Grosse Pointe vs. Bloomfield Hills: best days behind them?

[Gistok]

.... and Mike & Marian Ilitch live next door to Franklin in tiny Bingham Farms.

[Bham1982]

.... and Mike & Marian Ilitch live next door to Franklin in tiny Bingham Farms.

Yeah, Bingham Farms too. Basically that Rouge ravine area around 13 mile-14 mile has big money, whether in Franklin, Bingham Farms, Beverly Hills, or whatever.

A lot of homes are hidden away from the street, and everything is heavily wooded, so it's hard to tell, but check out aerials on Bing Maps, Google Maps or whatever. Especially look right off Franklin Rd. between 13 and 14 [[which you would never know just driving through).

[Gistok]

well, LA Fitness are not exactly "small" as gyms go. looking at the flyer it does look from the cartoonish map on it that its going to be on the St Johns Parking lot side of the mack/moross corner.

I imagine there is some reluctance to allow an office building to be thrown up on spec. The Kerby building is half empty, there are multiple empty/for sale offices along mack to Cadiieux....so throwing in more office would seem to be a bad decision.

I agree with many... it would be a perfect location for a small hotel.

Where we left off 2 weeks ago...

I just drove by the Pointe Plaza [[St. John Campus mini-mall) Center on the Detroit side of Moross/Mack. That LA Fitness Center is going to be in that small shopping arcade, taking the place of the Rite-Aid store and one or two neighboring stores. They are putting a very large new building front onto the Moross side of that plaza, with the fake facade building front rising above 2 levels of parking above the shops [[sort of a mini RenCen Winter Garden look to it).

So that large parcel of empty land on the GPF side of Mack/Moross is still unplanned.

[p69rrh51]

Where we left off 2 weeks ago...

I just drove by the Pointe Plaza [[St. John Campus mini-mall) Center on the Detroit side of Moross/Mack. That LA Fitness Center is going to be in that small shopping arcade, taking the place of the Rite-Aid store and one or two neighboring stores. They are putting a very large new building front onto the Moross side of that plaza, with the fake facade building front rising above 2 levels of parking above the shops [[sort of a mini RenCen Winter Garden look to it).

So that large parcel of empty land on the GPF side of Mack/Moross is still unplanned.

Gistok, the GPF counsel has absolutely no interest in any development of the corner. I have a feeling they have their eye on the the Jo-Ann Fabric Store and would like to raze that building.

[Gistok]

Gistok, the GPF counsel has absolutely no interest in any development of the corner. I have a feeling they have their eye on the the Jo-Ann Fabric Store and would like to raze that building.

P69rrh51, it's rather odd how GPF went about acquiring the 8 houses that they razed along Moross. They bought the 8th one away from Mack and razed it, thus pressuring the 7 closer houses to sell... only to not have a plan for the parcel. Then the empty parcel got bigger with the purchase/razing of Krogers. So for a city with no plans... they sure are being methodical about it...

[bailey]

P69rrh51, it's rather odd how GPF went about acquiring the 8 houses that they razed along Moross. They bought the 8th one away from Mack and razed it, thus pressuring the 7 closer houses to sell... only to not have a plan for the parcel. Then the empty parcel got bigger with the purchase/razing of Krogers. So for a city with no plans... they sure are being methodical about it...

From what I've heard, the first plan was to get rid of the janky sears and that run down kroger... and then in the early 00s it was going to be Sunrise type facility in it's place. But then two sunrises went in on Mack. Then the idea was to do a more assisted/semi independent senior living... .then the Children's home of Detroit site did that large development. Then the idea was to do a Fitness/rec center/Senior center for the Farms like the Park did... then the Neighborhood club released it's plans and the SOC finalized its plans for the old Nurse's residence behind Cottage. Of course all this going on during the great recession.

Then, allegedly, there was a proposal for LA or Lifetime fitness to build a large gym... but the blue hairs had a hissy fit over the thought of a 24 hour or extended hour gym. So, it's across the street in the St Johns parking lot.

I think now they are just going to make the green space larger and expand the dog park area and the soccer fields [[which has another group of blue hairs upset because of the "noise" of the parks). I guess I'm fine with green-space as again, allegedly/local gossip, the only "real" proposals were for stand alone fast food or bank branch and those [[thankfully) have been rejected out of hand.

[Pro-Techt]

Bham gets it. Oakland County in general has some architectural abominations that merit trials at The Hague and there’s some gorgeous classic architecture as well. The prevalence of architectural atrocities is far-lower in the Pointes.

GP is located on one of the nicest freshwater lakes in the country for pleasure boating and part of the world’s largest freshwater systems. We can be at our boats in five minutes and on the water in ten. Our parks are essentially private clubs unto themselves, with comparable amenities and private marinas.

Another thing that’s oft overlooked is that GP is legitimately a community. Kids ride their bikes to school, to the corner store, and to the parks. We don’t have a highway running through the middle of town [[which is nice, but is a drawback too) separating us from each other.

GP people, by and large, are more polite. I work in Bloomfield Hills and when I hold the door open for ladies and say please and thank you, people look at me strangely. Birmingham has less of those people, but in BH I am clearly an outlier.

Grosse Pointe has more of a classic sense of style as well. You see far less $300 jeans and Ed Hardy t-shirts and far more polos and pearls, as we say.

Yes, there’s less of a nightlife in GP, but then I can be downtown in ten minutes. I would also argue that the Park strip is coming back and with the increase economic activity in the area soon we’ll be back to the days of weekend evenings looking like mardi gras.

Is there less shopping in GP? Absolutely, go to Sommerset around Christmas time and then tell me you’re not thankful that it is 30 minutes away. The only thing worse than a mall at Christmas is listening to people complain about driving there the rest of the year. You can have your shopping and droves of aspirational undesirables clogging your roadways, thank you very much.

GP is far more tied to downtown than BH and Birmingham, which is tied far more to the faceless glass towers of Troy. Right now, I would be short suburban office space and long downtown office space, if I were looking at the trend. As for the demographic picture of GP [[BH and Birmingham, as well) having masses of old people, just look at our county’s demographics. It was just worse here because for the last eight years young people couldn’t get a job in SE Michigan to save their life. That trend is starting to reverse.

By the way, someone mentioned something about liquid wealth in GP. I will say this, one wealth management office from a bulge bracket bank is the second-largest in the world as measured by assets under management. There’s an astounding amount wealth in SE Michigan in general and GP in particular, it’s just that there wasn’t any wealth generation for the last ten years.

Don’t count out GP, or BH and Birmingham. Though, I would say Birmingham is probably overvalued right now from a market prospective, otherwise I like that town. BH is just ghastly and filled with people of poor breeding and even worse bearing. I wouldn’t live there if you paid me.

Out of all the posts in this thread, this one hit home to my opinion the most. Having recently moved to GPP from S. Florida [[lived there for 7 yrs), I can honestly say living here is better then I thought it would be. My kids are extremely happy and I truly believe it's an incredible place to live and raise a family. The parks are amazing. Especially Windmill Pointe which has a huge residents only movie theater with super cheap concessions. And then there's Patterson Park where they can go ice skating for free with their friends. Even though tough sections of Detroit are in our backdrop, I really don't feel threatened at all. I believe the GPP Police has less than a 2 minute response time which I feel is phenomenal. Yes, the people aren't super trendy, but they are into raising their families. To me, there is nothing more important at this point in my parenthood.

[aoife]

I think now they are just going to make the green space larger and expand the dog park area and the soccer fields [[which has another group of blue hairs upset because of the "noise" of the parks). I guess I'm fine with green-space as again, allegedly/local gossip, the only "real" proposals were for stand alone fast food or bank branch and those [[thankfully) have been rejected out of hand.

This is what I have heard as well. It is all basically going to be an extension of Kerby Field. So that area will have the baseball fields, the hockey/basketball rink, the playground, the little building with bathrooms, the dog park and the soccer field. And the dog park, which they are currently working on, is going to be huge. I live a few blocks away and love the idea. Creating more community space is way more attractive and useful than yet another old folks home or a fitness center. Also, my dog really needs the exercise.

I know at one point they were considering moving the police and fire up to the corner of 7 & Mack since most of the property crime seems to take place in the neighborhoods up there [[the 400 blocks), but there were objections by some of the Lakeshore Drive contingency. Apparently the world turns only for them...

[GP For Life]

Out of all the posts in this thread, this one hit home to my opinion the most. Having recently moved to GPP from S. Florida [[lived there for 7 yrs), I can honestly say living here is better then I thought it would be. My kids are extremely happy and I truly believe it's an incredible place to live and raise a family. The parks are amazing. Especially Windmill Pointe which has a huge residents only movie theater with super cheap concessions. And then there's Patterson Park where they can go ice skating for free with their friends. Even though tough sections of Detroit are in our backdrop, I really don't feel threatened at all. I believe the GPP Police has less than a 2 minute response time which I feel is phenomenal. Yes, the people aren't super trendy, but they are into raising their families. To me, there is nothing more important at this point in my parenthood.

Welcome to GP! We're glad you feel at home!

[Jaybiz]

When I come up to visit my son in Macomb Township [[roughly 22 Mile and Heydenreich), I go airport-I275-I696 rather than airport-I94. If I break down or have a flat, I would far rather be on I275 or I696 than I94.

No offense buts that's crazy to go so far out of your way just to avoid I94, I've never heard of such a thing. What exactly are you afraid of?

[bailey]

No offense buts that's crazy to go so far out of your way just to avoid I94, I've never heard of such a thing. What exactly are you afraid of?

the blacks.

[Gistok]

I have to agree, Hermod... for being a well informed DYES poster, your paranoia is somewhat surprising.

There are courtesy vans that constantly patrol the Detroit freeways for folks who are broken down on the freeway.

Your fear reminds me of the folks living at 32 Mile Rd. who boast that they haven't been in Detroit in 30 years...

[poobert]

I have to agree, Hermod... for being a well informed DYES poster...

Just being completely honest here - since when? He is the embodiment of Frank Rizzo.

[Jaybiz]

the blacks.

hahaa! Clearly that's the fear. Ironically Macomb Township is nothing special and it is becoming rapidly diverse, maybe in a few years Hermod will stop visiting son altogether.

[jt1]

hahaa! Clearly that's the fear. Ironically Macomb Township is nothing special and it is becoming rapidly diverse, maybe in a few years Hermod will stop visiting son altogether.

No, his son will just move ten miles north.