Orleans Landing Project

[Calltoaction]

It looks great, love the brick colors.

[archfan]

Thank you for the photos. Not questioning your taste - you like what you like. There is plenty of room for lots of different types developments. I hope we get a wide variety.

[Mackinaw]

We'll see what type of finishing touches and landscaping they do to make this complete. I like the Atwater street side with the minimal setback. Riopelle has an awkwardly huge setback. The gated parking and oddly wide approaches to said parking are off-putting. The look of it is on the right track, but poor execution-- the materials just look too fake.

It should do okay, and catalyze nearby development. It is 100x a better concept than the direction we were going in E. Riverfront 20 years ago, as you say.

[southen]

The facade variety is way too contrived for my liking. It almost looks like something that belongs at Epcot Center. It is a step in the right direction but the the very forced variety coupled with the super cheap looking siding on the interior of the project tells me we are still a ways away from high quality development.

[stasu1213]

Thank you for the photos. Not questioning your taste - you like what you like. There is plenty of room for lots of different types developments. I hope we get a wide variety.

Why is it taking 3 years to complete this project whe condos on Woodward in midtown had been completed in a year or two

[canuck]

The facade variety is way too contrived for my liking. It almost looks like something that belongs at Epcot Center. It is a step in the right direction but the the very forced variety coupled with the super cheap looking siding on the interior of the project tells me we are still a ways away from high quality development.

If it makes you feel better, I might as well tell you I see the same kind of crapolarama built in Montreal all the time. This is what architecture means now. It's all about the quick buck with a minimum of visual pleasure. On my recent trips to Europe, I did see crappy architecture but no aluminum or vinyl siding even deep in suburbia. I can applaud the use of brick veneer on this one but as you say the volumes are redundant and uninspired.

[casscorridor]

I stand by my previous observation that this project looks cheap poorly executed. Looks like something that belongs suburbia, would be fine in an another area, just not the riverfront. I agree with previous poster that what is being proposed in Brush Park is much stronger, with varied and at least somewhat inspired contemporary architecture. This is a failed attempt at trying trying to somehow blend in with the old, which always fails. Also the scale of the project looks a bit strange, maybe the ceilings are too low and buildings spaced too far apart... just seems a bit off.

[3d123]

Contrived it is, but I also like sushi boats with flaming wasabi barrels and carrot palms -- another contentious topic! The variety of bricks are likely a nod towards that -- the essence of the contrived, not the sushi, outside of a real bad experience -- harkening to the adjoining buildings that used to line many of the streets, right down to the river.

The Riopelle side does sit back oddly far -- maybe there's a right of way, considering the rest of the development.

As for something from the suburbs, that must mean Oakland and not Macomb -- right? It'd be great to see something like this pop up to replace all the surface lots around downtown Mt. Clemens, or maybe down where the avenue splits, where the old garage stood...

[Calltoaction]

This project isn't bad at all and is actually designed with the pedestrian in mind, I don't know why they decided to create such a large setback on Riopelle street, hopefully they plan on putting lots of trees there. But Disneyland-esque? It is not.

If you look at even expensive cities like SF they're mostly getting development that doesn't look nearly as good as Orleans Landing, don't get me started on the absolute garbage that get's built in sunbelt cities like Houston and Atlanta. *shudders*

[archfan]

Looking back in the thread, I found this link to some early renderings: http://www.mlive.com/business/detroi...art_river_home

It looks like the setback on Riopelle matches the drawing that shows ground floor restaurants with outdoor seating. It also shows a street car and tracks, so we'll see what really gets built.

[Hypestyles]

do they have studio apartments here, or do they start at one bedroom? Is it all market rate only?

[royce]

I am disappointed with this development. The huge opening along Woodbridge Street is awful. If the buildings along Riopelle were built up to the sidewalk, maybe there would have been enough room for parking such that there could have been a building of apartments built along Woodbridge. It's just an awful view from Jefferson to see the interior back of the southern building behind Woodbridge. Also, the fence for the parking along Woodbridge needs to be at least six feet tall. Man, that current two and a half foot tall fence is just an open invitation for car thieves.

Also, many of the apartments are at ground level, with windows right up to the sidewalk, especially along Woodbridge. I wouldn't want to live on those ground floor units because of that fact. You'd have to make sure your blinds are drawn so people can't see in and it makes for an easy target for thieves to smash and grab personal items that are near those windows.

In addition, the retail that was promised can not include a restaurant or bar on the order of a Buffalo Wild Wings or some other national-chain type restaurant. The way that the buildings with retail are built, there appears to be only room for a Red Hook type coffee house.

Now, had the development included more units like those that face the Dequindre Cut, which are elevated and have a one-car garage, then I'd like this development a whole lot more.

[canuck]

I am disappointed with this development. The huge opening along Woodbridge Street is awful. If the buildings along Riopelle were built up to the sidewalk, maybe there would have been enough room for parking such that there could have been a building of apartments built along Woodbridge. It's just an awful view from Jefferson to see the interior back of the southern building behind Woodbridge. Also, the fence for the parking along Woodbridge needs to be at least six feet tall. Man, that current two and a half foot tall fence is just an open invitation for car thieves.

Also, many of the apartments are at ground level, with windows right up to the sidewalk, especially along Woodbridge. I wouldn't want to live on those ground floor units because of that fact. You'd have to make sure your blinds are drawn so people can't see in and it makes for an easy target for thieves to smash and grab personal items that are near those windows.

In addition, the retail that was promised can not include a restaurant or bar on the order of a Buffalo Wild Wings or some other national-chain type restaurant. The way that the buildings with retail are built, there appears to be only room for a Red Hook type coffee house.

Now, had the development included more units like those that face the Dequindre Cut, which are elevated and have a one-car garage, then I'd like this development a whole lot more.

Yes, only problem though is if you get a one car garage in the city , it'll probably end up being used as a hoarder's palazzo.

[Zacha341]

Yep. For these child-height, extra low window first-floor units if you're accustom to full content-display open view, you'll adapt to live in Detroit: curtains drawn, blinds closed at sun down.

It really pays NOT TO ADVERTISE!

Also, many of the apartments are at ground level, with windows right up to the sidewalk, especially along Woodbridge. I wouldn't want to live on those ground floor units because of that fact. You'd have to make sure your blinds are drawn so people can't see in and it makes for an easy target for thieves to smash and grab personal items that are near those windows.

[DeLemur]

Yep. For these child-height, extra low window first-floor units if you're accustom to full content-display open view, you'll adapt to live in Detroit: curtains drawn, blinds closed at sun down.

It really pays NOT TO ADVERTISE!

In Amsterdam people regularly leave their blinds open at street level. They don't care and aren't afraid. We may not have that sort of luxury in Detroit but people shouldn't be so worried plus the sign of the project says it'll be a gated community. That bothers me tremendously but it could make street level apartment more welcoming to safety focused residents.

Anyone know what kind of foundation, framing and brick these projects use? All the looks aside, I wonder how long these structures will last before needing serious repair. Is framing done 24in off center or 16in? Is brick quality the same as 60 years ago? Where are cost savings enough to worry about longevity?

[Zacha341]

^^^ In Clarkston Michigan and places much closer such as Ferndale some leave first floor blinds open too. I notice the look-thru option when I am in the suburbs etc. But in can be a visual temptation. One I would not want to risk. And no, I thought it was not going to be a gated community. Maybe I read wrong.

Yeah I hear bricks are more porous than in the past. It would be interesting to here what a mason would have to say on the subject.

[Hypestyles]

will there be a playground for children of residents?

[royce]

I'm still disappointed with this development now that I've had a chance to walk around it up close. Not having apartments face Woodbridge is my biggest pet peeve. I just wonder why here in Detroit the idea of putting parking in a center parking garage, like many developments do around the country, is such a foreign concept[[Studio One Apartments' garage comes close). Somebody on here once called this type of structure a "Texas Donut." I've seen many of these in Atlanta. In Toronto, new apartments have underground parking that can go four levels below ground. Now, if you say money is the issue, then it just points out that Detroit is still not ready to be a world-class city. We just have to take what we can get; and be happy we got it, despite its inferiority to other developments around the world.