Whole Foods Market "Midtown" Rendering

[iheartthed]

Yeah, the Southgate market is exactly something that could work in Detroit. You could use that existing parking garage for all the store patrons. When you check out, you hand the cashier [[or place in the machine) your garage ticket which lets you out for free.

Designing the store to have surface parking does not seem like a prudent thing to do unless the retailing environment in Detroit is so awful that you don't mind giving up land for cars. Otherwise, all the parking can just be relocated to the roof. The costs of adding approach ramps, elevators, and roof parking are justified when the building becomes multiple tenant instead of single.

The reason why Detroit will continue to receive the cheapest designs is because no one in Detroit cares what this will look like City leaders, residents just want shopping, period. I'm certain if something like this was proposed in my neighborhood, residents would be screaming bloody murder and the alderman would see that these never leave the drawing board.

Regardless, I'm happy to see a Whole Foods opening up in Detroit.

I feel sorry for the Ellington folks. Nothing says urban living like overlooking a swaths of parking in practically every direction.

I agree that it's a waste of space, but this design is actually typical for how Detroit grocery stores are built, postwar. The buildings were usually built against the street with no setback with a surface lot next to it. In the last 20ish years, though, they just got stupid with development patterns trying to chase the trends of the suburbs, and started the strip mall designs with the buildings set way back from the sidewalk behind a sea of parking. This is at least a return to somewhat sanity.

[iheartthed]

I bet Detroit's zoning laws are why they need to dedicate so much real estate to parking:

Few zoning rules have done more to harm urban neighborhoods than parking requirements. The view in the 1950s was that since everyone would drive everywhere all the time in The Future, all buildings need to have lots of space for cars.

It turned out, however, that many of the parking requirements were far too high, forcing buildings to dedicate precious space to parking lots. That makes construction more expensive and creates gaping holes in the urban fabric. It also pushes architects to design buildings around cars rather than people, making them less pedestrian-friendly and forcing residents to drive more and walk less.

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/nei...ing-code/1206/

[Dexlin]

The amount of parking is no preferable, though expected. The problem is orienting the thing toward the parking lot, particularly given that it's featuring it's @ss-end to the street at a corner. Hell, they'd have been better putting it mid-block with parking on both sides. Am I seeing the site plan correctly? Are they really going to put the back of the store up against the corner and have the entrance along the parking lot?

[cramerro]

Kinda makes sense... the front is oriented to Woodward [[also the direction 90% of customers will come from). THey can do a design treatment to make the streetsides look nice even though it's the back of the building. The Farmer Jack in Grosse Pointe is a decent example of a very similar design. It replaced an old FJ store where you parked way behind the building, walked up what amounted to an alley on either side of the building, in the front door that was on Mack Ave frontage.

The best but unaffordable design would be a building that has the main street level entrance right at John R and Mack, with parking on top. If parking is on top, it doesn't matter which way you turn it because people go in the entrance up there.

[casscorridor]

I think a better option would be to place building as close to the Ellington building as possible, with an entrance right up along Mack, with the "sidewalk" cafe actually along the sidewalk. Then the parking lot can go on the corner of Mack and John R.

Or alternatively, keep the current placement of the building, at the corner of Mack and John R, but have the front entrance be oriented toward Mack, rather than the parking lot!

Point is... current design sticks! Plus, there is a parking garage next door that could be integrated into the design.

[jtf1972]

At least the parking is kinda behind the building. It could be worse...

I spoke too soon, forgetting the entrance was facing the lot & the back of the Ellington.

If this is a zoning issue, well, the zoning rules need to change. Detroit is a city. Let's start treating it like one.

[j to the jeremy]

Yeah the zoning is really bad here

[Dexlin]

Zoning is bad all over the country, but that's kind of a sideshow. The city zoning code does not dictate that the main entrance has to be off the parking lot...but that's exactly what it looks like they are doing it. I don't get it.

[Brian1979]

Yeah, the Southgate market is exactly something that could work in Detroit. You could use that existing parking garage for all the store patrons. When you check out, you hand the cashier [[or place in the machine) your garage ticket which lets you out for free.

Designing the store to have surface parking does not seem like a prudent thing to do unless the retailing environment in Detroit is so awful that you don't mind giving up land for cars. Otherwise, all the parking can just be relocated to the roof. The costs of adding approach ramps, elevators, and roof parking are justified when the building becomes multiple tenant instead of single.

The reason why Detroit will continue to receive the cheapest designs is because no one in Detroit cares what this will look like City leaders, residents just want shopping, period. I'm certain if something like this was proposed in my neighborhood, residents would be screaming bloody murder and the alderman would see that these never leave the drawing board.

Regardless, I'm happy to see a Whole Foods opening up in Detroit.

I feel sorry for the Ellington folks. Nothing says urban living like overlooking a swaths of parking in practically every direction.

I forgot to mention the Target store at Roosevelt and Clark. They have their own parking garage for the store and Target is the only store on that property. The Southgate Market though is quite nice and I agree it would work in Detroit. The only problem I have with the South Loop is it seems kind of isolated to the south, you have the river and train tracks across Roosevelt that doesn't have an urban appeal to it at all. The area around Roosevelt and State/Wabash/Michigan is pretty nice though, the red, orange and green lines all have stops at Roosevelt and going up State the urban landscape is quite nice. The Jewell's at Wabash and Roosevelt is almost tucked underneath the elevated tracks carrying the orange and green lines. I'm thinking Midtown Detroit could be something like the South Loop in Chicago.

I'm in Chicago right now in the West Loop, going up Clinton close to Union Station is a nice area filled with stores and a great urban landscape. I just wish Detroit could look like this, it would go a long ways to revitalizing the city.

[313WX]

Zoning is bad all over the country, but that's kind of a sideshow. The city zoning code does not dictate that the main entrance has to be off the parking lot...but that's exactly what it looks like they are doing it. I don't get it.

Agreed.

Zoning's part of the equation, but poor vision and planning by those taking part in the construction of the project has a much bigger impact on what we ultimately end up with.

That said, when was the last time Detroit's zoning laws were updated? If anything, I would think Detroit's zoning laws encourages, if not force, urban-type development similar to what you see in Chicago in majority of the city [[see Detroit of the 1950s). Rather, the problem is city leaders have simply ignored the zoning laws in place in favor of ANY type of development. I could be wrong, however.

[bailey]

Awful

........

I don't know why anyone would be suprised. If Detroit or this region can find a wrong or stupid way to do something it will.

Every. Single. Time.

Just embrace the stupidity.

[Flintoid]

Ok folks lets keep this in perspective. It's not as though the entire Whole Foods project is a wash because it's not as urban as we'd like. It's still a high end grocery locating in a city that really needs it. We spend so much time complaining about this unfortunately less than stellar display of urbanism that we ignore the very urban focused developments going on in the city [[the Broderick, the Auburn, redevelopment of Corktown buildings, all of Dan Gilbert's purchases, making the Ren Cen more pedestrian friendly thanks to BCBSM, the Garden Block on Woodward, the upcoming project at Woodward and Willis, the Brentwood) the list goes on an on. A parking lot is incredibly annoying, but let's not get so hung up on it that we ignore the urban focused developments taking place in the city. I think it's an amazing sign of progress for the city that we even have the luxury of arguing whether the high end grocery store locating in a rapidly revitalizing neighborhood is urban enough. Those are some wonderful first world problems, and we need to keep them in perspective.

[canuck]

Zoning is not that great in most cities as dexlin says. There are a lot of neighborhoods of Montreal, high density districts near downtown with tons of luxury condos and restaurants but no supermarkets. The car is still the king of the road everywhere, it is unfair to plop it all down on Detroit. I'm glad Whole Foods is bringing more choices to Detroiters.

[ismoakrack]

Flintoid, might you have a rendering of the project at Woodward and Willis?

[1953]

This picture of the development is on the Woodward Corridor Initiative's website:

http://woodwardcorridorinitiative.org/downloads/WoodwardWillis.jpg

[gthomas]

Oh wow, that's pretty nice. When will this project start?

[Flintoid]

Oh wow, that's pretty nice. When will this project start?

Earlier this year Midtown Detroit Inc. said they plan to start construction this summer

[French777]

If you have time one day, stop in the community office in the Ellington Lofts, they have multiply renderings in there. They stated that the bank would start demolition in late Feb/March and start construction by April/May. But those dates may have changed a bit..

[gthomas]

Cool! This summer there will be crazy construction going around. Good things to come!

Earlier this year Midtown Detroit Inc. said they plan to start construction this summer

[Zozo]

Sorry to get off topic here, but what actually is that photo a rendering of [[Woodward and Willis)? I'm assuming it's an apartment building.

[Pcm]

It took a minute to realize that the arch in the background of the rendering isn't the St. Louis arch...

I feel bad for the folks that will [[presumably) live in this building, as well as the lofts behind it. If you've ever walked on that block, you know just how pungent that McDonald's is. Don't open the windows in summer!

It's too bad that place is always packed.

[ismoakrack]

Isn't the bank on the corner of Woodward and Alexandrine? This is just south of the McDonald's, where there was construction equipment and mounds of dirt for the longest. Not sure if they're still there.


"If you have time one day, stop in the community office in the Ellington Lofts, they have multiply renderings in there. They stated that the bank would start demolition in late Feb/March and start construction by April/May. But those dates may have changed a bit.."

[corktownyuppie]

http://www.detroitmakeithere.com/art...302239995/1267

Thursday, March 8, 9am – Whole Foods Market Basics – Join us for an in depth overview of the Midtown store design; interior and exterior. Also learn about Whole Foods Market as a company, and what we plan to bring to Detroit when we open in 2013.Thursday, March 15, 5pm – Do you think Whole Foods Market is pricey? Would you like to know the best ways to shop our store [[and other grocery stores too) and get the most for your dollar? Come learn the secrets, sample some good food, and take away some information you can use where ever you shop.
Thursday, March 22, 5pm – Whole Foods Market Basics – Join us for an in depth overview of the Midtown store design; interior and exterior. Also learn about Whole Foods Market as a company, and what we plan to bring to Detroit when we open in 2013.
Thursday, March 29, 9am – Do you think Whole Foods Market is pricey? Would you like to know the best ways to shop our store [[and other grocery stores too) and get the most for your dollar? Come learn the secrets, sample some good food, and take away some information you can use where ever you shop.
April
Big Bang Foods - Come learn how to not only get a big bang for your buck, but a big bang for your bite as well. This 4-week series will be led by Dr. Akua Woolbright, who will be traveling to Detroit each week from Whole Foods Market global headquarters in Austin to teach how we can make the healthiest choices for our families.
Dr. Woolbright has a PhD in nutrition science and is the healthy eating and wellness educator for Whole Foods Market. Come learn which foods promote health, and which promote disease. Learn how to read through the marketing on the labels and really make the best choices for your family.
This series will take place every Wednesday in April, and each week is different; you don't want to miss one. There will be drawings each week for excellent prizes. Folks who attend all 4 weeks will be entered to win a grand prize! All classes will be free of charge, but registration is required since space is limited. Classes will be offered twice per day: noon-1pm and 5-7pm, please specify which time you would like to attend.

[innercitydoc]

Some early Whole Foods site work. Looks like a walkway.

[gthomas]

That's where the Chase Bank "walk-up" ATM will be located.