Detroit State Savings Bank Owner Wants to Demolish Historic Structure, Build Parking

**Bham1982** · August-23-12, 05:28 PM

Come to think of it, 211 West Fort has like three parking facilities. They have a tenant garage, directly below the building, an on-site surface lot for overflow, and a huge garage across the street.

**iheartthed** · August-23-12, 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

Come to think of it, 211 West Fort has like three parking facilities. They have a tenant garage, directly below the building, an on-site surface lot for overflow, and a huge garage across the street.

...so if parking was truly what made real estate in downtown Detroit worthwhile then these buildings that you named should be booming, no?

I don't get Detroit's fascination with parking garages, especially in downtown Detroit. That's gotta be the absolute worse use of space in a region's core.

**Bham1982** · August-23-12, 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

...so if parking was truly what made real estate in downtown Detroit worthwhile then these buildings that you named should be booming, no?

I don't think anything is booming in terms of office space anywhere in MI. My point is that owners think that parking is an essential tenant amenity. It's probably fair to assume that owners have a decent idea of tenant preferences.

**iheartthed** · August-23-12, 05:46 PM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

I don't think anything is booming in terms of office space anywhere in MI. My point is that owners think that parking is an essential tenant amenity. It's probably fair to assume that owners have a decent idea of tenant preferences.

Well the owner should've bought an office park in the suburbs.

**stinkytofu** · August-23-12, 05:52 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Well the owner should've bought an office park in the suburbs.

The owner is a moron if he bought the Penobscot thinking/knowing he desperately needed additional parking, but having no good plan in place to acquire that parking.

**Danny** · August-24-12, 02:38 PM

Those private developers can't do that! We must protest. In Detroit historical stuctures up to 100 years old must be perserved and cannot be demolished. Me must protest. Tie ourselves to that State savings Bank Building until our cries are being heard.

Let's save that building.

**313WX** · August-23-12, 06:29 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

...so if parking was truly what made real estate in downtown Detroit worthwhile then these buildings that you named should be booming, no?

I don't get Detroit's fascination with parking garages, especially in downtown Detroit. That's gotta be the absolute worse use of space in a region's core.

A parking garage IS better than a surface lot.

If done right, it can at least protect the street wall [[Greektown garage, Book Cadillac garage, Compuware garage, garage with CVS, etc).

But what other choice do we have? If TPTB in Detroit refuse to build meaningful mass transit and downtown continues to "boom" as people expect it to, we're going to have to make more room for parking.

**stinkytofu** · August-23-12, 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

Come to think of it, 211 West Fort has like three parking facilities. They have a tenant garage, directly below the building, an on-site surface lot for overflow, and a huge garage across the street.

No, there is not. There is no tenant garage below and no on-site surface lot for overflow. That tiny lot is for staff and deliveries. There is a big garage across Washington [[Fort Washington Garage) that most employees use - but that is not an official garage for the building.

**Bham1982** · August-24-12, 08:42 AM

Originally Posted by stinkytofu

No, there is not. There is no tenant garage below and no on-site surface lot for overflow. That tiny lot is for staff and deliveries. There is a big garage across Washington [[Fort Washington Garage) that most employees use - but that is not an official garage for the building.

There is most definitely a 211 W. Fort Garage, directly underneath the building. And there's definitely an adjacent surface parking lot, part of the building site.

I don't find it particularly "tiny" and I have no idea who parks there, but the fact is that there are two on-site parking facilities, and you were claiming that there is no on-site parking.

And, of course, there's the large garage across the street. I never claimed that a building had to have an underground garage. Underground parking is quite rare, because land costs downtown are cheap, so buildings usually have an adjacent surface garage, no different from the Fort Washington garage.

**stinkytofu** · August-24-12, 08:52 AM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

There is most definitely a 211 W. Fort Garage, directly underneath the building. And there's definitely an adjacent surface parking lot, part of the building site.

I don't find it particularly "tiny" and I have no idea who parks there, but the fact is that there are two on-site parking facilities, and you were claiming that there is no on-site parking.

And, of course, there's the large garage across the street. I never claimed that a building had to have an underground garage. Underground parking is quite rare, because land costs downtown are cheap, so buildings usually have an adjacent surface garage, no different from the Fort Washington garage.

You are 100% dead wrong. There is no garage underneath 211 W. Fort. There are probably spots for literally three or four cars in the delivery area - that's it.

The Ft. Washington Garage is what most folks use.