David Whitney Building to become Hotel and Apartments

**Gistok** · May-27-11, 09:43 PM

Originally Posted by davewindsor

And if there's a game or event at Tiger Stadium or Ford Field, where are these hotel guests supposed to park?

Ummm... currently 200 of the 900 spaces in the GCP garage are dedicated parking spaces to the residents of the Kales Building [[likely need to pass thru a cardreader with gate). I'm sure that as other businesses move to GCP that other of the remaining 700 spaces will be dedicated to specific purposes.... and removed from public parking.

As for the luxury hotel needing a parking garage... if it's luxury, it'll likely have valet parking... in this instance underground.

As for where are the folks going to a ballgame going park.... there's lots of places from the Eastern Market area over to the Michigan Building, which has parking available on game days. Plus there's thousands of space all around the Foxtown area, as well as the mammoth Opera House Garage.

When Greektown Casino took over the site of the former Greektown parking structure... thousands of parking spaces were lost to football and baseball. It wasn't a problem then... and I don't think it'll be a problem now.

There's lots of parking downtown. Somehow I don't think the loss of a few hundred spaces will affect the parking situation. Folks can even park on Cobo or other garages farther from the stadia, and take the People Mover.

**Trumpeteer** · May-27-11, 10:08 PM

Originally Posted by davewindsor

And if there's a game or event at Tiger Stadium or Ford Field, where are these hotel guests supposed to park?

If this is going to be a luxury hotel like the Book Cadillac, it'll need a new parking garage like the Book Cadillac. You can't have a luxury hotel without a parking garage next door. I believe it's even code if they want to switch the zoning over from office to hotel. So, where is this new garage supposed to go and how horizontally built will it be so it doesn't obstruct the views of the hotel rooms?

Hey Dave come on over for a game and you wou;d see that NO ONE parks anywhere but the surface lots for a Tigers game.

**royce** · June-01-11, 10:49 PM

This is great! The most logical use for this building would be to have it as a hotel/apartments. I imagine that some deal will be worked out to use the Grand Circus underground parking structure. If there are 900 possible parking spaces and the Kales only uses 200 and the Broderick Tower takes up say 300, then that leaves 400 parking spaces for Whitney residents, hotel guests and staff. Should work out fine. I imagine that a hotel in the Whitney will look a lot like the Hyatt hotel in downtown Cleveland. It too has an atrium and hallway leading to hotel rooms and small retail shops. I can see the same thing happening in the Whitney. Again, kudos.

**j to the jeremy** · June-03-11, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by davewindsor

A 108 room hotel? Hmmm... So, what buildings next to it are getting knocked down for the 108 car parking garage?

This is part of the mentality that kills America, planning-wise.

**Gistok** · May-27-11, 07:50 PM

Am I correct in this assumtion.... the Grand Circus Park parking garage is used mainly by people living/working in the area [[such as the Kales folks)??

I have never used it... and I wonder if it gets a lot of use by folks who attend concerts and ball games?

**Planner3357** · June-02-11, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Am I correct in this assumtion.... the Grand Circus Park parking garage is used mainly by people living/working in the area [[such as the Kales folks)??

I have never used it... and I wonder if it gets a lot of use by folks who attend concerts and ball games?

Card reader needed to enter main garage door west of Woodward. Same card needed to enter stairwells in park. The eastern entrance is generally paid parking for events. Though in the winter it is never open. The parking for Kales is completely dedicated to the lower western half of the garage. I don't know what the 1st floor is for, I would guess its for people working in Grand Park Centre...but I don't really know.

I do wonder where Broderick Tower residents will park. I would guess underground as well. Will they have a tunnel built to connect BT to garage like Kales had done? Not sure...but they should.

**esp1986** · June-02-11, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by Planner3357

Card reader needed to enter main garage door west of Woodward. Same card needed to enter stairwells in park. The eastern entrance is generally paid parking for events. Though in the winter it is never open. The parking for Kales is completely dedicated to the lower western half of the garage. I don't know what the 1st floor is for, I would guess its for people working in Grand Park Centre...but I don't really know.

I do wonder where Broderick Tower residents will park. I would guess underground as well. Will they have a tunnel built to connect BT to garage like Kales had done? Not sure...but they should.

I can't recall where, but I read there would be a tunnel built for the Broderick.

**cramerro** · June-08-11, 09:21 AM

Originally Posted by Planner3357

I don't know what the 1st floor is for, I would guess its for people working in Grand Park Centre...but I don't really know.

Grand Park Centre [[formerly Michigan Mutual Building) has its own inside parking accessed from Elizabeth Street. The parking building is located across the alley and connected to the GCP building across several floors above the alley, similar to how the theater next door was connected to the entrance/lobby on GCP before they tore it down, so they shouldn't need to use up any of the 900 spaces down there.

Seems like a tunnel to connect the Whitney would be ideal, and essentially close off the whole underground garage to the public. I used to park down there during Tigers games - the first few seasons of CoPa it was $5 while parking in surface lots in the area was $20, great proximity even if it took a while of idling in the fumes to get out afterward.

**313WX** · June-01-11, 10:57 PM

Skipper's Rule.

Especially with the potential of a double dip looming and they don't have financing on hand yet.

**Hypestyles** · June-02-11, 12:42 PM

...would the apartments be condos? all at the top levels of the building? allowing for stoves, refrigerators, etc.?

**Hypestyles** · June-02-11, 02:40 PM

a tunnel? like the batcave? neat...

**Ocean2026** · June-03-11, 12:36 PM

Gistok -thanks for the pictures- posters should remember that not everyone who reads these pages is from Detroit and many want to see.

**401don** · June-03-11, 03:11 PM

There may be a market for a boutique hotel but certainly not a luxury chain like W. Luxury properties average over 300/night. I don't see that in Grand Circus Park in the near future. We want this place to succeed don't we?

**iheartthed** · June-03-11, 03:20 PM

Originally Posted by 401don

There may be a market for a boutique hotel but certainly not a luxury chain like W. Luxury properties average over 300/night. I don't see that in Grand Circus Park in the near future. We want this place to succeed don't we?

W Hotels have a similar price point to their sister brand, Westin, which operates the Book Cadillac just a couple blocks away...

**gthomas** · June-03-11, 03:52 PM

Sure do! I vision a nice Hotel District on Washington Blvd from Grand Circus Park to Michigan Av...Statler site becoming a Hyatt..? Set a trend...think outside the box and actually "create" something fresh and new. Tired of the same ol' Marriot Chains...

Originally Posted by iheartthed

W Hotels have a similar price point to their sister brand, Westin, which operates the Book Cadillac just a couple blocks away...

**gthomas** · June-03-11, 03:53 PM

Book Building can actually be a nice Hard Rock Hotel..?

**DetroitPlanner** · June-03-11, 03:18 PM

How about a funky Ikia inspired Motel 6 like the one in AA?

**mikeg19** · June-03-11, 04:40 PM

The thing I'm wondering is what exactly warrants another hotel in downtown? From many comments on this board, it would leave you to believe that the Detroit hotel market is saturated enough for the time being. What projections are investors looking at to think it's feasible to add more hotel rooms to downtown when in the past few years we've added over a thousand? It seems like more moderate income apartments would be in demand with the thousands of people being brought into downtown from BCBS, Gilbert, etc. Obviously not all of those people will move into downtown as many probably own homes in the suburbs, but more affordable renting options or condos in the CBD seems like a better investment than another hotel. Would someone with more knowledge on this chime in?

**iheartthed** · June-03-11, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by mikeg19

The thing I'm wondering is what exactly warrants another hotel in downtown? From many comments on this board, it would leave you to believe that the Detroit hotel market is saturated enough for the time being. What projections are investors looking at to think it's feasible to add more hotel rooms to downtown when in the past few years we've added over a thousand? It seems like more moderate income apartments would be in demand with the thousands of people being brought into downtown from BCBS, Gilbert, etc. Obviously not all of those people will move into downtown as many probably own homes in the suburbs, but more affordable renting options or condos in the CBD seems like a better investment than another hotel. Would someone with more knowledge on this chime in?

I don't have the link, but the News published an article recently saying that the hotel market in Detroit has rebounded significantly and downtown Detroit is leading the way. But occupancy rates still aren't back at the 70% mark for general profitability [[I believe the current rate for downtown is somewhere in the mid-60s).

**Richard** · June-03-11, 05:08 PM

Because of the recent reduction in brown-field and other credits it will be hard to put affordable housing in downtown unless you pull in fed money and make a percentage low income but after rehab costs you need to keep rents high to recoup investment.

Office space currently ranging from $7 per sqft or the base starting point on the towers that have recently been rehabbed is at $15 per sqft and there are allot out there I guess if one could mix residential with office and hotel odds are the chance of survival are greater until the demand grows for anyone of those.

**Gistok** · June-03-11, 05:25 PM

Are there any buildings downtown that have an office and residential mix?

**Richard** · June-03-11, 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Are there any buildings downtown that have an office and residential mix?

I am not sure I was in a MCS thinking mode : )

But there are a couple that would make good candidates .

bartock · June-08-11, 09:27 AM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Are there any buildings downtown that have an office and residential mix?

Would River Place count? It isn't really downtown, and it is more like a campus. Maybe I answered my own question.

**Autoracks** · June-08-11, 09:41 AM

im not sure i would lease an apartment at a building that doubles as a hotel. Dont want to live with a bedbug infestation

This is positive tho. Jobs have been moving downtown, If there is acceptable housing i would expect people will give downtown living a second thought. If that happens grocery and retail should follow suit. Downtown Detroit already has a lot going for it. Its just missing a few big pieces. Schools is a stumbling point but maybe that could get worked out too. People with good jobs tend to value education. Eventually the downtown area needs to become an area where people would consider raising a family. A good first step is making it an acceptable place for successful young adults to live near work i suppose. South Cass is still standing in the way of a downtown revival. Its still somewhat of an urban camping ground for people with mental health and addiction problems. They may sleep, eat, and get high on the other side of the expressway but in order to get money to pay for whatever it is they cant get from the soup kitchens and shelters they have to travel into the downtown area to get it. These folks are going to continue to exist and they have to go somewhere. As good as a healthy bustling downtown would be I would be truly excited and happy to see a vibrant downtown thru midtown then south to corktown and east thru the market.

**gthomas** · June-08-11, 01:15 PM

I agree with south cass still looking like WWIII! Everywhere space north of I-75 to Mlk/Mack to Motorcity Casino...its ashame!. Need some TLC!!! Cass tech right smack in the middle...how do kids learn in that environment while trying to study or pay attention to the teacher.

Originally Posted by Autoracks

im not sure i would lease an apartment at a building that doubles as a hotel. Dont want to live with a bedbug infestation

This is positive tho. Jobs have been moving downtown, If there is acceptable housing i would expect people will give downtown living a second thought. If that happens grocery and retail should follow suit. Downtown Detroit already has a lot going for it. Its just missing a few big pieces. Schools is a stumbling point but maybe that could get worked out too. People with good jobs tend to value education. Eventually the downtown area needs to become an area where people would consider raising a family. A good first step is making it an acceptable place for successful young adults to live near work i suppose. South Cass is still standing in the way of a downtown revival. Its still somewhat of an urban camping ground for people with mental health and addiction problems. They may sleep, eat, and get high on the other side of the expressway but in order to get money to pay for whatever it is they cant get from the soup kitchens and shelters they have to travel into the downtown area to get it. These folks are going to continue to exist and they have to go somewhere. As good as a healthy bustling downtown would be I would be truly excited and happy to see a vibrant downtown thru midtown then south to corktown and east thru the market.