Outdoor Eating on Jefferson - Crowne Plaza update!

**French777** · July-11-13, 10:46 AM

There is now tables, chairs and red umbrella's along Jefferson Avenue outside the Crowne Plaza. I think it looks great, and adds a bit of a 'liveablility' asset to Jefferson Avenue there. I snapped a few photos, but seem to have trouble uploading them onto here. I will try again later.

**French777** · July-11-13, 10:51 AM

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Jefferson Avenue, Crowne Plaze

**Hamtragedy** · July-11-13, 07:23 PM

The hotel is still officially not opened.

As someone familiar with pulling permits with the city, the ineptitude at City of Detroit Building Safety and Engineering Dept. is off the charts. Inspectors cancel for no reason, don't notify anyone. One inspector went home early because there weren't enough inspections scheduled on a Monday. HUH? That bumped my Wednesday inspection another 3 days [[it takes a minimum of three days to schedule an inspection, up to a week if there's a holiday), because my Friday guy never showed up, never notified, nothing.

Anyone trying to open up a business, large or small, or run a job, needs to know to extend your deadline to an unattainable date. Triple or quardruple how long it would normally take. Charge a minimum of 25% in addition to your projected costs to cover downtime and hassle.

Sorry about the treadjack, but the Crown was supposed to open Memorial Day weekend. I don't work there, and really don't have an interest, but the frustration level experience by them and other business owners is unfathomable.

**stasu1213** · July-11-13, 09:05 PM

I had said in another thread that Bing and these inspectors had made this city a businesses unfriendly city. Who is really pulling the strings. I will be glad when Duggan or some other community minded candidate will take over the rings. Bing had been for big business such as GM and, in my opinion could care less for the small business community. A liquor store could open within a month from announcing that it will open but a hotel, retail stores, grocery stores that are not Bing endorsed, and restaurants, have to wait a whole years after announcing that they will be opening soon

**downtownguy** · July-12-13, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

Bing had been for big business such as GM and, in my opinion could care less for the small business community. A liquor store could open within a month from announcing that it will open but a hotel, retail stores, grocery stores that are not Bing endorsed, and restaurants, have to wait a whole years after announcing that they will be opening soon

Wait! A liquor store is big business, but a hotel is not?

**stasu1213** · July-12-13, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by downtownguy

Wait! A liquor store is big business, but a hotel is not?

I did not say that a liquor store is big business and a hotel is not. I had said that many liquor stores throughout Detroit had opened in a timely manner, within 10 months or a year. Other businesses that have not anything to do with booze, soft porn, etc are given the maze of red tape to go through to open. The Crown Plaza Hotel was set to open in late June and it is a month later. The shops that were to open along Agnes street in West Village were due to open this past March but the city had given those potential shop owners problems. I had spoken to many small business owners who had said that they had a hell of a time trying to open their shops due to the hoops they had to jump through since the city had privatized building and safety dept. It was hard for them to even get a permit. I would not be surprised if Dan Gilbert is having a time convencing retail to open in downtown Detroit due to the red tape.