Whole Foods Market "Midtown" Rendering

[gthomas]

I walked passed the Whole Foods Community Room space at the Ellington Lofts and saw the new rendering plans for the store. Nice layout, no surface parking so more space for the store I guess, which will take up the whole block including the old Chase Bank building, which is being demolished. It showed a continued streetwall along Mack Av. from Beaubian to the parking lot behind the Ellington Lofts. It looks like there leasing parking spaces from the garage behind it, also had some nice landscaping around the store. The design is pretty cool, kind-of dry but it will fit well with the design of the Ellington Lofts. Pictures real soon..

[Brian1979]

Which lot is it going in at? I haven't been up to date on Midtown happenings in awhile. This is good for Midtown, hopefully it'll be like the South Loop in Chicago.

[gthomas]

The whole empty grass area and old chase bank building [[being torn down) behind the Ellington Lofts on Mack and between Woodward & Beaubian st. 20,000 sq space with a mezzanine.

[Brian1979]

That'll be nice to fill in that vacant lot and knock down that god awful looking bank building.

[Curbed Detroit]

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2...oodswire-4.php

[Jason]

I don't get why beige and red precast concrete is so popular, but it's nice that the massing is urban.

It looks like those are the east and west elevations. Is the south elevation [[the side of the building facing Mack) shown? So far it looks like the main entrance will be in the back of the Ellington's parking lot which I wasn't expecting.

[Detroitrobert]

Gthomas, is Whole Foods one of your Midtown business ideas that you had? If so, I can't wait to check out your store. Maybe I can get a sandwich and enjoy it in your park. I'm excited for you.

[Bham1982]

Where exactly will the patrons park?

Please don't tell me they're all coming by foot or D-DOT.

[Huggybear]

Maybe you prefer Dryvit?

I don't get why beige and red precast concrete is so popular, but it's nice that the massing is urban.

It looks like those are the east and west elevations. Is the south elevation [[the side of the building facing Mack) shown? So far it looks like the main entrance will be in the back of the Ellington's parking lot which I wasn't expecting.

[wolverine]

Kind of suburban looking. Can't they do something like this? Parking is on the roof

http://www.flickr.com/photos/naomi_appleton/4302316242/

Even this Walmart's not bad.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6...e4608da8_z.jpg

[canuck]

This one has a Detroit post-industrial twist to it; The old Angus shops in the east end of Montreal where they used to build locomotives, once had 12,000 workers at its peak. The circa 1904 shops were 10 million sq ft in size.

They kept parts of the old frontage and built around the huge complex. There is now a Russell Center type tech incubator and offices, etc...

[ScienceFair]

Where exactly will the patrons park?

Please don't tell me they're all coming by foot or D-DOT.

I will be coming by foot, but others can probably find street parking or park in the giant parking deck adjacent to the building.

[313WX]

Kind of suburban looking. Can't they do something like this? Parking is on the roof

http://www.flickr.com/photos/naomi_appleton/4302316242/

Even this Walmart's not bad.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6...e4608da8_z.jpg

Agree. I mean if they're demolishing the old NBD at John R. and Mack, why not build street frontage and the door at the corner of John R. and Mack, if one wants a truly urban feel.

Then if one wants, they can build a seperate door from the Ellington Lofts Garage.

[rsa.313]

I walked passed the Whole Foods Community Room space at the Ellington Lofts and saw the new rendering plans for the store. Nice layout, no surface parking so more space for the store I guess, which will take up the whole block including the old Chase Bank building, which is being demolished. It showed a continued streetwall along Mack Av. from Beaubian to the parking lot behind the Ellington Lofts. It looks like there leasing parking spaces from the garage behind it, also had some nice landscaping around the store. The design is pretty cool, kind-of dry but it will fit well with the design of the Ellington Lofts. Pictures real soon..

are you sure/did they have a site plan posted in the window? i've only seen the elevations posted recently. at a conference this summer, Midtown Inc. displayed the site plan for the store and it was set back from Mack, with surface parking in front. while the elevations appear to take up the entire rear of the site, it does not appear to take up the entire site or imply that it will be along the streetwall. plans may have changed since august, i haven't heard.

[WPitonya]

I just measured that site on Google Earth and it is approximately 75,000 square feet, which means the store will not even take up a third of the site. I am willing to bet that it is set back from the street with surface parking in front. Ideally, it should be right at the corner of Mack and John R with surface parking to the west [[next to the current surface parking for Ellington) and delivery access off of John R, between the store and the parking garage.

[WPitonya]

I know this isn't ideal, but it seems that this may be a good, realistic option.

[Brian1979]

I wish it was going to be like the Whole Food's in Chicago's South Loop. That building has several other stores in it. Starbucks, Game Stop, AT&T, Michael's, Panera Bread, Visionworks, PetSmart, Office Depot, World Market and L.A. Fitness are the stores that I can think of off the top of my head. Then across the street there is a plaza with a Staples, Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins, a cleaners, a Back to Bed store. Go another block to S. Clinton and W. Roosevelt and there is a Best Buy, Home Depot and a Bed Bath & Beyond.

There is an entire stretch of Woodward between the Fisher and MLK/Mack on the west side of the street that could actually have buildings coming up to the street and developing an urban landscape with these stores.

[j to the jeremy]

Where exactly will the patrons park?

Please don't tell me they're all coming by foot or D-DOT.

You know there's a HUGE parking deck right behind it, already built, right? And another one a half block up John R? And free street parking on Mack? And street parking on Woodward? And a
public pay lot behind the structure?

[313WX]

You know there's a HUGE parking deck right behind it, already built, right? And another one a half block up John R? And free street parking on Mack? And street parking on Woodward? And a
public pay lot behind the structure?

I doubt he comes to Detroit much to familiarize himself with the environs.

He's pretty much just playing armchair quarterback from up there at 15 mile and Woodward, and he bases everything that happens elsewhere on his experience in that little area [[which is silly).

So basically, I wouldn't get too worked up over his responses [[or even reply back to them).

That said, I'm hoping they at least build a garage instead of a another surface lot for additional parking, but that would cost more money and the city won't likely enforce the zoning laws in fear of losing the development [[assuming it actually happens) so that's not going to happen.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

Does anyone else find it a bit ironic that after all of the speculation as to whether or not there could possibly even be a Whole Foods in the city, so many are now criticizing the size and design of the store?

[313WX]

Does anyone else find it a bit ironic that after all of the speculation as to whether or not there could possibly even be a Whole Foods in the city, so many are now criticizing the size and design of the store?

There have been renderings of several PROPOSED projects in the cvity that never actually left the drawing board.

So I still personally have my doubts.

But, according to the first amendment of the US Constitution, don't we still have the right to provide our opinions on the renderings that are provided in the event teh PROPOSED project does actually go beyond the drawing board and the foundation is put in place?

[wolverine]

I wish it was going to be like the Whole Food's in Chicago's South Loop. That building has several other stores in it. Starbucks, Game Stop, AT&T, Michael's, Panera Bread, Visionworks, PetSmart, Office Depot, World Market and L.A. Fitness are the stores that I can think of off the top of my head. Then across the street there is a plaza with a Staples, Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins, a cleaners, a Back to Bed store. Go another block to S. Clinton and W. Roosevelt and there is a Best Buy, Home Depot and a Bed Bath & Beyond.

Yeah, the Southgate market is exactly something that could work in Detroit. You could use that existing parking garage for all the store patrons. When you check out, you hand the cashier [[or place in the machine) your garage ticket which lets you out for free.

Designing the store to have surface parking does not seem like a prudent thing to do unless the retailing environment in Detroit is so awful that you don't mind giving up land for cars. Otherwise, all the parking can just be relocated to the roof. The costs of adding approach ramps, elevators, and roof parking are justified when the building becomes multiple tenant instead of single.

The reason why Detroit will continue to receive the cheapest designs is because no one in Detroit cares what this will look like City leaders, residents just want shopping, period. I'm certain if something like this was proposed in my neighborhood, residents would be screaming bloody murder and the alderman would see that these never leave the drawing board.

Regardless, I'm happy to see a Whole Foods opening up in Detroit.

I feel sorry for the Ellington folks. Nothing says urban living like overlooking a swaths of parking in practically every direction.

[canuck]

Any good industrial and commercial buildings with character left in the city to support new big businesses coming in?

[gthomas]

Here's the actual layout of the store.

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs...4/IMG_6041.JPG

[wolverine]

Awful

........