Detroit targets Park Ave. Bldg. for demolition

[ghettopalmetto]

Seems like such an easy decision. Why is it so hard for the powers-that-be to understand?

Because the powers-that-be have no idea what they're doing. Even when you wistfully go back to the glory days of George Jackson at DEGC...George Jackson has a background in marketing for DTE Energy. He doesn't know Thing One about development or building design and construction. I suspect you can extend that typology across the board--especially if the City is hiring Mr. Jackson's consulting services.

[Mackinaw]

Couple updates here via today's Freep article [[which Preservation Detroit has commented about on its Facebook):
http://www.freep.com/story/news/loca...uits/70695200/

Seems the building is safe from demo for now, but still alarming that Sachs is in the drivers seat and the city is kicking the can down the road. Inevitably, he won't fully comply with the court order. My question is what will that mean? Forced demo [[or demo at his option), or seizure-and-auction by the City?

Seems that, as a policy matter, the City Law Dep't is at least opening the door to the course of action I've championed on this thread. Or it might be. There is an ambiguous paragraph in Helms' Freep article which, following a lengthy discussion about how the city has hired additional attorneys to ramp up enforcement action against owners of decrepit commercial buildings, states "City lawyers are using nuisance-abatement laws similar to those used by the Detroit Land Bank Authority to force negligent residential property owners to either fix up vacant, decaying homes or deed them to the land bank, which then auctions them on www.buildingdetroit.com. The cases are heard by chief Wayne County Circuit Judge Robert Colombo Jr." This paragraph is susceptible to multiple interpretations, particularly in context, but to the extent it is saying that the city is going to use the Land Bank's seize and auction model for vacant commercial buildings, then that is great. Ideally, if Sachs goes into contempt of court order [[inevitably), I'd want to see the city go this route.

[bailey]

Couple updates here via today's Freep article [[which Preservation Detroit has commented about on its Facebook):
http://www.freep.com/story/news/loca...uits/70695200/

■ Frank Mabry Jr., owner of 14115 E. Jefferson on the city's east side. Detroit won an order in February for the owner to remove trees growing from a roof, along with roof repairs, windows boarded up, trash, peeling paint and graffiti removed and other repairs, court record show. Mabry has until July 29 to have the building either certified in compliance or torn down.

Reached Monday, Mabry and his wife, Marchele, who live in New York, said they were stymied by fraudulent actions by nearby property owners and no cooperation from the city in an effort to turn the building into a counseling and service center for military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, through a nonprofit agency they established.


Mabry Jr., retired from the U.S. Marine Corps, and his wife said they're still trying to round up support for the center, but they harbor hard feelings for the city.

You know you're from Grosse Pointe if you know there are 8 "Frank Mabrys" and can tell which one is which

...the joke being Frank Mabry, Jr named all his kids Frank Mabry. Gp's version of George Foreman.

[emu steve]

I'll use this thread to ask a question about a topic including in the article I reference:

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/new...rena/25398781/

There is reference to parking spaces from 1,200 --> 1,100 and a council woman wants it --> 600.

Question: Is that because of traffic concerns or something else?

Is the 'plan' to cause parking spaces to be spread across a broader area to prevent 'everyone' wanting to park next to the new arena, thereby causing greater traffic problems, as traffic funnels toward the arena?

Is the fear that southbound Cass [[e.g., starting around, or before, Temple) will become a mess as folks near the arena site? I assume southbound Cass would be a popular route for those using the parking attached to the arena. [[others might take Cass southbound TOWARD Fisher for parking north of the freeway). Others might park near Comerica and walk to the arena.

[Mackinaw]

Steve, this thread is about the Park Avenue Building that overlooks Grand Circus Park. Granted, there are a few similarly named buildings so it is confusing.

[emu steve]

My bad... I wasn't thinking...

[subsidized]

I'll use this thread to ask a question about a topic including in the article I reference:

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/new...rena/25398781/

There is reference to parking spaces from 1,200 --> 1,100 and a council woman wants it --> 600.

Question: Is that because of traffic concerns or something else?

Is the 'plan' to cause parking spaces to be spread across a broader area to prevent 'everyone' wanting to park next to the new arena, thereby causing greater traffic problems, as traffic funnels toward the arena?

Is the fear that southbound Cass [[e.g., starting around, or before, Temple) will become a mess as folks near the arena site? I assume southbound Cass would be a popular route for those using the parking attached to the arena. [[others might take Cass southbound TOWARD Fisher for parking north of the freeway). Others might park near Comerica and walk to the arena.

I've read in the past that one concern is that Cass was supposed to be the designated road in and out of downtown via bicycle. With sections of the M-1 rail running curbside negating any chance of bicycle lanes on Woodward, dumping all the arena traffic onto Cass would pose a greater risk for cyclists.

[emu steve]

Steve, this thread is about the Park Avenue Building that overlooks Grand Circus Park. Granted, there are a few similarly named buildings so it is confusing.

Wow, there is a Park Avenue Building and a... "Also planned is the controversial demolition of the historic Park Avenue Hotel and the renovation of its historic next-door neighbor, the Hotel Eddystone."

Wow. One has to be careful.

[animatedmartian]

There's also a Park Avenue House [[which is a hotel). Also designed by Louis Kamper, same designer for the Park Avenue Hotel. All three along Park Avenue.