Top Ten Development Sites Along The QLine Route

Everyone [[okay, most everyone) is excited about the QLine debut Friday.

Everyone loves to think or dream of what QLine will do for the 'Woodward Corridor" between downtown and New Center.

I'd like to see say a list of 10 sites which could develop which would be huge.

The type of development over the next 5 years which would complete the transformation of Woodward from downtown to New Center.

My first [[top) three:

1). Hudson's site. No brainer. It will help seal the transformation of Woodward in the CBD.

2). Site at Woodward/Mack.

3). WSU's property at Woodward/W. Warren. Student apartments? Something bigger?

I'm just not too familiar with the New Center area to make a good guess on development there.

I tried to do 10, but ended up with 20... from South to North [[not including anything in the new arena district):

1. Monroe block - Gilbert already has plans for this site.

2. Hudson's block - ditto

3. Comerica Park parking lots - enormous potential here for infill

4. Alfred-Edmund block of Woodward - large plot of land for a significant building

5. Woodward and Stimson lot - there are plans floating around for this site. Are they still in the works?

6. SE Corner of Woodward/Mack - huge development was recently announced here. Hopefully major shopping such as a Target.

7. Massive lot besides/behind the Hammer and Nail building. WSU had announced a building here but it stalled? What is the progress?

8. Lot besides the MOCAD - huge potential for a museum expansion if some wealthy donor comes along and wants to build a contemporary art museum.

9. SE corner of Woodward and Forest - There is currently a Checkers fast food restaurant here. This should be replaced by a large development that would surround the loft building on the corner of Garfield.

10. Old school building / current State Police building at SW corner of Woodward and Hancock - this should be demolished and replaced by a large development that could wrap around the building on the corner of Forest and Woodward and stretch down Forest.

11. SW corner of Woodard and Warren - WSU owned land, massive potential for a landmark building. Hopefully another location for green space can be found.

12. WSU Parking Lot 33 - NW corner of Woodward and Ferry - formerly the proposed location of WSU Business school.

13. NW corner of Woodward and Palmer - parking lot and insignificant buildings that should be demolished and replaced by significant development

14. NE corner of Woodward and Harper - huge lot for a major development

15. James Martin Chevrolet lots - huge site for development, build would potentially mean moving the car dealership.

16. NW corner of Woodward and Amsterdam - gigantic lot with potential for major landmark development and railway station / transport hub.

17. NW corner of Woodward and Baltimore - an entire block open for development. Ideally office mixed with residential.

18. Parking lot behind the shops on the western side of Woodward between Milwaukee and Grand Blvd.

19. NW corner of Woodward and Grand Blvd. - Smaller lot but important corner.

20. Lot surrounding the police station office building on NE corner of Woodward and Grand Blvd. - I think police own this, but very important development site.

Lest I be wrong, while we concentrate on Gilbert, Ilitches, etc. and they are key for the areas south of the Fisher, WSU will be the unsung player in this development saga around their campus and north of 94.

As you indicated, WSU has a lot of very underutilized properties with frontage on Woodward.

What has always confused me is how to develop property, say Woodward/Ferry & Palmer in the 'middle' of campus? Hard to do non-university building there.

I read that WSU is looking for developers for their Woodward/W. Warren site. Is it too valuable for student apartments??? [[WSU students would love that location).

I kind of hoped, until I read the development agreement between the Pistons and HFH, that their practice facility would front Woodward. But once details became known, it was easy to see why they chose the location they did.

A Pistons practice facility on Woodward would be a crown jewel building.

Woodward is Detroit's 'front yard' - it is what people see most.

Why would a practice facility on Woodward be a crown jewel? It isn't like it is accessible to the public. Building it as part of a larger medical facility and taking up a larger lot in the area is far better than some building people could look at and go "Oh the Pistons practice there."

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Originally Posted by southen

Why would a practice facility on Woodward be a crown jewel? It isn't like it is accessible to the public. Building it as part of a larger medical facility and taking up a larger lot in the area is far better than some building people could look at and go "Oh the Pistons practice there."

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The only reason I'd put it on Woodward is that it will be a very attractive building.

It is my 'front porch/back porch' analogy - put your best flowers on your front porch and lesser flowers on the back.

I believe the Pistons' facility will be a bold, but not too big, building, which would nicely fill up a block along Woodward.

And being impatient, I'd like to see as many Woodward frontage blocks develop ASAP.

The Pistons practice facility is being built on Amsterdam and 3rd, so that option is off the table.

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Originally Posted by Zads07

The Pistons practice facility is being built on Amsterdam and 3rd, so that option is off the table.

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True. We were speaking, what if it had been on Woodward.

How about the most functional and pedestrian friendly buildings on our main thoroughfare, and the basketball court for millionaires that nobody sees can go elsewhere. It's my real city/sim city analogy.

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Originally Posted by southen

How about the most functional and pedestrian friendly buildings on our main thoroughfare, and the basketball court for millionaires that nobody sees can go elsewhere. It's my real city/sim city analogy.

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I'm not so concerned about if Building A is better than Building B. I'm most concerned about getting what about 17 identified sites [[see CassCorridor's post) with a decent building on them. Good curb appeal. Three of Cass Corridor's 20 sites are south of the Fisher and there are plans for them.

E.g., with the site at Woodward/W. Warren [[WSU owns it). I really don't care much if they have built an office building for faculty OR an apartment building for students. I'm fine with whatever they feel they need.

Redevelop all the empty space in Brush Park east of Woodward. Huge potential there.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...ed-for-midtown

Quote:

New 120-room hotel, apartment development planned for Midtown By KIRK PINHO. Crain's Detroit. May 9, 2017. A Farmington Hills-based development company is planning a new mixed-use project in Midtown that would bring the neighborhood north of downtown a new 120-room hotel and at least 65 new apartments. Planned for about three acres of developable property at Woodward Avenue and Alexandrine Street that also houses the 300-unit Bicentennial Tower apartment building, the development would also include at least 20,000 square feet of retail space and a parking deck on top of which the apartments would sit, Group 10 Management Co. President Kenny Koza said Tuesday. The project would be built on the Woodward frontage of the Bicentennial and some of its surface parking lot. Residents of both the Bicentennial and the new apartments would have parking spaces in the deck, as would hotel guests and retail patrons, Koza said. He cautioned that some aspects of the project are still being "fine-tuned" and that the soonest construction would begin is late next year, pushing completion into 2020. "We are kind of feeling the heartbeat of the area, but things are progressing," he said. Koza declined to discuss development costs. ...

^This would be huge for that corner. All of that underutilized green space facing Woodward is a waste. A parking deck for the Bicentennial Apartments and the new development is necessary. The surface parking for the apartment takes up too much valuable space. Only wish they would create a street between this development and the "Hammer and Nail" building that would extend to John R. That would increase the walkability of this area immensely.

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Originally Posted by royce

^This would be huge for that corner. All of that underutilized green space facing Woodward is a waste. A parking deck for the Bicentennial Apartments and the new development is necessary. The surface parking for the apartment takes up too much valuable space. Only wish they would create a street between this development and the "Hammer and Nail" building that would extend to John R. That would increase the walkability of this area immensely.

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I totally agree; Selden Street and Parsons should both go through to John R to cut the superblock up.

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Originally Posted by WPitonya

I totally agree; Selden Street and Parsons should both go through to John R to cut the superblock up.

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I disagree. There is no need to build a new street. Pedestrian pathways can, if done properly, provide walkability and offer a superior aesthetic and urban experience than a street with loud and polluting auto traffic.