Small residential project proposed in Midtown as a way to hide parking lot

[Airforceguy]

A vacant parcel in Midtown could become a stone “gatehouse” apartment building with parking on-site to help accommodate the booming restaurant scene in the Detroit neighborhood.

An affiliate of Detroit-based real estate developer Robert Slattery has applied to the city’s Historic District Commission, seeking to build a four-unit multi-family project within a gatehouse at 477 W. Alexandrine St. between Cass and Second avenues.

The proposed project’s design goal is “to provide a modern interpretation of a stone gate house that would obscure the view of” a 19-space parking lot in the rear part of the parcel, according to a description of the development submitted to the city.Slattery said the main objective with the plan is to provide some relief for the parking crunch in the area as it continues to attract more residents and businesses, particularly increasingly popular restaurants, including Mad Nice and the soon-to-open Vecino.

The developer said he’s already obtained bank financing for the planned project of roughly $900,000. He hopes to have the parking component complete by the summer and the building done by next spring.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-e...de-parking-lot

[Jimaz]

I love to see new ideas like this or has this been done already?

In grade school I knew a kid who lived in the carriage house for the Richthofen Castle in Denver. To me it seemed so exotic but to him it was just ho-hum normal. "You have to live somewhere." ¯\_{ツ}_/¯

The Richthofen Castle was the home of the uncle of the infamous Red Baron. They had these gigantic standard poodle guard dogs that would bark like hell as I passed walking to school.

[Gistok]

I love to see new ideas like this or has this been done already?

In grade school I knew a kid who lived in the gatehouse for the Richthofen Castle in Denver. To me it seemed so exotic but to him it was just ho-hum normal. "You have to live somewhere." ¯\_{ツ}_/¯

The Richthofen Castle was the home of the uncle of the infamous Red Baron.

Franklin Court in Philly had something similar [probably all over the city too], there was an outer gate entrance built into residences, and that passage led thru to where Ben Franklin's home used to be, now replaced with hideous tubing for the outline of the house.

But yes, this style of coach entranceway was common in colonial American cities.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

A great proposal. An efficient use of the property and hiding parking is something we all seem to like!

[expatriate]

All parking structures, but especially the ones downtown should be required to have active retail or office spaces on the perimeter walls. The dead zones created on the street by these blank expanses deteriorates the city experience.