Originally Posted by
DetroitPlanner
I like both. When I was a kid, I have plans for the Compuware site I drew up that had better access, a bigger tower, and not such an unsightly parking garage. It also had a lot more retail, but that was 30 years ago when there was a lot more retail downtown so it seemed realistic, and as a kid I was optimistic. I liked Trapper's Alley, but the size and vertical nature of the building was its downfall. It could not keep tennants on the upper floors. Those should have been reserved for a different use. I liked Greektown pre-Trapper's Alley when there were a lot of privately run third places [[coffee shops, bakeries, video game parlors [[hey it was the 80's)). I am concerned about it now that it is controlled only a few families; with one being by far dominant and tearing up the place for un-needed skyways.
Cadillac Square I like it now better than when it was a bus depot. I miss the ham places, one of which is now a parking lot. I am not convinced a plaza is needed there. It is true that many downtowns built plazas in the 1960's that copied what Victor Gruen did to save Kalamazoo, but nearly every one of those was a disaster. They were also the focal point of their downtown, which Cadillac Square isn't. Cadillac Square is more of a complimentary space. What is going on there these days is driving me batty. Paving good roads for basketball courts, painting over the courts. Makes me wonder who is pulling the string and paying for it. I've not seen a bill or an official plan.