Rossetti relocation rumors

[canuck]

Why would the employees move to Detroit? I mean, great if they do. How is working in Southfield any different than working downtown? It's still cross-metro commuting since I seriously doubt all their employees live in Southfield.

The continuing shift in businesses downtown validates the efforts to build a strong central core with good transit in the future.

Is all...

But then you would have to explain the need for a strong central core and why good transit in the future.

Not easy preaching to sidewalkless, drivewayful sprawlsvillains.

Strong central core and efficient mass transit 101.

[Shollin]

Is all...

But then you would have to explain the need for a strong central core and why good transit in the future.

Not easy preaching to sidewalkless, drivewayful sprawlsvillains.

Strong central core and efficient mass transit 101.

My suburb has sidewalks. In fact, they're in better shape than Detroit's. Where my aunt lives at Warren and Chalmers, the sidewalks are completely missing. In fact, there isn't even a curb nor a working street light. It's like living up north. We understand this strong central core, but you're building it by rearranging seats at a dining table. When an outside firm announces they're opening in Detroit and hiring x amount of people, then I'll get excited.

[hybridy]

Sooooo will all of Southfield eventually look like the Northland area with mostly empty office buildings?

hate to point out the obvious here, but anyone realize these corporations are moving out of inner ring suburbs where minority populations are increasing to downtown where reverse white flight has been identified by the last census. i shall take this moment to usher in 'reverse corporate flight'.

[brizee]

hate to point out the obvious here, but anyone realize these corporations are moving out of inner ring suburbs where minority populations are increasing to downtown where reverse white flight has been identified by the last census. i shall take this moment to usher in 'reverse corporate flight'.

...

You just legit blew my mind.

[tkelly1986]

hate to point out the obvious here, but anyone realize these corporations are moving out of inner ring suburbs where minority populations are increasing to downtown where reverse white flight has been identified by the last census. i shall take this moment to usher in 'reverse corporate flight'.

So, what you are saying is that Detroit may be adopting the European model of urbanization where the poor live on the outskirts and the rick in the city center?

This really isn’t that new and has been seen in other cities that gentrified over the past 20 years. Detroit is just a bit behind the curve.

[hybridy]

So, what you are saying is that Detroit may be adopting the European model of urbanization where the poor live on the outskirts and the rick in the city center?

This really isn’t that new and has been seen in other cities that gentrified over the past 20 years. Detroit is just a bit behind the curve.

guess cause it never came up. i though that it was 'the elephant in the room'. i only mention because of the large scale abandonment of the cbd. that's not too normal for any city.

i always wondered what all the midrise offce towers in southfield, troy, etc all concentrated in the cbd and what that would look like [[in addition to the current building stock).

[ismoakrack]

I always think about that every time I drive to Somerset. It's fun to fantasize how huge downtown would be with all the office buildings in the region [[including New Center) located downtown.

[313WX]

My suburb has sidewalks. In fact, they're in better shape than Detroit's. Where my aunt lives at Warren and Chalmers, the sidewalks are completely missing. In fact, there isn't even a curb nor a working street light. It's like living up north. We understand this strong central core, but you're building it by rearranging seats at a dining table. When an outside firm announces they're opening in Detroit and hiring x amount of people, then I'll get excited.

It's up to to the people here to clean up the mess they created first before outsiders will show interest.

[Dexlin]

Only a Metro Detroit could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by finding something to bitch about in a region that's recentralizing itself. I give out-of-staters a lot of credit when they set up shop, here, because if they spent too much time observing us in-region, they'd think we'd lost our GD minds.

Really, there are some very not-so-serious folks that post here. Lots of clowns, but thank god for the for the saner minds or we'd be more doomed than we've already been.

[DetroitPlanner]

Only a Metro Detroit could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by finding something to bitch about in a region that's recentralizing itself. I give out-of-staters a lot of credit when they set up shop, here, because if they spent too much time observing us in-region, they'd think we'd lost our GD minds.

Really, there are some very not-so-serious folks that post here. Lots of clowns, but thank god for the for the saner minds or we'd be more doomed than we've already been.

The reality is that this does not create one single job. No one has to move here. We need significant job generators to help replace the 400k jobs lost during the last recession in the region. All this does is fill one building at the expense of another.

If you think a small architectural firm will save Detroit you are kidding yourself. If you think these are the kind of people who know how to shape a City you are kidding yourself to. To them, transit is for the poor and they will be happy putting cheap doo dads on the new ticky tack McDonalds drive thru.

[TexasT]

The reality is that this does not create one single job. No one has to move here. We need significant job generators to help replace the 400k jobs lost during the last recession in the region. All this does is fill one building at the expense of another.

If you think a small architectural firm will save Detroit you are kidding yourself. If you think these are the kind of people who know how to shape a City you are kidding yourself to. To them, transit is for the poor and they will be happy putting cheap doo dads on the new ticky tack McDonalds drive thru.

It will not directly create one job but indirectly, it's another piece of the puzzle that is a reinvigorated downtown core, which comprehensively will lead to new jobs as it attracts people like me from out-of-state.

Some of y'all are missing - and have been missing - the forest for the trees.

[dmike76]

It doesn't matter how accurately or logically you put it, TexasT. There are several people on this forum who do not understand that moving jobs to the D will benefit the suburbs in the long term. Outsiders are attracted by a safe and successful big city. Nobody from out of town gives a sh*t about the suburbs. Oh gee, I think WARREN is a great draw for people from Chicago! Let's move there! Snore.....

[DetroitPlanner]

What you folks don't seem to understand is that we have a regional economy. A far bigger issue is to deal with the effects of losing 400k jobs over the last decade than where jobs are located. You won't do squat to fill in all of the empty homes in Detroit without jobs. In order for someone to be producing taxes as a Detroit resident they need to have a job regardless of where it is located. Less jobs = less Detroiters. The same number of jobs also equals less Detroiters as people will continue their exodous to the burbs unless something happens to improve schools, public safety, and the tax burden.

To be honest architects do not make the kind of money it takes to live in places like the Brodrick or the Book. They will live in the burbs.

[mwilbert]

What you folks don't seem to understand is that we have a regional economy. A far bigger issue is to deal with the effects of losing 400k jobs over the last decade than where jobs are located.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I recognize that perfectly well. I never suggested that it is better for the region to have 400 jobs move downtown than it would be to have 400 additional jobs somewhere in the metro. My claim is much more limited than that--that it is better for the region to have jobs move downtown from Warren or Southfield than to have them stay in Warren or Southfield. Those are two very different things.

[dmike76]

I agree with mwilbert. The same argument that is made about people moving here goes for companies as well. I realize that Twitter is a tiny, tiny example but it is an example nonetheless. They opened an office here to have a presence in Gilbert's tech hub, which is a result of him moving his employees downtown and creating an environment that is enticing to their success. Obviously, if someone decided to move 400 jobs from Ohio to any suburb I'd be happy with that, but I think that a more populous and successful downtown will energize and enhance movements like that.

[DetroitPlanner]

Here is where I am coming from:

I am more worried about floating all the boats to spur economic development. This is more along the lines of the game of musical chairs that started when the Ren Cen opened up so much office space all at once. The only difference is that this game of musical buildings is now being played at a regional level.

Rock/Quicken has had the numbers to make significant differences in downtown. Rosetti is not a big company no matter how you slice it. It does not deserve 3 pages of people debating. What does? Crime, jobs, improved transportation to jobs/services, insurance, tax inequity, schools, rebuilding neighborhoods. This will bring people back.

[mwilbert]

Here is where I am coming from:

I am more worried about floating all the boats to spur economic development. This is more along the lines of the game of musical chairs that started when the Ren Cen opened up so much office space all at once. The only difference is that this game of musical buildings is now being played at a regional level.

Rock/Quicken has had the numbers to make significant differences in downtown. Rosetti is not a big company no matter how you slice it. It does not deserve 3 pages of people debating. What does? Crime, jobs, improved transportation to jobs/services, insurance, tax inequity, schools, rebuilding neighborhoods. This will bring people back.

Sure, but those things aren't mutually exclusive. Getting more businesses into town isn't negative for any of the things you mention. And I think we just had maybe 10 pages about the criminal nightmare that is Somerset, so 3 pages about one aspect of economic development doesn't seem ridiculous.

[Zug]

Sorry I'm late to the party...this is a thread I just read now. A couple points:

Regarding subprime mortgages:

I agree with Shollin that in general too many people have acted completely helpless regarding the mortgages they took out. It is important to follow your gut when it comes to finances. I do tend to beleive that most people knew they were being offered unreasonablely large loans and that there were catches. Most just did not want to beleive that a worst-case scenario would happen.

However, I don't think banks are free of guilt. I do blame the banks to an extent because they really pushed higher mortgages and refinancing at the time. They spent TONS on advertising...trying to lure people into shaky loans. I remember when my parents bought a new house in 2002, they wanted to secure financing before looking, and multiple lenders told them that they qualified for a $400,000 mortgage. They even insisted that my parents "take advantage of it while you can." My dad just did not see why they would offer him so much, and he requested $200,000 because he knew what he could afford doing his own research. Even had some relatives that called him a fool for not taking advtantage...as if it was free money, lol.

Regarding Washington Blvd:

I was so happy when Washington was made into a true boulevard again. However, in hindsight [[overlooking the hideous red bars) what made that development so different from Campus Martius? Both converted underutilized "road median" dead space into public spaces. But maybe I'm not recalling Washington Blvd correctly...or am just not thinking of something.

Regarding relocation with the region:

Just as someone pointed out that concentrating jobs helps make an area look viable to outside investers...I also think it's important to note that it makes things look more viable to people already downtown. We don't know how many companies would have moved out of state, or how many developments would never have happened, had there not been suburban companies relocating downtown.

[downtownguy]

Not sure this warrants its own thread, but as it concerns yet another architectural firm's presence in the city, I'll post it here:

Neumann/Smith Architecture, a Southfield-based firm active in creating the look of many of downtown’s newest office spaces, will open a design studio this year in the historic Wright Kay Building, 1500 Woodward.


The firm has helped transform the M@dison Building at Grand Circus Park into a hub for high-tech entrepreneurial activity and has designed renovations to the Chrysler House, One Woodward Avenue Office Tower and the First National Building, located in the city’s growing tech hub. The firm is also working with Campbell Ewald to design the firm’s new headquarters in the former J.L. Hudson Co. warehouse attached to Ford Field.


Built in 1891 and designed by architect Gordon Lloyd, the Wright Kay Building is notable in Detroit’s design history for several reasons. It was built with a cast-iron frame, an evolutionary step between older masonry structures and modern steel-frame skyscrapers to come. It also sported one of the city’s first electric elevators. And it was among the first tall buildings on Woodward Avenue.


“We are excited about opening up a studio space downtown where we can be closer to our clients and the incredible revitalization taking place,” said Joel Smith, AIA, Neumann/Smith partner. “The new Detroit office will provide an opportunity for more face-to-face meetings, foster a closer client experience, and increase our involvement in the community.”


Headquartered in Southfield, the firm plans to move employees into the new design studio by June of this year, encompassing the entire third floor of the Wright Kay Building, which was purchased by Rock Ventures in December of 2011.

http://www.freep.com/article/2013032...eld-Wright-Kay