An arena AND a mall?

[canuck]

No that's not the problem. The difference is the Chicago malls are supplementary to the existing retail, hotel, and office presence downtown....in a city 4 times the size of Detroit with a metro the size of the state of Michigan...all with beeline freeway and rail access to downtown. Detroit should build what it can handle first. A target with a couple stores and 2nd or 3rd story food court for office workers would be perfect.

Obviously not an 8story luxury mall, but still, a mall is feasible if well planned.
Maybe an anchor store or two as you suggested and a food court well integrated into an older midrise office building set. Multiple street entrances and a skylit atrium would help increase circulation. Size is a matter for discussion for sure, but many cities with smaller populations and have decent midsized malls that can attract. The Pointes are close enough to downtown to make it feasible no? They have a combined population of 46000 soulful souls.

[Wheels]

It's so ironic that people want to build what was the demise of Detroit's shopping districts to bring shopping back to Detroit!

[Hermod]

The question is why can't we direct our resources here to invest in a unqiue shopping destination here?

Whose resources? Believe me, if any of the big mall operators like Simon or Mills thought there was money to be made in a downtown mall in Detroit, either by repurposing a block of old buildings on Woodward or by starting from scratch like MacArthur Mall in Norfolk, they would already be doing it.

[corktownyuppie]

Getting investor resources to collaborate on a unique shopping district is something I'd like to see as well. Of course, the key to attracting investor resources is to demonstrate a willingness to maximize investor return while minimizing investor risk.

The good news is that we are already seeing that property developers are willing to take some risks and convert vacant properties in to revenue producing investments.

Unfortunately, it will take some time before that trickles into retail. Retail investors won't start putting money in until there at least a base level of consistent retail activity that can be assured. We're not there...yet. But I think Broderick and the Whitney will be game-changers for downtown living, as well as Midtown developments coming down the pipe.

I'd say a reasonable goal would be to get a nice downtown Target, just to show potential investors that there is retail money and a regular clientele. That's another reason why Whole Foods was such a big draw.

Plus, it can demonstrate to big chains that some of the concerns about crime and safety are overblown in the 48226 area.

If a Whole Foods and some other "consumer staples" retail can succeed...then the higher end retailers selling luxury goods and discretionary items will show up soon enough.

[401don]

[Plus, it can demonstrate to big chains that some of the concerns about crime and safety are overblown in the 48226 area. ]

Unfortunately, I don't think the shoplifiting concern is overblown. In what would already be a risk taking venture the profit margin would have to allow for an additional several percentage points for theft and that might be the tipping point in any decision. If Borders couldn't keep the Woodward doors open in a bookstore located in a head office building what hope would a Target have?

[canuck]

Seriously, how bad can the shoplifting be? Arent there tags on items now and cameras and security?

Maybe do like Costco and check the items and the bill after checkout, enlist the dept of Homeland Security, shoot anything that moves.

[wolverine]

Obviously not an 8story luxury mall, but still, a mall is feasible if well planned.
Maybe an anchor store or two as you suggested and a food court well integrated into an older midrise office building set. Multiple street entrances and a skylit atrium would help increase circulation. Size is a matter for discussion for sure, but many cities with smaller populations and have decent midsized malls that can attract. The Pointes are close enough to downtown to make it feasible no? They have a combined population of 46000 soulful souls.

You asked the question.

The answer is no.

Requires no further discussion.

If you want to see something pseudo mall-like that Detroit could probably support. Check out the Southgate Mall
http://g.co/maps/mzr6a

A little too suburban for my tastes, but it could perform well on the downtown fringe. Add a supermarket for downtown residents, a target, DSW, Marshalls, A couple fast casual restaurants along with a smaller retail store or two and you have something that would work. As I mentioned, traditional urban malls require a well established destination office / retail core to support them.

[canuck]

I asked, you axed.

Your introduction is dictatorial.

Your last paragraph convivial. We just happen to say the same. [[avec des mots différents.) Definitely make this mall development mixed-use.Office/retail/condo or apt rentals.
In other words, make the city be a people place, not an open and shut case.

[canuck]

Sorry, I corrected the google maps links in the following;
This is a rehab of an old office industrial type building that was converted into shops, a cinema and basically a huge food court. It caters to a student population near Concordia university and some other trade and tech schools. This was done in the late eighties I think. It is called Faubourg Ste-Catherine. West of there on the corner of Atwater is the old forum that was transformed into a food court, sports bars, and multiplex cinema but really isnt a very likeable project. It is better than having the old forum empty but some day the aerial rights will turn this into another mixed use project. It is called AMC forum 22. Across the street from it is a hundred store mall that dates back to the late sixties [[Alexis Nihon Plaza)and another one two blocks west [[Westmount Square) a Mies Van der Rohe designed apartment complex has a mall. They are all connected to the subway. http://maps.google.ca/maps?client=sa...e&ved=0CBMQ_BI

http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=fr&gs_nf=1&cp=10&gs_id=12&xhr=t&bav=on.2,o r.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1465&bih=856&um=1&ie= UTF-8&q=amc+forum+22&fb=1&gl=ca&hq=amc+forum+22&hnear= 0x4cc93ead64fbbf89:0x7f17e6407ec4e188,Beaconsfield ,+QC&cid=0,0,16471767663227478327&ei=SUVVT8aKEMO08 QPk9KDwBQ&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&sqi=2&ved= 0CA8Q_BIThis one was a rehab of an old hotel built in the early twenties that had seen better days and was difficult to bring to standard. [[Hotel Mont-Royal)It was done in 1989 and is a luxury mall with a cinema, food court and condos on top floors inaccessible from the mall. It is well done and has had difficulties in the past retaining tenants but the good thing for these properties is the connectedness. You can walk from one mall and office bldg to the one across the street underground[[Réso) http://maps.google.ca/maps?client=sa...e&ved=0CBUQ_BI

[gthomas]

Too many followers, not enough leader's. The mindsets of our region...too funny.

It's so ironic that people want to build what was the demise of Detroit's shopping districts to bring shopping back to Detroit!