have a landscaped hill which separates it from the houses which I think is nice. They have a few smaller buildings and some landscaping on grand river, so you're not looking immediately at a vast parking lot. I'd also add that this is basically as urban [[or un-urban, rather), than the school was. The school was on a mega block, with a lot of parking and open lawn, all fenced in, big set backs, etc. Not that that's completely bad, but this won't make that area less urban.


It would have been great if they had done a proper urban store though, with the combined parking and stuff, but it's something that they're building the store at all. Maybe if it goes well they'll consider it more for another store.

[iheartthed]

Then you'd have the entrance to the building in the back, and you'd have a lot of parking lot lights and activity right against the houses.


I think for this kind of format they did a good job. They have a landscaped hill which separates it from the houses which I think is nice. They have a few smaller buildings and some landscaping on grand river, so you're not looking immediately at a vast parking lot. I'd also add that this is basically as urban [[or un-urban, rather), than the school was. The school was on a mega block, with a lot of parking and open lawn, all fenced in, big set backs, etc. Not that that's completely bad, but this won't make that area less urban.


It would have been great if they had done a proper urban store though, with the combined parking and stuff, but it's something that they're building the store at all. Maybe if it goes well they'll consider it more for another store.

Why can't they have entrances on both sides? I've been into urban big box stores with multiple entrances.

Yes, the school was on an excessively large lot, but it was also built to be easily accessible by pedestrians coming from Grand River or McNichols, as well as those coming from the residential areas abutting the property. It's not really a huge deal considering the location, but I wish they would pay more attention to it.

[animatedmartian]

Why can't they have entrances on both sides? I've been into urban big box stores with multiple entrances.

Yes, the school was on an excessively large lot, but it was also built to be easily accessible by pedestrians coming from Grand River or McNichols, as well as those coming from the residential areas abutting the property. It's not really a huge deal considering the location, but I wish they would pay more attention to it.

Schools and retail are zoned differently into a neighborhood. Schools needs access for kids walking, buses, and parents dropping off their kids. Retail needs access for product shipments and shoppers. Residential roads aren't designed for heavy traffic flow or semi-trucks.

A few examples:

Retail:
http://g.co/maps/tj38w

http://g.co/maps/2x2e7

School:
http://g.co/maps/5fe7m

http://g.co/maps/g3hk3

Something interesting about the Home Depot layout is that there is a sidewalk from 7 Mile, but no direct access from Meyers [[pedestrians would have to walk on the yellow striped zone). There are no pedestrian walkways leading to the street behind HD [[Monte-Vista) and that outlot for the drive-thru restaurant has no proper flow and forces people to drive up and around in order to get in and to leave. ALSO, the traffic flowing from 7 Mile goes directly through a parking aisle. Statistically, this is how and where most car accidents happen in a parking lot. This is a particular example of what a horrible big-box urban layout would look like.

[canuck]

I understand everyone's nervousness about a big store coming into a neighborhood, but I think this project will enhance the area. It is well-designed and maintains street-front retail, links with transit, provides pedestrian walkways and mini-parks, and is on the edge of a denser, walkable retail area. If the city plans for traffic flow and parking [[which is all-important in this auto-centric city and region), I think that the local businesses can thrive.

This will be a perfect place for the city and state [[Grand River is a state highway) to show that they mean what they say about supporting transit and complete streets.

Look at areas like Greenfield-Grand River. It wasn't Montgomery Ward, Crowley's, or Federal Department Stores that killed that local retail area. It was when the anchor stores LEFT, disinvested, and shifted their investment and marketing dollars AWAY from the area that it fell apart. And look at what happened to those retailers: they died, too. I hope that this is a model that will begin to return us to local locations for big retailers that will serve as anchors for entire shopping districts, just as they do in the malls. Will the local area businesses have to make adjustments in their business model? Yes. Can they be successful doing it? Absolutely.

My thoughts exactly. Nothing is ever perfect anyways but, this is encouraging because it includes a multifaceted business plan to encourage smaller business implant. They seem to have made a smaller version of a suburban mall with landscaping that acts not only as a buffer or a moat, but also as a public gathering space. There is an effort there. It is refreshing to see a project where the anchor store is trying to come up with solutions to Detroit's rebuilding of neighborhood retail.