Development of State Fairgrounds site

**Pam** · April-07-12, 06:17 AM

http://www.freep.com/article/2012040...irgrounds-site

Gov. Rick Snyder will sign bills in Detroit on Monday to allow redevelopment of the Michigan State Fairgrounds, mostly unused since the annual agricultural fair closed in 2009.

This sucks. I was hoping the fair would come back. What are they going to do about this house?

http://detroit1701.org/U.%20S.%20Grant%20Home.html

**GoGrixdale** · April-07-12, 06:40 AM

Originally Posted by Pam

What are they going to do about this house?

They can move it again. The real question is the take away from this.

...

But the city's recent consent agreement with the state calls for the possibility of a new commuter rail stop on the grounds and an unspecified "neighborhood and commercial center on the site."

Anyone know if the agreement [[or draft of) is available to read online?

**mikefmich** · April-07-12, 01:59 PM

No State Fair forever? Man......

**black gold man** · April-07-12, 02:40 PM

They can put in gas on the corner. Then 36 nail salons, 17 cell phone stores
and a nice Chinese carry out in a big strip mall.
Don't forget the dollar store.

**Gistok** · April-07-12, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by Pam

http://www.freep.com/article/2012040...irgrounds-site

This sucks. I was hoping the fair would come back. What are they going to do about this house?

http://detroit1701.org/U.%20S.%20Grant%20Home.html

Pam, my suggestion would be 2 words.... "Greenfield Village".

GUSHI · April-07-12, 03:17 PM

How about redeveloping the east side and leave that area alone for the near furture,

**douglasm** · April-07-12, 04:22 PM

Just out of curiosity, are any buildings on the fairgrounds currently used? I'm thinking of the State Fair Coliseum in perticular.

**gazhekwe** · April-07-12, 04:31 PM

There has been talk of putting a fairgrounds on the riverfront somewhere, east of downtown I believe.

**313WX** · April-07-12, 04:38 PM

Originally Posted by douglasm

Just out of curiosity, are any buildings on the fairgrounds currently used? I'm thinking of the State Fair Coliseum in perticular.

The Joe Dumars Fieldhouse is in one of the buildings.

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · April-07-12, 05:58 PM

Sad about the State Fair, but to be honest, hadn't been since I was a kid. What I think was cool about the fair, or one of the things anyway. is that it brought a bit of the farm to the city. Nice to have city kids see some things kids in more rural areas take for granted. I think in addition to the Belle Isle "Nature Zoo" and the Detroit Zoo, Detroit could use a petting zoo, with ongoing farm & greenhouse operations for kids to see, including lots of animals for kids to interact with.

I won't be too upset about the State Fairgrounds IF something productive is done with the site. And the US Grant house ABSOLUTELY should be moved to Greenfield Village. Exactly the type of place HF had in mind when he built Greenfield Village. Great idea. Honestly, even if the State Fair at the Fairgrounds was preserved, the house should still be moved. More peope would see it there. Personal bias: I think Ulysses S. Grant was a good president, an indispensable general, and a truly great man. Last president for 80+ years to use federal troops to suppress white supremacists in the south, and to enfore civil and political rights for freed slaves.

**douglasm** · April-07-12, 07:28 PM

Looked it up, the Fieldhouse is in the Agriculture Building. Is the Coliseum being used at all anymore?

**gthomas** · April-07-12, 09:40 PM

This is separate from the Meijers project [[which is set to start next month).

Quote:

Bills will pave way for development of State Fairgrounds site

Gov. Rick Snyder will sign bills in Detroit on Monday to allow redevelopment of the Michigan State Fairgrounds, mostly unused since the annual agricultural fair closed in 2009.

The future of the property -- 162 acres near 8 Mile and Woodward -- has been up in the air since the state fair shut down, the victim of state budget cuts. The site generated little income but costs the state nearly $895,000 a year to maintain.

Once Snyder signs the bills, the property could be sold to the city or a private developer or given to a state land bank for redevelopment. A Snyder spokesman said detailed plans for the property haven't been decided. But the city's recent consent agreement with the state -- reached this week to avoid the appointment of an emergency manager to rein in Detroit's budget crisis -- calls for the possibility of a new commuter rail stop on the grounds and an unspecified "neighborhood and commercial center on the site."

...

http://www.freep.com/article/2012040...irgrounds-site

I love the idea of it becoming residential and commercial for the site. Makes better sense..

**dtowncitylover** · April-07-12, 10:19 PM

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...te-Fairgrounds

derpaderp

**jtf1972** · April-07-12, 10:38 PM

I didn't even know US Grant's house was still intact, much less that it was at the Fairgrounds!

I'd still like to see it moved to Fort Wayne instead of Greenfield Village. It would be close it its original location and be another attraction at Fort Wayne. [[I could understand it at G.V. though.)

Sentimentally, I'd like to see the Colosseum moved & restored somewhere. They don't make 'em like that anymore!

Perhaps a new State Fairgrounds could be a bit west of downtown... like by Fort Wayne.

**Gistok** · April-08-12, 01:33 AM

Although I wouldn't be upset if they moved the Grant House to Fort Wayne [[only if there's room within the precincts)... I do agree that Greenfield Village would give the house more visitors. It would be a perfect fit among the other historic 19th century sites [[Lincoln's Logan County Court House, Noah Webster House, etc.). I've been to the State Fair a dozen times during its' heyday, and never once had I been to the Grant House while there... was it even open during the fair?? If so, it certainly wasn't heavily promoted...

**cman710** · April-08-12, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Although I wouldn't be upset if they moved the Grant House to Fort Wayne [[only if there's room within the precincts)... I do agree that Greenfield Village would give the house more visitors. It would be a perfect fit among the other historic 19th century sites [[Lincoln's Logan County Court House, Noah Webster House, etc.). I've been to the State Fair a dozen times during its' heyday, and never once had I been to the Grant House while there... was it even open during the fair?? If so, it certainly wasn't heavily promoted...

Agreed, Gistok.

**Rolfsy** · April-09-12, 11:21 AM

Odd that we lost the State Fair at a time when people have never been more interested about where their food comes from. Moreover, closing it didn't seem like THAT much of cost savings - like closing the aquarium on Belle Isle. More of a symbolic gesture.

Now that things are starting to turn around, it seems we are just 'over' State Fairs. It's like there hasn't been a peep on the interwebs about saving it, even with the recent news. Relocating to the riverfront would be great, but the present location will be central to the region for decades to come - not to mention the great old buildings.

It seemed the Fair really just need a retooling to stay relevent. Hopefully a municipality [[Detroit? creative ownshership with Woodward 5?) takes this site over with the intent of re-starting the Fair. This is one of the last corners of Detroit where new development is needed. Re-stabilization of Livernois for sure, but the Marshall Plan necessary to rebuild east of Woodward would be better spent downtown/near-downtown. There's barely anyone over there to retain, and anyone who's waiting to move back to detroit is going to skip right over the first 5 miles of it.

**Pam** · April-09-12, 01:47 PM

http://criticaldetroit.org/michigan-state-fair/

The entire fairgrounds was designated a State Historic Site in 1957. There are quite a few exhibition architecture style buildings are the grounds and three are listed on the National and State Historic Registers: The Riding Coliseum, The Dairy Cattle Building, and The Agricultural Building

I guess those designations are meaningless if they can't provide any protection from "development".

**jcole** · April-09-12, 01:52 PM

As much as I miss the State Fair, in all reality it belongs closer to the center of the state and not in Detroit. The idea behind it was for the people of the state to come and display what they had and view what others had to offer, and most of Michigan is far north and west of the Detroit area. Citizens to the north and west weren't given much consideration when the fair was placed here.

**Zaddik** · April-09-12, 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by MikeyinBrooklyn

Sad about the State Fair, but to be honest, hadn't been since I was a kid. What I think was cool about the fair, or one of the things anyway. is that it brought a bit of the farm to the city. Nice to have city kids see some things kids in more rural areas take for granted. I think in addition to the Belle Isle "Nature Zoo" and the Detroit Zoo, Detroit could use a petting zoo, with ongoing farm & greenhouse operations for kids to see, including lots of animals for kids to interact with.

I won't be too upset about the State Fairgrounds IF something productive is done with the site. And the US Grant house ABSOLUTELY should be moved to Greenfield Village. Exactly the type of place HF had in mind when he built Greenfield Village. Great idea. Honestly, even if the State Fair at the Fairgrounds was preserved, the house should still be moved. More peope would see it there. Personal bias: I think Ulysses S. Grant was a good president, an indispensable general, and a truly great man. Last president for 80+ years to use federal troops to suppress white supremacists in the south, and to enfore civil and political rights for freed slaves.

But let us not forget that while a general, U.S. Grant ordered the deportation of all Jews from America. Lincoln countermanded the order, but Grant still issued it.

**Scottathew** · April-09-12, 02:10 PM

http://www.npr.org/local/stories/Mic...adio/150282984

I don't get why this is news. It just seems trivial to me the race of the person who owns a store.

But then again, the city of Detroit manages to discriminate based on a protected class when doing contracts that require so many of the contractors to be "minority owned".

**Hypestyles** · April-09-12, 03:04 PM

... If the other various major grocery outlets haven't run this gentleman out of business, I doubt the Meijer will have much impact-- it's not across the street, it's just under 2 miles away..

**313WX** · April-09-12, 03:43 PM

Originally Posted by 48091

http://www.npr.org/local/stories/Mic...adio/150282984

I don't get why this is news. It just seems trivial to me the race of the person who owns a store.

But then again, the city of Detroit manages to discriminate based on a protected class when doing contracts that require so many of the contractors to be "minority owned".

However, the whole point of the artie is that these small business owners may be run out of business by a store purely because of name recognition alone which could mean less investment, fewer shopping options and fewer jobs in the communities they're located. I thinm that is a valid concern in the midst of all this.

**Rolfsy** · April-10-12, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by jcole

As much as I miss the State Fair, in all reality it belongs closer to the center of the state and not in Detroit. The idea behind it was for the people of the state to come and display what they had and view what others had to offer, and most of Michigan is far north and west of the Detroit area. Citizens to the north and west weren't given much consideration when the fair was placed here.

But aren't most Michanders around Detroit? This corner of Michigan eats the most i.e. pays the most farmers - would make sense that the trade show is here as well.

**Pam** · April-10-12, 06:16 PM

Here's a history of the Fair. It was held in various cities before the Detroit grounds were purchased.

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-54463_18670_18793-53223--,00.html