What do you want downtown to look like in 2020?

What is your realistic, ideal image of Downtown in the next 5 years?


We have already seen progress in the renovation of the Book-Cadillac, Broderick, and David Whitney buildings, the rejuvenation of Campus Martius/Cadillac Square, the M1-Rail, new Red Wings arena plans, several new restaurants, and the beginnings of many other new developments downtown. Assuming these trends continue, I think we can expect more to come.

Here's my hopes:

• Woodward from Campus Martius to Grand Circus to be nearly full of retail/restaurants.
• At least some real plans [[if not construction) on the Hudson site.
• A concrete renovation plan for Book Tower [[again, if not construction).
• Some progress on doing something with I-375.

I'll leave it at that for now for the sake of realism.

I feel that the Hudson Site and Book Tower have a better chance of having work done to them instead of some of these proposed neighborhoods from Olympia/Illitch.

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Originally Posted by Wings

What is your realistic, ideal image of Downtown in the next 5 years?


We have already seen progress in the renovation of the Book-Cadillac, Broderick, and David Whitney buildings, the rejuvenation of Campus Martius/Cadillac Square, the M1-Rail, new Red Wings arena plans, several new restaurants, and the beginnings of many other new developments downtown. Assuming these trends continue, I think we can expect more to come.

Here's my hopes:

• Woodward from Campus Martius to Grand Circus to be nearly full of retail/restaurants.
• At least some real plans [[if not construction) on the Hudson site.
• A concrete renovation plan for Book Tower [[again, if not construction).
• Some progress on doing something with I-375.

I'll leave it at that for now for the sake of realism.

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As you mentioned 'downtown', I'll comment on some other things south of the Fisher:

1). Two or three blocks surrounding Comerica Park with housing.

2). An office building on the half empty block on W. Columbia and Woodward.

3). A parking garage near Comerica [[Montcalm & John R) and another W. Montcalm & Clifford.

4). Love to see blocks develop on Grand River [[frontage on Grand River) between the Fisher and say W. Adams [[Not only does frontage on Woodward need to be developed but also frontage on Grand River west of Cass.

5). Similar to #4, see blocks with frontage on Gratiot between say Brush & St. Antoine and the huge block at Gratiot and the service drive develop.
My wishes, no surprise, are usually related to areas visited by sports fans [[which I am obviously one).

I can see new great glass cube Apple Store with tons of security guards all over Gilberttown along with new City Target. NOT!

But I do see tons of exotic restaurants, pop art stores and yuppified coffee shops.

Here's what I want and think we may get, even though there are no solid indicators yet: Construction in progress or complete on mixed use high rises for the Hudson Block, Monroe Block, and newly-leveled Monroe-Randolph Block. Plus near-complete buildout of the parking lots west and south of Comerica Park.

By that time, moreover, I would like to have plans in place for: new high rises on the huge empty block next to the former Wayne County building, and for a development on the Ford Auditorium site integrating the port/riverwalk with downtown. A walkable retail/apartment area reminiscent of what was there pre-Hart Plaza would be best. Will also expect plans if not construction for the fail jail site, and a few residential developments on the E. Riverfront.

Best news yet, however, is what we are certain to have by 2020
-3.3 miles of light rail
-probably around 1000 new or rehabbed housing units in midtown
-renovated and operational Whitney Bldg.
-new arena and some kind of ancillary development filling in Woodward, such that it is walkable from Grand Blvd. to the river
-hundreds of new downtown apartments: multiple Cap Park buildings and the Ashley [[Milner).
-hundreds of new lower eastside apartments: Ducharme Pl. and Shapero Hall.
-and we SHOULD, though I don't yet count it as a lock, have the McCormick-Baron-Salazar residential development on Atwater/Woodbridge done or nearly done by that time.

Well hopefully the pop-up stores will end and real retail will happen.

*a serious crackdown on surface parking lots
*hudson block, monroe block, statler + tuller sites filled with quality buildings
*capitol park buzzing
*the riverfront filling in a bit with residential
*the value of my home doubling again like it has the last two years

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Originally Posted by southen

*a serious crackdown on surface parking lots
*hudson block, monroe block, statler + tuller sites filled with quality buildings
*capitol park buzzing
*the riverfront filling in a bit with residential
*the value of my home doubling again like it has the last two years

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I wish some energetic soul would count the number of surface parking blocks in the sports & entertainment zone and we can compare today's number vs. 2020 and 2030.

I see a little game of PacMan, where the surface parking blocks get eaten up.

Calculate an index, say an 'economic vitality index' comparing the ratio of such surface parking blocks today [[denominator) and 2020 or 2030 [[numerator).

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Originally Posted by southen

*a serious crackdown on surface parking lots
*hudson block, monroe block, statler + tuller sites filled with quality buildings
*capitol park buzzing
*the riverfront filling in a bit with residential
*the value of my home doubling again like it has the last two years

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A few of your wishes are almost sure to actually happen. Monroe block is getting a 16-story office building for Meridian Health Plan's headquarters, there's a 6-story apartment planned for Statler, and McCormack-Baron-Salazar is starting construction on a new housing development near the riverfront. Hopefully Gilbert's renovations get Capitol Park buzzing again.

- Current big projects like the wings arena and I-375 completed or under construction.
- An increased pace of new residential construction.
- A very large amount of small improvements. More owners that remove weeds, graffiti, and garbage from their properties. Updated spaces, more basic maintenance like windows and roofs. More and higher quality commercial tenants. Higher quality property management. Reduction in crime and general shadiness.

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Originally Posted by Wings

A few of your wishes are almost sure to actually happen. Monroe block is getting a 16-story office building for Meridian Health Plan's headquarters, there's a 6-story apartment planned for Statler, and McCormack-Baron-Salazar is starting construction on a new housing development near the riverfront. Hopefully Gilbert's renovations get Capitol Park buzzing again.

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I'm pretty sure the Meridian building was nixed

- Multiple developments around Wings arena and behind the Fox [[along Grand River between GAR and I-75 would be nice)
- Development of surface parking around Comerica
- Completion of Statler site and Book Cadillac Garage apartments
- Completion of Capitol Park apartment projects
- Work on expanding M1 rail
- Bates garage development
- A major grocery store
- A City Target [[or similar retail) that caters to residents
- Connect Riverwalk near the Riverfront Towers
- Woodward nearly full from GCP to Grand River
- Office vacancy under 8%

A bit more ambitious
- Book Tower renovation
- Hudson Site development
- Arterial system beginnings for rail
- Redevelopment of JLA
- Proposal/Plans for redeveloping Hart Plaza
- Renovation of Wurlitzer and Met buildings
- Removal of I-375
- Fail Jail development
- MLS soccer team [[maybe just outside of downtown)

A Birmingham-esque downtown run by L Brooks Patterson.

Everyone else has mentioned what I would love to see [[Thanks Spartan - spot on) and I think we'll definitely see a lot of the "Expected to be completed" ones checked off, and even some of the ambitious goals met. I just want to see more life between downtown and "Midtown", both on the Cass Corridor and Brush Park side. It'd also be great to see the New Amsterdam [[I think that's the name) area between WSU and New Center populated a bit more.

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Originally Posted by Spartan

I'm pretty sure the Meridian building was nixed

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This is news to me, where did you see that?

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Originally Posted by Wings

This is news to me, where did you see that?

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Same, aside from speculation on past DYES threads [[which I definitely pay attention to amid the silence in the media), I don't think we can say that it's been nixed.

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Originally Posted by Mackinaw

Same, aside from speculation on past DYES threads [[which I definitely pay attention to amid the silence in the media), I don't think we can say that it's been nixed.

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It's especially news to me considering I work for Meridian. That being said, they don't have a great reputation of keeping their employees informed.


As of June the plan for the new headquarters was still in effect. Any development with the building since then is news.

no empty derelict buildings.

I see downtown being filled with storefront offices, restaurants, and play businesses such as Punchbowl, I see midtown will have the clothing retail and a city Target inside New Center One. Jefferson Ave will have the strip malls anchored by big box stores

I will
say something simple. Clean up the roadsides. Bringing someone new into the city, the first thing that they see is garbage, bottles and miscellaneous junk on the sides of freeways.

Tear down the homes on main roads that have no hope of being fixed up.

pride in our city has be seen in more that beautiful new or rehabbed buildings.

just a thought

lily

Conversion of Fort Wayne to a condo complex. Light rail from Fort Wayne over to West Vernor and then to Michigan and downtown.

Upgrade all traffic signals; especially the ones on Woodward Columbia and Moncalm

Attachment 24111

The mountings on those 2 intersection has been up for 70+ years now. On top of that, there ought to be a removal of of the traffic signal on Bagley and Clifford because its useless and obsolete.

At least one new 40+ story skyscraper, to bring about some "change" to the skyline.

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Originally Posted by 313WX

At least one new 40+ story skyscraper, to bring about some "change" to the skyline.

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I think they should worry about fixing up their decrepit skyscrapers before building any new ones - see Guardian Building, David Stott, Book Tower.

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Originally Posted by WSU12

I think they should worry about fixing up their decrepit skyscrapers before building any new ones - see Guardian Building, David Stott, Book Tower.

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Well aren't we all dreaming with our desires in this thread any way?

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Originally Posted by Mackinaw

Same, aside from speculation on past DYES threads [[which I definitely pay attention to amid the silence in the media), I don't think we can say that it's been nixed.

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Yeah, it may have just been speculation from someone on here. I couldn't find any articles saying the same. A lot of silence since the announcement though, so I guess we'll just have to wait & see.