What is going on at Red Wings arena site?

[abraham]

Ive been building big duct work for it for the last month. Building the smoke exhaust shafts.

[emu steve]

Curious when the arena will be completely enclosed and look like a near finished building on the outside?

Will this be done by say Dec 1 when the weather starts to get coooooooooold?

Three months? Six months?

I expect to be in Detroit for Thanksgiving. I'll stop by before going to Ford Field.

[ParisianLesion]

Not sure if this is the appropriate thread for this, but here's another development in 'The District:'

http://detroit.curbed.com/2016/9/15/...e-developments

[401don]

Not sure if this is the appropriate thread for this, but here's another development in 'The District:'

http://detroit.curbed.com/2016/9/15/...e-developments

When they say in the article it's the 1st residential in the District site, I guess they mean around the arena because the proposed 2 apt. buildings on Woodward in front of Comerica are in the District. If they really are going to start work on all 3 buildings this Fall that's a lot to take on along with the other construction.

[ekleezy]

Any word on the Detroit Life Building? I walked by yesterday and there was scaffolding over the sidewalk next to it on the side where the new LC headquarters is going AND on the western side. There was also a dumpster on the northern side that looked like it might've been used recently to clear out the inside a little.

The most recent article I found about the building [[from 2013) stated that renovation of this building is supposed to be part of the $650 million arena district plan.
http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/artic...n#.V9wslU32bcs

[southen]

The scaffolding has been up around that building for several years, so I am going to assume that nothing is happening with the building right now.

[ekleezy]

The scaffolding has been up around that building for several years, so I am going to assume that nothing is happening with the building right now.

Got it, thanks. Maybe it's just falling apart and they don't want it to fall on the sidewalk then. Hopefully it really is part of the plan.

[Gistok]

The scaffolding has been up around that building for several years, so I am going to assume that nothing is happening with the building right now.

If they start putting scaffolding up around the Eddystone.... we won't know if that's a good sign or a bad sign.....

[MSUguy]

[Zads07]

A promise/contract broken by Olympia Development.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/new...kers/91930514/

"A recent report to city officials indicates that about 40 percent of the 750 workers at the Little Caesars Arena site are Detroiters, according to sources familiar with the data. There is some concern that percentage could go lower because of a shortage of skilled-trade workers such as electricians, according to a consultant involved in the arena workforce.

As part of the deal to allow $250 million in taxpayer-backed bonds to pay for construction of the arena, Olympia Development agreed to the 51 percent goal. It also agreed to award at least 30 percent of the construction contracts to Detroit businesses. The 30 percent goal is being met and surpassed, city officials said."

[mikeg19]

A promise/contract broken by Olympia Development.

If they can't find qualified workers in the city, should they just stop working? And if Olympia is meeting the 30% goal of construction contracts to Detroit based companies, doesn't it fall on the companies, not Olympia, to achieve that 51% Detroiter employed percentage?

[Zads07]

If they can't find qualified workers in the city, should they just stop working? And if Olympia is meeting the 30% goal of construction contracts to Detroit based companies, doesn't it fall on the companies, not Olympia, to achieve that 51% Detroiter employed percentage?

Playing Devil's Advocate here: Why make the promise and contract if they couldn't fulfill it? I also find it very hard to believe there's not enough skilled workers in a city of over 650,000 to fill say 3,000 jobs.

[401don]

Playing Devil's Advocate here: Why make the promise and contract if they couldn't fulfill it? I also find it very hard to believe there's not enough skilled workers in a city of over 650,000 to fill say 3,000 jobs.

With all of the other construction work going on in the city, I'm surprised they are coming as close to the requirement as they are.

[ABetterDetroit]

Of course this isn't the Ilitches fault. All they did was make the promises in the first place and hire the general contractors. It was all just "talk". Besides Bill Clinton was much much worse. Horrible!

http://www.freep.com/story/news/loca...ters/91937160/

[mikeg19]

I also find it very hard to believe there's not enough skilled workers in a city of over 650,000 to fill say 3,000 jobs.

Yea but you can't use that figure for eligible workers. Subtract anyone under 18 and over 60, disabled, etc, and that pool of people becomes much, much smaller. And these aren't ditch diggers were talking about hiring. These are skilled trade jobs that require certifications and training to do. So as was said before, with all the work going on in Detroit right now, there is probably a serious shortage of people who can perform these tasks.

[bust]

Playing Devil's Advocate here: Why make the promise and contract if they couldn't fulfill it? I also find it very hard to believe there's not enough skilled workers in a city of over 650,000 to fill say 3,000 jobs.

Or, another way to look at it, maybe this is what you get when the fox is watching the hen house. White Construction is the Detroit subsidiary of the Southfield-based construction firm that was granted the contract to build the arena. The Vice President, Business Development of White Construction sits on the board of the DDA, the unelected extra-governmental agency that is doling out up to $324M in tax money for this project, and "enforces" the rules.

Edit: I'm making no accusations. I know of no evidence of any wrong-doing. I intend merely to point out the way the DDA is run by representatives of private companies heavily vested in its decisions makes it ripe for conflict of interest to occur.

[Gistok]

A lot of skilled and unskilled tradesmen left metro Detroit back during the foreclosure meltdown a few years ago, and they are likely never coming back. So now that there is a construction boom, there's not enough folks to fill the jobs. I have a buddy who has his own rough carpentry business, and he's been looking for over a year to hire 2 workers [[mainly south Macomb/Oakland area work).... and he's not had any luck. [[PM me if you know anyone... ).

This may only get worse if construction increases in the metro area....

[ABetterDetroit]

Or, another way to look at it, maybe this is what you get when the fox is watching the hen house. White Construction is the Detroit subsidiary of the Southfield-based construction firm that was granted the contract to build the arena. The Vice President, Business Development of White Construction sits on the board of the DDA, the unelected extra-governmental agency that is doling out up to $324M in tax money for this project, and "enforces" the rules.

Edit: I'm making no accusations. I know of no evidence of any wrong-doing. I intend merely to point out the way the DDA is run by representatives of private companies heavily vested in its decisions makes it ripe for conflict of interest to occur.

Thanks for the excellent research bust. You have very solid points on a possible conflict of interest backed up with the connections/links.

[emu steve]

http://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/...occer-Stadium/

I'm putting the link here as the new practice facility would be located behind the Ilitch School of Business building. I always wondered what would go there...

"it will be joined by a practice facility for the basketball team immediately north of the stadium, Dbusiness has learned. In a block bounded by Woodward, Sproat, Temple, and Park, the practice facility would be located at the western edge of the block.
The eastern edge of the block, fronting Woodward, will include Wayne State University’s Mike Ilitch School of Business to the north, while at the southern portion of the block along Woodward the Detroit Medical Center is looking to build a new facility for sports medicine, rehabilitation, and other health care offerings, according to real estate sources."

[MSUguy]

They certainly have a track record, they're also behind projects like the Power and Light District in Kansas City.
http://cordish.com/portfolio

Detroit-based Olympia Development of Michigan, which recently lost its top executive, is bringing The Cordish Cos., a Baltimore-based developer of mixed-use entertainment districts linked to professional sports venues around the country, into The District Detroit project.

Cordish transforms arenas and ballparks into year-round districts for people to live, work and play. The entertainment neighborhoods at the core of its developments are often branded as "Live!" districts with restaurants and sports-viewing options.

The 50-block District Detroit is anchored by Little Caesars Arena, which will be home to the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons when it opens in September. Plans since the district plan was unveiled in 2014 call for housing, retail, office, entertainment, restaurant, bar and public green spaces — right in line with what Cordish is known for creating.
Cordish, founded in 1910, has developed projects with teams and media companies including the St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Flyers, NBC Sports, Fox Sports and Comcast, yielding high-profile entertainment districts including Ballpark Village in St. Louis with its Fox Sports Midwest Live! dining and entertainment district and Xfinity Live! centered in the South Philadelphia Sports Complex.
National retailers have been talking with Cordish about the district at the New York National Deal Making event hosted by the International Council of Shopping Centers in New York City this week.

Cordish is widely recognized as the premier placemaking company in the country, Doug Kuiper, vice president of communications for Ilitch Holdings Inc., said in an email.

​http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...ict-specialist

[ptero]

What's up with District Detroit moving Masonic Temple? All their maps show it a block north from where it sits today.

I know it's boring but I'm gonna keep tossing this out there until someone cares enough to fix the maps. Yes, I have sent numerous messages to all of the adresses available on their site. No joy...

[Rock N Rye]

They certainly have a track record, they're also behind projects like the Power and Light District in Kansas City.
http://cordish.com/portfolio

Their developments I've been to all seem to have a Gordon Biersch, a Howl at the Moon, a PBR cowboy bar, a couple local themed sports bars mixed with other national chains as lame as TGI Fridays.

[Atticus]

Their developments I've been to all seem to have a Gordon Biersch, a Howl at the Moon, a PBR cowboy bar, a couple local themed sports bars mixed with other national chains as lame as TGI Fridays.

This has been my experience as well. Basically it is a bunch of bars and chain restaurants with ok food [[but nothing special, because it doesn't have to be), that cater to suburbanites and out-of-towners who are unfamiliar to the area and looking for a safe choice to eat at. They are typically all under one roof, and surround a large central area for gatherings and sports viewing parties.

Also, because many of the chains only have a dozen or so restaurants scattered across the country, and the fact that many of the people that eat there don't travel much, many of the patrons don't even realize they are eating in a chain.

And like the stadiums they adjoin, the place is buzzing on event days and fairly dead otherwise, because locals know there are better restaurant choices elsewhere.

[mtburb]

I'd expect this area to be similar to the eastern end of Great Lakes Crossing east of [[and including) the food court, minus, of course, unless plans change, most of the restaurants themselves [[I believe Bar Louie may probably open a location by the arena though), the Star 25 plus Sea Life and Legoland anchoring each end. That end has a high concentration of restaurants all along a corridor lit pretty much solely by I believe small overhead lighting. It's always been that way too.

[EGrant]

Please, please not a Tilted Kilt/Twin Peaks/Hooters type place.