Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne is headed downtown?

[milt721]

Also from the Detroit News article:

"Marchionne will maintain his current office at Chrysler's Auburn Hills headquarters, too."

And:
"Civic pride is important in Italy, and several Italian executives now working in Auburn Hills say they were surprised how many southeastern Michigan residents are embarrassed by the region's most important city."

[Detroitnerd]

Also from the Detroit News article:

"Marchionne will maintain his current office at Chrysler's Auburn Hills headquarters, too."

And:
"Civic pride is important in Italy, and several Italian executives now working in Auburn Hills say they were surprised how many southeastern Michigan residents are embarrassed by the region's most important city."

Hahaha. I must say, the idea that "southeastern Michigan residents are embarrassed by" Detroit is hilarious to me. It's a very polite way to put it. Hahahaha.

AT THE CONVENTION...

CHICAGOAN: Hi, I'm from Chicago. Where are you from?

DETROITER: I'm from SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN.

CHICAGOAN: Oh, you mean Detroit, right?

DETROITER: No, that's the city. I'm from SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN.

CHICAGOAN: But the big city there is Detroit, right? So you're from around Detroit?

DETROITER: No, I don't live in Detroit. I live in SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN.

CHICAGOAN: Well, technically, I don't live in Chicago either. I'm from just outside, in Evanston. But we spend so much time in the city, you know, just hop on the train, it's just easier to say we're from Chicago. Our kids live in the city proper.

DETROITER: Yeah, we live, like, miles and miles from the downtown of that city in SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN.

CHICAGOAN: How many miles?

DETROITER: Like, 10 miles. We're from a place in SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN called Royal Oak.

CHICAGOAN: Well! You're closer to the city than I am! How nice it must be to live so close to downtown!

DETROITER: Yeah, we don't really go to that city in SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN. There's already so much to do in SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN, we don't really have to do anything, um, urban.

CHICAGOAN: Well, maybe you don't go into the city, but that's OK. The city is a younger person's place. Do your kids live in Detroit?

DETROITER: Um, no. They left SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN. Our daughter lives in Los Angeles and our son lives in Chicago.

CHICAGOAN: Really? Why wouldn't they live in Detroit if they like cities?

DETROITER: Because DETROIT IS A SHITHOLE, OK? THERE! I SAID IT!

CHICAGOAN: Oh, my! [quietly backs off, mingles elsewhere]

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

While I think it's good news that Chrysler is bringing some staff downtown, the report of Marchionne's office moving downtown is a little bit overblown, even if true. Reminds me of Governor George Pataki's determination to locate the NY governor's NYC office in The Freedom Tower [[now known as One World Trade Center). In reality, big wigs have multiple offices, and in the modern world, their office is where they are. Like I said, glad he'll have an office downtown, but I bet that it is used for the odd photo-op, not for spending 40 hours a week crunching the numbers and making the big decisions. Still glad he'll be spending a little time downtown. Maybe I'll see him on the People Mover. Like that creepy guy at the GCP station reading the paper...

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

Detroitnerd, your post brings my past back to me. When I moved to NY in the late 90's, I initially would say to people that I was from Michigan, or SE Michigan, or suburban Detroit. Then, I realized I actually loved Detroit, and didn't care if someone thought worse of me because of it. So I switched to always answering "Detroit". People's reactions were varied. Some people think I miraculously survived, dodging bullets when not busy building cars. Others then assumed I'm really hip, that I must be an urban artist, with tastes in hip hop and electronica. Finding out that I'm from Detroit caused a lot of people in New York to reveal unintentionally that they were not quite as open minded and informed as they would have themselves believe.

[detroitmale]

WONDERFUL NEWS FOR DOWNTOWN DETROIT!

[Detroitnerd]

WONDERFUL NEWS FOR DOWNTOWN DETROIT!

Well, that too. It's good news for the region, frankly. The sooner we have a vibrant city center, the sooner the whole region can share in the boost it gives us. It's happening, bit by bit. This is another welcome piece of the puzzle.

[iheartthed]

Hahaha. I must say, the idea that "southeastern Michigan residents are embarrassed by" Detroit is hilarious to me. It's a very polite way to put it. Hahahaha.

AT THE CONVENTION...

CHICAGOAN: Hi, I'm from Chicago. Where are you from?

DETROITER: I'm from SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN.

CHICAGOAN: Oh, you mean Detroit, right?

DETROITER: No, that's the city. I'm from SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN.

CHICAGOAN: But the big city there is Detroit, right? So you're from around Detroit?

DETROITER: No, I don't live in Detroit. I live in SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN.

CHICAGOAN: Well, technically, I don't live in Chicago either. I'm from just outside, in Evanston. But we spend so much time in the city, you know, just hop on the train, it's just easier to say we're from Chicago. Our kids live in the city proper.

DETROITER: Yeah, we live, like, miles and miles from the downtown of that city in SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN.

CHICAGOAN: How many miles?

DETROITER: Like, 10 miles. We're from a place in SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN called Royal Oak.

CHICAGOAN: Well! You're closer to the city than I am! How nice it must be to live so close to downtown!

DETROITER: Yeah, we don't really go to that city in SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN. There's already so much to do in SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN, we don't really have to do anything, um, urban.

CHICAGOAN: Well, maybe you don't go into the city, but that's OK. The city is a younger person's place. Do your kids live in Detroit?

DETROITER: Um, no. They left SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN. Our daughter lives in Los Angeles and our son lives in Chicago.

CHICAGOAN: Really? Why wouldn't they live in Detroit if they like cities?

DETROITER: Because DETROIT IS A SHITHOLE, OK? THERE! I SAID IT!

CHICAGOAN: Oh, my! [quietly backs off, mingles elsewhere]

This is spot on! Everyone I know who is from within a 50 mile radius of Chicago will say they are from "Chicago". I can't ever remember meeting someone from the Chicago area who just said they were from "Illinois". It seems like their civic identities are tied to Chicago even more than people who live in the New York area feel tied to NYC. L.A. is like that too. And Detroit is just the opposite [[unless the person is trying to get some street cred).

[stromberg2]

Hahaha. I must say, the idea that "southeastern Michigan residents are embarrassed by" Detroit is hilarious to me. It's a very polite way to put it. Hahahaha.

AT THE CONVENTION...

CHICAGOAN: Hi, I'm from Chicago. Where are you from?

DETROITER: I'm from SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN.

CHICAGOAN: Oh, you mean Detroit, right?

DETROITER: No, that's the city. I'm from SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN.

CHICAGOAN: But the big city there is Detroit, right? So you're from around Detroit?

DETROITER: No, I don't live in Detroit. I live in SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN.

CHICAGOAN: Well, technically, I don't live in Chicago either. I'm from just outside, in Evanston. But we spend so much time in the city, you know, just hop on the train, it's just easier to say we're from Chicago. Our kids live in the city proper.

DETROITER: Yeah, we live, like, miles and miles from the downtown of that city in SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN.

CHICAGOAN: How many miles?

DETROITER: Like, 10 miles. We're from a place in SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN called Royal Oak.

CHICAGOAN: Well! You're closer to the city than I am! How nice it must be to live so close to downtown!

DETROITER: Yeah, we don't really go to that city in SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN. There's already so much to do in SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN, we don't really have to do anything, um, urban.

CHICAGOAN: Well, maybe you don't go into the city, but that's OK. The city is a younger person's place. Do your kids live in Detroit?

DETROITER: Um, no. They left SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN. Our daughter lives in Los Angeles and our son lives in Chicago.

CHICAGOAN: Really? Why wouldn't they live in Detroit if they like cities?

DETROITER: Because DETROIT IS A SHITHOLE, OK? THERE! I SAID IT!

CHICAGOAN: Oh, my! [quietly backs off, mingles elsewhere]

Classic, Nerd!!

Stromberg2

[Detroitej72]

What those people like Hermod fail to notice was this little tidbit: But Grubb & Ellis said in its 2012 forecast that "The real challenge for suburban landlords in 2012 will be to quell the tide of companies migrating to the [[downtown Detroit) market.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120425/AUTO0101/204250385#ixzz1tCqfNt

Maybe, as hard as it is for the old guard to accept, the tide is a changing.

[Hermod]

What those people like Hermod fail to notice was this little tidbit: But Grubb & Ellis said in its 2012 forecast that "The real challenge for suburban landlords in 2012 will be to quell the tide of companies migrating to the [[downtown Detroit) market.

But the downtown vacancy rate surged to 33.4 percent in the first quarter of this year, according to Grubb & Ellis, when more than 290,000 square feet of empty space was added to the market — "much of it in the 500 Woodward [[Avenue) building as Comerica continued to relocated into owner-occupied space throughout the city.

But Grubb & Ellis said in its 2012 forecast that "The real challenge for suburban landlords in 2012 will be to quell the tide of companies migrating to the [[downtown Detroit) market.

Grubb and Ellis forecast in the last paragraph does not logically follow the data presented in the previous tow paragraphs and sounds more like a "puff piece" to jazz up what otherwise would be a dismal forecast.

I have worked in a high rise office building in downtown Detroit as well as in a couple of them in the Washington suburbs. I have also worked in low-rise "campus" type environments.

I always found that working in a tower was stressful and not conducive to engineering creativity. You always had so many "building rules" and difficult parking situations.

Whenever I wanted to accomplish something creative in a meeting, I would schedule it at one of our facilities located in the middle of nowhere. I wanted to get the Washington types out where they could do more than examine their navels.

[MSUguy]

Grubb and Ellis forecast in the last paragraph does not logically follow the data presented in the previous tow paragraphs and sounds more like a "puff piece" to jazz up what otherwise would be a dismal forecast.
.

The increase in vacancy didn't come from moving out to the burbs, but moving into space that isn't on the rental market. Comerica consolidated their downtown operations at 411 W Lafayette. Last year companies moving downtown emptied about 871,000 square feet of office space in the burbs

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...urbs-feel-pain

[casscorridor]

Grubb & Ellis said in its 2012 forecast that "The real challenge for suburban landlords in 2012 will be to quell the tide of companies migrating to the [[downtown Detroit) market."

For this to be true in the long-run, there will have to be new-builds Downtown along with increased amenities and living options for professionals. Woodward rail can facilitate some of this growth, but I would like to see a more robust system [[than what is proposed) with at least two lines -- one west to Dearborn and Metro Airport and one north into Oakland County. This will offer an larger pool of employees to feed into Downtown, along with offering potential for interaction between disparate job-centers, not to mention opening doors to more international businesses, tourism and conferences via ease of access from the Airport. Hey maybe Detroit would be bustling again!