Detroit's Gold Coast: A Waste of Land Full Of Possibilities

I have heard positives about Detroit's Gold Coast, but why would anyone want to live there? Of course you would want to live there because of the river views. However, where are the amenities that you can walk to that make a neighborhood livable?

I see so much potential, but as usual, those who live in the area are probably happy and content because of the status quo. Why change what's been the same for decades. So, why worry about walkability? I'll just get in my car and drive to everything that I need. Why build on the parking spaces that exist now and put some parking structures in or put retail on the ground floor of that parking structure or build some new residential towers?

Jefferson in that area has very little retail. Where retail could go would be on the south side, where the parking lots are, where the rarely used Owen Park is, where the abandoned River Plaza Apartment building is, and where the lot in front of the Whittier Tower and Apartments stands. So much potential, so little imagination. Too bad, that this area really isn't living up to its Gold Coast name.

Royce... when you get to their age... walkability is measured only on how far it is to get you and your walker to the car! ;)

For a retire haven.. I don't think that they look at vibrancy as you or I would. And they certainly don't want their rents to go up, although I imagine many of them live in co-ops... but they are at a fixed income. As for retail... much of what they need can be found at a grocery and a pharmacy...

I grew up nearby, and my father lives there now. Those buildings weren't really built with "walkability" in mind. In fact, the whole idea of those apartment buildings was to have a genteel residential community away from commerce and industry, with all of the modern conveniences of the 1920s, including big garages for cars.

They were built to replace the beautiful, but unsustainable, mansions that once stood in the area. But also as part of a prohibition-era movement to replace the honky tonk atmosphere of amusement parks, saloons, beer gardens, and race tracks that once stood near the Belle Isle bridge entrance. What the builders had in mind was "exclusive" garden-like apartments, isolated from the street, and very different from the urban apartment-hotels around downtown that preceded them. The huge Alden Park Manor was even designed to be self-contained, with its own grocery store, barber & beauty shops, cleaners, etc.

You have to keep in mind that, outside of the older downtown area, most of Detroit was very affected by the ideas of "modern" zoning that came in around the 1920s and posited that residential areas were made better by being separated as much as possible from business districts. [[Otherwise your city might end up looking like New York!) As early as the '20s Detroit was a pioneer in "modern" auto-centric urban planning.

Having said all this, the areas around the "gold coast" do have more retail etc. nearby today than most other residential areas of the city. But all of that is set up to be primarily accessible to cars. And I can also tell you that most of those buildings have really been struggling in recent years, just like all residential areas in the city away from downtown/midtown. However, the recent renovation of the Alden Park Manor, and the upgrading of the Indian Village Manor may be strong steps towards positive change.

Oh, and Owen Park wasn't always so underused. In fact, it was used quite a lot when I was growing up around there. However, in recent years the city just stopped doing any maintenance at all there, and it became essentially a weedy field with dirt tracks for fishermen to drive their cars and trucks down to the river. It's also a shame about those once pretty decent apartments east of the park. They should be either sealed with some plan for reuse or torn down pretty soon.

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Originally Posted by EastsideAl

Oh, and Owen Park wasn't always so underused. In fact, it was used quite a lot when I was growing up around there. However, in recent years the city just stopped doing any maintenance at all there, and it became essentially a weedy field with dirt tracks for fishermen to drive their cars and trucks down to the river. It's also a shame about those once pretty decent apartments east of the park. They should be either sealed with some plan for reuse or torn down pretty soon.

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I heard The City had finally condemned those apartments a few years back. A fire broke out in one of the units, and it was left "as is" while people continued to live in the surrounding units. [[I'm sure that was just the final straw, though). Now I hear through the grapevine, they had been sold to Asian investors. Whether the investors actually do something with them or just let them sit, remains to be seen. Your half right about Owen Park. Half of it is used in good weather by fishermen, the other half is a good place to score. [[or so I'm told) About 2 years ago, a private contracted crew showed up and took out all the trees and natural foliage that was growing there. Then The Greenies of Detroit planted more trees. The City sends tractor lawnmowers once a year to cut down overgrown weeds. Anyplace else in the world, this would be considered prime real-estate. Of course, this being Detroit......

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Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

Anyplace else in the world, this would be considered prime real-estate. Of course, this being Detroit......

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A thought that crosses my mind over and over again. Sad, but true.

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Originally Posted by EastsideAl

A thought that crosses my mind over and over again. Sad, but true.

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Where else do you have mansions that are being used as a rummage store? Not even a real rummage store, a "consignment" rummage store. If anyone is interested, though, [[Royce) please try to attend:


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