Brewster-Douglass Projects Demolition Proceeds

[esp1986]

Wouldn't it make more sense to start redeveloping some of the neighborhoods away from downtown and midtown? I look at neighborhood's like Detroit's North End and Brightmoor and think that the city has done nothing to redevelop these areas. All the redevelopment is going on downtown and midtown, there is at least another 135 square miles to Detroit than those two parts of town. Take for example zip code 48205 and look at the condition it is in, 48205 is the extreme northeast part of the city that includes Gratiot Avenue.

I live in Chicago and am plenty happy with the development they have here that is away from downtown. In Chicago you have the South Loop, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Albany Park, Bridgeport, West Loop, River North and so on. Of course some of these areas are real close to downtown like the South and West Loops and River North but the rest of them are away from downtown and doing just fine. It's too bad Detroit can't get their act together and rebuild the city properly. Downtown doesn't need anymore attention, the rest of the city is in terrible shape.

Young professionals are filling up the city's core, courtesy of private investments. Demand in those areas is still high, with much usable space to spare. Most of the investment in the city is being done in a walkable area... people need to be able to get around, and they want to do so without a car, ruling out a number of outlying neighborhoods.

However, it is all a spider effect. If vacant space gets used up and corresponding rent's rise significantly, people will begin to look to surrounding areas. This is when development will begin to spider out from the Core. Unfortunately, the city's core is nowhere near the point where this will happen. Development will largely travel along the main roads, Woodward, Jefferson, Michigan Ave, etc. When all the vacant space along those routes begins to get used up, then the growth outside of the downtown core can begin. So, there's a long way to go.

A city doesn't work like a suburb. You can't take an area of land and expect people to come along and want to live there for no reason. People need amenities, which is why those neighborhoods have failed, too many people moved out, and local stores closed because there was no longer enough business to support them. This is why the city it trying to move people in outlying neighborhoods to stronger ones. A neighborhood has to have a draw in a city, because not everyone has a car. Build it and they will come will not work in this case.

It will take a long time for some areas to come back, if they ever do. Some neighborhoods may be completely demolished by the time there is ever demand in the area again, which could mean the birth of new neighborhoods. Detroit's greatest growth happened over the course of about 50 years, from about 1905-1955 [[dates are negotiable). So it won't happen quickly, unfortunately, and there are some people that wonder if it will ever happen... There is positive momentum, though, so we just have to be patient, and allow the economics of the city rebuild itself.

To answer the question of rebuilding other parts of the city... no. While it would be great to focus on some other areas, the prospects of them flourishing as a result is bleak, which is why the city is trying to consolidate neighborhoods. This is all from an economic perspective, however. I would love to see other parts of the city be rebuilt someday, but it is all about demand. People want to live in the core of the city where all of the excitement is. That is where the demand is. It's all about economics 101, supply and demand. There is a lot of supply of space in the city, but demand is far from catching up with it.

[gthomas]

Young professionals are filling up the city's core, courtesy of private investments. Demand in those areas is still high, with much usable space to spare. Most of the investment in the city is being done in a walkable area... people need to be able to get around, and they want to do so without a car, ruling out a number of outlying neighborhoods.

However, it is all a spider effect. If vacant space gets used up and corresponding rent's rise significantly, people will begin to look to surrounding areas. This is when development will begin to spider out from the Core. Unfortunately, the city's core is nowhere near the point where this will happen. Development will largely travel along the main roads, Woodward, Jefferson, Michigan Ave, etc. When all the vacant space along those routes begins to get used up, then the growth outside of the downtown core can begin. So, there's a long way to go.

A city doesn't work like a suburb. You can't take an area of land and expect people to come along and want to live there for no reason. People need amenities, which is why those neighborhoods have failed, too many people moved out, and local stores closed because there was no longer enough business to support them. This is why the city it trying to move people in outlying neighborhoods to stronger ones. A neighborhood has to have a draw in a city, because not everyone has a car. Build it and they will come will not work in this case.

It will take a long time for some areas to come back, if they ever do. Some neighborhoods may be completely demolished by the time there is ever demand in the area again, which could mean the birth of new neighborhoods. Detroit's greatest growth happened over the course of about 50 years, from about 1905-1955 [[dates are negotiable). So it won't happen quickly, unfortunately, and there are some people that wonder if it will ever happen... There is positive momentum, though, so we just have to be patient, and allow the economics of the city rebuild itself.

To answer the question of rebuilding other parts of the city... no. While it would be great to focus on some other areas, the prospects of them flourishing as a result is bleak, which is why the city is trying to consolidate neighborhoods. This is all from an economic perspective, however. I would love to see other parts of the city be rebuilt someday, but it is all about demand. People want to live in the core of the city where all of the excitement is. That is where the demand is. It's all about economics 101, supply and demand. There is a lot of supply of space in the city, but demand is far from catching up with it.

Thank you, well said. I agree, this how it is and works out for Detroit currently. It only make sense at this point to develop this way.

[jtf1972]

Since Bing's big press conference to announce nothing the B-D projects have seemed to become a MAJOR target for graffiti vandals.

On my way home tonight I noticed it seemed the entire top of the southern most building was covered in new graffiti. I then noticed there were at least a dozen people on the roof walking around seeming to have a great time IN BROAD DAYLIGHT. I called 911 & reported it. Hope the cops are actually dispatched.

[KJ5]

I then noticed there were at least a dozen people on the roof walking around seeming to have a great time IN BROAD DAYLIGHT. I called 911 & reported it. Hope the cops are actually dispatched.

For people walking around and seeming to have a great time on the roof of an abandoned building that's gonna get torn down anyway? I doubt it. Probably just tourists in for DEMF taking pics. I mean, I GUESS they could give them tickets or something, if they wanna tax that ruin porn.

[jtf1972]

I later thought the proper thing to do would have been to go in & lock the door behind them. A nice padlock would have been perfect too. Last night was cold...

[Zacha341]

Can we just tear these things down like yesterday, before someone is hurt or killed? Are they doing the implosion demo or brick by brick?

[Lowell]

Brewster Project Demolition Update Pictures May 2014. Detroit's Renaissance Center appears in the background.

[canuck]

Them buildings had "little to no-frills" in the mix didn't they Lowell?


Anyhow, the kids who did the graffitti were pretty athletic judging from your pix.

[Lowell]

I delivered in them back in my Sears delivery driver days Canuck. They were very solid and well-built with fabulous views. While the designs were straight out of the Soviet gulag school of architecture, the were at least brick faced and surrounded by grassy open space. Beyond that...

[canuck]

Yup. I am surrounded by a bunch of city-run low cost housing that run from the small scale renovated rowhouses that date back to the 1870's to the massive commie blocks of the sixties in my new neighborhood. Some of these blocks were indeed very well built, and others fall short in the inspiration department.

I guess lovely flowers manage to grow out of cracks in the pavement like Diana Ross did.

[erikd]

Wouldn't it make more sense to start redeveloping some of the neighborhoods away from downtown and midtown? I look at neighborhood's like Detroit's North End and Brightmoor and think that the city has done nothing to redevelop these areas. All the redevelopment is going on downtown and midtown, there is at least another 135 square miles to Detroit than those two parts of town. Take for example zip code 48205 and look at the condition it is in, 48205 is the extreme northeast part of the city that includes Gratiot Avenue.

I live in Chicago and am plenty happy with the development they have here that is away from downtown. In Chicago you have the South Loop, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Albany Park, Bridgeport, West Loop, River North and so on. Of course some of these areas are real close to downtown like the South and West Loops and River North but the rest of them are away from downtown and doing just fine. It's too bad Detroit can't get their act together and rebuild the city properly. Downtown doesn't need anymore attention, the rest of the city is in terrible shape.

You are presenting a false choice. What redevelopment should be turned away from downtown and midtown so that it can happen in the neighborhoods instead? Should Quicken and GM have their headquarters in Brightmoor instead of downtown? Should we build new hotels at 7 and Gratiot to serve Cobo Hall? Should Wayne State build new student housing at Harper and Van Dyke instead of Cass and Warren?

These aren't either-or situations. The Lions weren't either going to build a new downtown stadium OR build low income housing on the east side. Quicken wasn't going to either move their offices downtown OR rebuild neighborhood retail at Mack and Bewick.

People need to cut the divisive downtown vs neighborhood crap. Downtown and midtown are not taking development and investment away from the rest of the city, they are bringing new investment into the city.

[Hypestyles]

more aggressive blight removal should be done in the outer neighborhoods, and that way a better perspective on redevelopment options can be strategized. The Pulte Group should be re-hired.

[Danny]

What's to become of that area after Brewster Projects are gone? Another yuppified housing project built right next to Douglas Project. It's not available for subsidized welfare and food stamp folks.

[Danny]

more aggressive blight removal should be done in the outer neighborhoods, and that way a better perspective on redevelopment options can be strategized. The Pulte Group should be re-hired.

It's on the way, Hyperstyles. Give about 50 years and almost all the abandon buildings in Detroit will be long gone. Right now young professionals are quickly moving in Downtown and Midtown Detroit. They want to see, mega condos, super studios, Starbucks, Bigby's, ethnic centered restaurants and tech jobs in every corner; not looking at DEAD [[C)KRAK HEADS! and poor black folks with nothing else to do but hustle and flow in the streets.

[gnome]

Met a guy who lived on the porch of the place. Nice enough fellow with a habit.

i can't remember his government name, but I called him Al Fresco.

[gnome]

Oops, wrong thread.

[Goose]

so, the Brewster projects that were developed and used as low income housing, that eventually was ransacked and deteriorated so bad because when people are "given" something below market rate, they rarely take care of it, has to be torn down and people are proposing building new low income housing in the same area? ahhh, the war on poverty.... wonderful how well it works....

[rex]

Why on earth do they want to put low income housing there? There is 140 some square miles of city. Empty blocks where you could easily build low income housing.

[animatedmartian]

The neighborhood that used to be there used to be a low income neighborhood back in the 30s. The government's way of "providing housing" is to just demolish the whole neighborhood altogether and build new housing. If it's high quality housing, then you have to put in income limits in order to prevent gentrification.

All in the name treating the symptoms but not the cause of poverty.

[Bham1982]

Why on earth do they want to put low income housing there? There is 140 some square miles of city. Empty blocks where you could easily build low income housing.

This was a federally funded housing project using federal urban renewal funds. The feds control what happens, and there will have to be replacement units built for the public housing.

Either that or Detroit will receive a bill for construction and demolition of the public housing.

[ABetterDetroit]

You are presenting a false choice. What redevelopment should be turned away from downtown and midtown so that it can happen in the neighborhoods instead? Should Quicken and GM have their headquarters in Brightmoor instead of downtown? Should we build new hotels at 7 and Gratiot to serve Cobo Hall? Should Wayne State build new student housing at Harper and Van Dyke instead of Cass and Warren?

These aren't either-or situations. The Lions weren't either going to build a new downtown stadium OR build low income housing on the east side. Quicken wasn't going to either move their offices downtown OR rebuild neighborhood retail at Mack and Bewick.

People need to cut the divisive downtown vs neighborhood crap. Downtown and midtown are not taking development and investment away from the rest of the city, they are bringing new investment into the city.

Excellent reply. I would like to add that as downtown and midtown start to attract more investment and tip towards explosive growth, the neighborhoods are going to have the best economic opportunity that they have had in more than half a century due to their proximity to the center of the economic engine and revenues raised in the tax base.

[Huggybear]

By the way, why is this the slowest demolition in human history? Does Farrow just not have the equipment to do this job in less than a month per building? I saw the demolition of the identical Jeffries towers, and it was almost four times as fast.

HB

[Zacha341]

It is going slow... like brick by painful brick......

[night-timer]

Has a timeframe been revealed by which time the BD will be completely gone? More than half of it seems to be missing already. Did they stop half way?

Wasn't a young European kid shot in the face at BD a while back, the kid who went unidentified for a long time?

What demolition method is gonna be used?

[animatedmartian]

Time lapse by Detroit drone.