Detroit City Council nixes funding for new police headquarters

[bailey]

The Fire Department is moving there too? I have changed my mind. I'm glad the city is forgoing $2 million in property taxes per year to buy a building for $6 million that wouldn't have sold, across town from the justice campus, with a plan to leave TWO buildings in downtown vacant, a Hans Gehrke and an Albert Kahn. It's pure genius.

Glad you've seen the light. Both buildings will thrive as loft conversions and street level retail. No one would ever suggest tearing down such significant and easily renovated structures.

[kraig]

Is it reasonable to say the renovation plan would have passed if not for the TV issue?

It's going to pass, as is, which highlights the problem. A proposed plan that no one has a problem with gets held up due to issues that are related to another matter. And that's what passes for business as usual.

[Detroitnerd]

Glad you've seen the light. Both buildings will thrive as loft conversions and street level retail. No one would ever suggest tearing down such significant and easily renovated structures.

I was being sarcastic, but I hope you're right. Then again, if the city is in charge of mothballing them and handling offers, I predict they will be ruined in 18 months and rubble in 36 months. Has the city ever handled a successful loft conversion?

[1KielsonDrive]

That former IRS building? The brutalist eyesore that haunted that side of downtown for years? My mother used to work in it, and I still thought it was absolutely the ugliest building in Detroit. Even uglier than the Ren Cen. And you know what? If a building looks ten times as good as that ... um ... it's still fuglier than the Ren Cen. Sorry, man. I can't go for it. It looks like a big old shoebox of a building, and I can't tell how you refit that building, designed for cars to drive in from all over, into a building that is easy for citizens to walk to, with a welcoming entrance and a pedestrian friendly lobby. I just don't see it happening.

What DO I see happening? Take a look at the last few "innovations" in the police department, especially the one on the east side where they closed the precinct at Mack and Gratiot and merged operations with the northern precinct and created a new police northeastern headquarters located up on Nevada. Oh, it's a great facility ... if you DRIVE there. It has parking lots and lots of space to drive and park your car. I'm sure the police must love it. It's probably easier to park there and a nearer drive for them. It's a nice building and it must feel great to know your electrical outlet is going to work.

But what about the people in the precinct who have to make a police report? They may live all the way down by the Heidelberg Project. How do they get to the precinct? The old one, the one that was near a major intersection and a fading shopping district, had a clear entrance near where people lived. Now, in a city where most adults have difficulty getting a working car and a driver, they have to DRIVE up to the new, sparkling quarters of our brave law enforcement officers. Does this have the intended effect of fewer citizens filing police reports? Does it help solve any crimes? Or prevent any? Admittedly, though, it's a nice new facility and police can drive right in and park. But it's far away from where it should be, and, really, that's what GOOD URBAN DESIGN is about: nearness to and integration with the function of a facility. Police stations need to be near jails. Police stations need to be near people. Police stations can't just be plopped down in a place because it's a sweet deal for a casino and because there's a parking structure with thousands of spaces.

Anyway, for a police department that is failing to live up to its federal decrees for about 10 years now, I believe we can wait a little while to find a suitable home for their new headquarters.

Uglier than the Joe? Hard to imagine. And the Joe sits right on our wonderful, international waterfront for all of the world to see. Yes, we should wait until the DPD gets their s+#t together first .The DPD has been an embarrasment. Nerd, I still think you're a Commie.

[Gistok]

You keep bringing up peripheral issues to make your point DN... image how much in propery taxes the city will have to give up if they buy [[$$$) and take off the tax rolls that $34 million parcel that Greektown Casino owns.... That's more than $2 million for MGM site. I can't believe that you make a taxpaying empty building being a bad thing if it gets developed??

And so the city gets out of both 1300 Beaubien and Washington Blvd.... they've done a rather poor job in maintaining either historic property... and also... in the newspaper article that mentions the Fire Department joining the Police Department, the city mentioned that they have developers interested in refurbishing the Police Department building. The Fire Department HQ is located in a nice part of downtown... in the Financial District, since it's not too big, it too could be rehabbed.... and then they could both be put on the tax rolls....

[Detroitnerd]

Nerd, I still think you're a Commie.

Haha. You just touched my CRAZY BUTTON!

[1KielsonDrive]

You keep bringing up peripheral issues to make your point DN... image how much in propery taxes the city will have to give up if they buy [[$$$) and take off the tax rolls that $34 million parcel that Greektown Casino owns.... That's more than $2 million for MGM site. I can't believe that you make a taxpaying empty building being a bad thing if it gets developed??

And so the city gets out of both 1300 Beaubien and Washington Blvd.... they've done a rather poor job in maintaining either historic property... and also... in the newspaper article that mentions the Fire Department joining the Police Department, the city mentioned that they have developers interested in refurbishing the Police Department building. The Fire Department HQ is located in a nice part of downtown... in the Financial District, since it's not too big, it too could be rehabbed.... and then they could both be put on the tax rolls....

Reminds of statements the City made about the Uniroyal site, the Tuller and Statler Hotels, Hudsons and Tiger Stadium and .............

[Gistok]

.... and don't forget the statements they made about the Book-Cadillac and Fort-Shelby.....

[Detroitnerd]

I stand by my estimate of how long those two buildings will last. I'll say 36 months.

[wolverine]

You know, and this is why the harsh criticism Detroit gets from the rest of the country is sometimes justified.

Outdated facilities entirely inadequate for providing effective services. Unbelievable. American cities have already built police and fire stations several times over since the hq in Detroit opened its doors. From a preservation standpoint, it's not helping the Albert Kahn designed building either. That building should have been converted to something else long ago.

[fryar]

Give them each their own channel.

[1KielsonDrive]

You know, and this is why the harsh criticism Detroit gets from the rest of the country is sometimes justified.

Outdated facilities entirely inadequate for providing effective services. Unbelievable. American cities have already built police and fire stations several times over since the hq in Detroit opened its doors. From a preservation standpoint, it's not helping the Albert Kahn designed building either. That building should have been converted to something else long ago.

I don't seem to remember international criticism of Detroit for it's Police and Fire HQ's or it's City Hall, though I would understand it. They are in terrible shape. Detroit is criticized for it's police, firefighter's, administrator's and bureaucrat's behaviors and inabilities. That has more to do with the administration of the city than anything else. But it's certainly not all on the shoulders of the personnel. As Nerd said, we have a court order that hasn't been complied with for many years. Detroit is also in a huge hole financially. As I asked, why reward bureaucrats with a better place to work when we're in the worst depression of our lives? There are more hungry, homeless people out there than ever. The middle class is struggling. Citizens are having great difficulties. I agree we should have civic buildings that speak well of our city. Now is not the time. My condo association made the same argument for a new driveway surface and carports, recently. I fought them tooth and nail. I want both. Not now. Right now we all need to get through this depression. Detroit will do well to get its house in order and gain recognition for being a well run city - then the facilities will fall in place. I believe these former casino facilities, at whatever bargain prices, are only a makeshift solution. Patchwork at best. They are not now and likely will never be first class.

[1KielsonDrive]

Regardles, a bargain is only bargain when you can afford it. Detroit cannot afford this project at this time.

[NorthEndere]

I honestly can't believe folks are against the plan to consolidate public safety into one location, not on some grounds that it won't really save money, but purely for the fact of real estate/preservation. 1300 Beaubien is done; it's been done for years. It's usage as a jailing facility for these modern days is through. The city would have to totally gut that thing and rebuild it to bring it up to modern standards

Real estate and preservation concerns are definitely legitimate; I'm just surprised that seem to be forming the very basis of opposition to the project from some of you, here.

[econ expat]

Same old same old
Few years ago, Cass Tech was 'condemned'
Totally unsound, and problems with mold, etc.
Plans drawn to replace the school, there was not much opposition,
the new building looked to be so much nicer to study and work in....
and not much mentionat the time of solutions to restore the school.
Now its 1300 Beaubian's turn again

[ragnarok1981]

Anyone who goes into the current police headquarters will see why a new one is so desperately needed. There are whole sections of the building that cannot be used because they are in such a bad state of repair and the costs to fix it are astronomical and really dont make much sense anyway because the building is too small for a city the size of Detroit.
The whole fight with the council is basically over them not getting to air their meetings on public tv as much as they used to. Now personally I think there would be far better uses like airing programs that promote aspects of the city and that provide information to residents. Instead the council wants to air their meetings which I doubt very many people watch and in all honesty I think watching them will only make you more depressed about the city because of the idiotic fights going on.
The current city council is just as bad as previous councils have been and probably just as corrupt. It would be nice if the people in this city would elect qualified people into office rather than just electing people by race and or who makes the most noise about themselves and gets the most attention, but this is Detroit where a majority of eligible voters don't vote and those who do bother going to the polls just vote for who they are told to vote for rather than thinking independently.

[detroitbred]

It looks to me like some of the city council members are publicity whores........they only care about getting their 15 minutes of fame....screw the public and the people they were elected to serve....I just wanna be on T.V.

[mam2009]

... Instead the council wants to air their meetings which I doubt very many people watch...It would be nice if the people in this city would elect qualified people into office rather than just electing people by race and or who makes the most noise about themselves and gets the most attention...those who do bother going to the polls just vote for who they are told to vote for rather than thinking independently [[emphasis added).

Your comment supports what I've posted many times before about voters taking the responsibility to formulate their own opinions about the council members by doing more than just relying on the media for their information. The ability to watch the council on channel 10 UNEDITED allows voters to formulate their OWN opinions about members and about issues that affect voters -- good or bad.