State Fairgrounds Now The Magic Fairgrounds [[See What I Did There?)

**jw101** · October-02-13, 03:39 PM

While the design itself is quite suburban, and I HATE the suburbs, it is still very exciting news, as it is in Detroit city limits. Looking forward to this major development!

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http://www.freep.com/article/20131002/BUSINESS06/310020172/The-Michigan-Land-Bank-Fast-Track-Authority-state-land-bank-Magic-Johnson

**Jimaz** · October-02-13, 04:31 PM

A larger view of that plan

**Malcove Magnesia** · October-02-13, 04:36 PM

I guess this means future attempts at a "Michigan State Fair" will always be held in Novi?

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · October-02-13, 04:38 PM

I am excited about this; I do get a little sad about the State Fair, though. But since we do not have the fair anymore anyway...

**mtburb** · October-02-13, 04:56 PM

A closer look at this plan reveals that one of the streets in this complex is to be called "Mackinac Street"...isn't there already a Mackinac Street branching off Grand River Avenue near the Grande Ballroom?!?!?

Plus, is it true that Fifth Third Bank now sponsors the newest incarnation of the State Fair? I thought that corporate sponsorship of state fairs was prohibited, but that didn't apply to individual parts of the fairs.

**ferndalien** · October-02-13, 05:01 PM

Wonder if there will be any parking? Jeez.

**401don** · October-02-13, 05:49 PM

All in all a beautiful late 20th century design.

**royce** · October-02-13, 09:08 PM

I'm not understanding how the spokesman for Magic Johnson's development group can say, "...there is no site plan yet," when the plans were made in July of 2012 and Jimaz just put them on this thread. These are only preliminary plans? Wow, they're rather elaborate to not be the ones for the site.

**mwilbert** · October-02-13, 10:10 PM

I personally find this sale much more problematic than leasing Belle Isle to the state. I don't love the design, I think the land use choices are questionable, and we will be stuck with it indefinitely, if it is successful. If it isn't, it will be blighted in no time. But no doubt it could be worse.

**professorscott** · October-02-13, 10:34 PM

Originally Posted by royce

I'm not understanding how the spokesman for Magic Johnson's development group can say, "...there is no site plan yet," when the plans were made in July of 2012 and Jimaz just put them on this thread. These are only preliminary plans? Wow, they're rather elaborate to not be the ones for the site.

"Site Plan" is a term with legal connotations. You formally submit a site plan to a body, such as a planning commission, with statutory authority to approve it [[or not). A developer may have several different ideas how to develop a site - and in fact may have them drawn up with a good bit of detail - but will only submit one for approval.

The parking simply reflects reality. In the present environment there isn't any good transit, and the site certainly isn't easy to walk to from almost anywhere, and the City will require parking based on building use and square footage. Once there is some real transit, if the City then decides to allow reduced parking along major transit lines, then some of the surface parking could be repurposed.

**Cliffy** · October-02-13, 10:41 PM

I don't understand how they can give the land away instead of putting up for sale.

**Gistok** · October-02-13, 11:15 PM

Not Mackinac Street...... Mackinac Strait.....

**Hermod** · October-03-13, 04:12 AM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Not Mackinac Street...... Mackinac Strait.....

Rue de Mackinac

**Hermod** · October-03-13, 04:16 AM

Originally Posted by mwilbert

I personally find this sale much more problematic than leasing Belle Isle to the state. I don't love the design, I think the land use choices are questionable, and we will be stuck with it indefinitely, if it is successful. If it isn't, it will be blighted in no time. But no doubt it could be worse.

"Stuck with it" as opposed to having a boarded up state fair site? If it fails, you will have a blighted shopping center instead of a blighted state fair. If it succeeds, you will have a going commercial center. It isn't like land in that part of the city is so scarce or desirable. There is plenty of room for residential redevelopment.

**mikeg19** · October-03-13, 06:32 AM

Originally Posted by Cliffy

I don't understand how they can give the land away instead of putting up for sale.

I'm guessing because it's been sitting there for a few years now and besides the Meijer development, nobody has put in serious offers on the land.

My take, the city wins, as it's getting rid of unused land to a development team in Magic Johnson, a very successful businessman and developer in his own right, who has a plan for utilizing the entire site, not just a small portion of it. Plus you have the homegrown element of Magic working in the city of Detroit. I'm just looking at it as an increase in the tax base, and more development.

**mwilbert** · October-03-13, 06:35 AM

Originally Posted by Hermod

"Stuck with it" as opposed to having a boarded up state fair site? If it fails, you will have a blighted shopping center instead of a blighted state fair. If it succeeds, you will have a going commercial center. It isn't like land in that part of the city is so scarce or desirable. There is plenty of room for residential redevelopment.

It can be preferable to have the potential to have something good than to actually have something mediocre. The State Fair site isn't really bothering anyone as far as I know. But I'm not exactly against it, just unenthusiastic.

**Hermod** · October-03-13, 07:24 AM

Originally Posted by mwilbert

It can be preferable to have the potential to have something good than to actually have something mediocre. The State Fair site isn't really bothering anyone as far as I know. But I'm not exactly against it, just unenthusiastic.

I don't think you can expect Partridge Creek.

**stasu1213** · October-03-13, 07:42 AM

I would love to see an entertainment complex built on the land as well as a Detroit Pistons camp where the players could practice as well as a camp for youths.

**bailey** · October-03-13, 07:50 AM

Originally Posted by Hermod

I don't think you can expect Partridge Creek.

No, but it would be nice to see something more than M-59/"big box store/strip mall in a sea of parking lot" type of site plan.

But, reality is... doing anything more than the cheapest possible plan is likely not feasible as they aren't a charity. I have a feeling its going to end up looking like Bel Air Centre rather quickly.

**Hermod** · October-03-13, 08:26 AM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

I would love to see an entertainment complex built on the land as well as a Detroit Pistons camp where the players could practice as well as a camp for youths.

Disney, Universal, Busch Gardens, Six Flags, and Cedar Fair are not exactly lining up to build an amusement park in the D.

**stasu1213** · October-03-13, 08:37 AM

didn't say amusement park. I had said an entertainment complex. There is a difference. Detroit is on a comeback. Magic, just like Gilbert, has a passion for it and the backing to get it done

**Hermod** · October-03-13, 08:40 AM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

didn't say amusement park. I had said an entertainment complex. There is a difference. Detroit is on a comeback. Magic, just like Gilbert, has a passion for it and the backing to get it done

Yet all the SimCity types here are complaining about how Magic is doing it. Someone opens up a used paperback book store in an empty building and you complain because it isn't a high-end cufflink shop.

**bailey** · October-03-13, 10:07 AM

Originally Posted by Hermod

Yet all the SimCity types here are complaining about how Magic is doing it. Someone opens up a used paperback book store in an empty building and you complain because it isn't a high-end cufflink shop.

I think it's interesting the amount of slack being cut to Magic on his proposal to build a strip mall/sea of surface parking....yet if Illitch were to put forth the exact same plan he'd be vilified.

I don't think it's unreasonable to want development to happen that doesn't just take a crappy situation and just make it worse when 5 years down the line [[and tons of tax breaks and public funds blown) it's likely to be just another half empty strip mall.

Doesn't really matter.. I mean the meijer is already there... so why bother with anything else than a M-59 development.

**hybridy** · October-03-13, 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by 401don

All in all a beautiful late 20th century design.

haha, you said it. so sick of the "we'll get what we can take" attitude. why doesn't the community expect anything more?

once upon a time, gateway marketplace wasn't a giant strip mall. it was supposed to be "shoppes at gateway park" and have JC Penny, HomeGoods, no fast food outlets and layout akin to the redevloped Wonderland and Universal Malls.

Magic's project will be no different, just larger. We already built these projects. And I agree with bailey, it's called Bel-Air and its just down the road.

**jt1** · October-03-13, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by bailey

I think it's interesting the amount of slack being cut to Magic on his proposal to build a strip mall/sea of surface parking....yet if Illitch were to put forth the exact same plan he'd be vilified.

I don't think it's unreasonable to want development to happen that doesn't just take a crappy situation and just make it worse when 5 years down the line [[and tons of tax breaks and public funds blown) it's likely to be just another half empty strip mall.

Doesn't really matter.. I mean the meijer is already there... so why bother with anything else than a M-59 development.

I think the slack comes from the fact that many people that rightfully villify Ilitch are looking primarily at downtown. I am pretty confident that this will be a clusterf... of parking, a few big box retailers and lots of fencing with nothing to blend into the community or city. I have no faith in this based upon previous 'designs' and the fact that the deal will be structured where the developers have no real skin in the game up front [[delayed payments, no direct cost to purchase it, etc)