Meridian Health boosts planned new Detroit HQ by 60% UPDATE: Construction cancelled

**restoretheroar** · September-11-14, 04:18 PM

UPDATE: New construction plans cancelled. >>

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http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20140911/NEWS/140919952/growing-meridian-health-needs-60-more-space-in-new-detroit-hq

26 stories...

**SpartanDawg** · September-11-14, 04:22 PM

Just saw this... quite the update... will be the height of one woodward... and also will actually affect our skyline as well! awesome news!

Wonder if they'll change the design of the building to better reflect the lot design as well... i'm hoping they make it flush with cadillac square building

**Spartan** · September-11-14, 04:24 PM

Wow! I think this is good... Same height as the First National [[not sure why they used One Woodward as a comparison).

**SpartanDawg** · September-11-14, 04:48 PM

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I think it'll be taller than first national even.. this is the original rendering at 16 stories... add on another 10 to it and it should definitely start creeping near the top of the cadillac tower

**Gistok** · September-11-14, 05:19 PM

The comparison to One Woodward Ave., originally the ANR Gas Building is appropriate because it too has 26 stories of offices space.

I agree... a better use of the footprint would be great for a taller tower... perhaps a pentagonal tower [[smaller footprint than the hollow Compuware Bldg.)... would work there as well as it did for Compuware.

I can't think of a better candidate of a building design for going back to the drawing board....

**emu steve** · September-11-14, 06:14 PM

and this bit of good news [[one less surface parking lot):

"The site, owned by the Detroit Downtown Development Authority, is currently a 230-space surface parking lot."

**stinkytofu** · September-11-14, 06:28 PM

Apparently I've blown through my free articles...

Any word on a planned break ground date?

**Gistok** · September-11-14, 07:18 PM

Originally Posted by stinkytofu

Apparently I've blown through my free articles...

Any word on a planned break ground date?

I usually just do a Google search on "Crains Detroit" + Topic Name.... to get to view the entire Crains articles....

**subsidized** · September-11-14, 07:41 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

I usually just do a Google search on "Crains Detroit" + Topic Name.... to get to view the entire Crains articles....

It also works if you view the page in "incognito" mode.

**innercitydoc** · September-11-14, 07:49 PM

Welp, so much for those rumors that this project was cancelled..

**Danny** · September-11-14, 08:33 PM

Meridian and its new building near Gilbert Square just across the street from Dan Gilbert Plaza will make huge impact on Gilberttown Detroit regional business.

**DetroitPlanner** · September-11-14, 09:50 PM

I hear it is going to be 2,000 stories tall, but only 10 feet wide.

Seriously folks, you think they are going to build all of this new space when they can just move into existing space for less? Compuware has already announced it is going to downsize. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/compuw...130000621.html

"DETROIT, Sept. 10, 2014 [[GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Compuware Corporation [[CPWR) today announced that it plans to operationally separate its mainframe and APM businesses and that the resulting mainframe-dedicated company will carry the Compuware name."

Sounds like a sell off/downsizing to me!

**SpartanDawg** · September-11-14, 10:18 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

I hear it is going to be 2,000 stories tall, but only 10 feet wide.

Seriously folks, you think they are going to build all of this new space when they can just move into existing space for less? Compuware has already announced it is going to downsize. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/compuw...130000621.html

"DETROIT, Sept. 10, 2014 [[GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Compuware Corporation [[CPWR) today announced that it plans to operationally separate its mainframe and APM businesses and that the resulting mainframe-dedicated company will carry the Compuware name."

Sounds like a sell off/downsizing to me!

you win the award for worst post of all time. Can't tell if you're being sarcastic but if you're being serious, delete your account please

**mwilbert** · September-11-14, 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

I hear it is going to be 2,000 stories tall, but only 10 feet wide.

Seriously folks, you think they are going to build all of this new space when they can just move into existing space for less? Compuware has already announced it is going to downsize. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/compuw...130000621.html

"DETROIT, Sept. 10, 2014 [[GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Compuware Corporation [[CPWR) today announced that it plans to operationally separate its mainframe and APM businesses and that the resulting mainframe-dedicated company will carry the Compuware name."

Sounds like a sell off/downsizing to me!

Maybe. "Operationally separate" doesn't mean downsize, it means split into two separate operating businesses. Of course they could downsize without "operationally separating", so it doesn't mean they aren't either.

**animatedmartian** · September-11-14, 10:39 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

I hear it is going to be 2,000 stories tall, but only 10 feet wide.

Seriously folks, you think they are going to build all of this new space when they can just move into existing space for less? Compuware has already announced it is going to downsize. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/compuw...130000621.html

"DETROIT, Sept. 10, 2014 [[GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Compuware Corporation [[CPWR) today announced that it plans to operationally separate its mainframe and APM businesses and that the resulting mainframe-dedicated company will carry the Compuware name."

Sounds like a sell off/downsizing to me!

Even if Compuware did downsize, Meridan needs 520,000 square feet according to Crain's. That's already half of Compuware HQ's total building size. Unless Dan Gilbert moves out of Compuware as well, Meridian aint gonna fit. And in fact, Meridian aint gonna fit anywhere else because most other downtown skyscrapers are 80-90% occupied and have a total square footage smaller than 500,000 square feet. The fact is, there's no space for a company this size to occupy which means they have to build new.

The rumor that Merdian was going to move into Compuware is based on if Compuware had left Detroit completely, not just downsizing.

**DetroitPlanner** · September-11-14, 11:03 PM

Meridian is in Several Floors of 1001 and the Kennedy Square buildings already.

People get all giddy about building size. That is not important to our local economy NEW JOBS are.

**stinkytofu** · September-11-14, 11:45 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

Meridian is in Several Floors of 1001 and the Kennedy Square buildings already.

People get all giddy about building size. That is not important to our local economy NEW JOBS are.

Well, the good news is that it appears that Meridian is planning for significant job growth in the future which would be new jobs.

If they are building new I'm sure their structure would be planned to hold all their employees. Why would they build relatively smaller and still have employees in different buildings other than HQ?

**animatedmartian** · September-12-14, 12:03 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

Meridian is in Several Floors of 1001 and the Kennedy Square buildings already.

People get all giddy about building size. That is not important to our local economy NEW JOBS are.

For whatever reason, I thought they filled office buildings with employees. Guess Merdian wanted to build a new building just for the heck of it.

**emu steve** · September-12-14, 03:55 AM

Stay tuned, the story is changing?

"Editor's note: A story posted on Thursday afternoon about plans for the new Meridian Health Plan building in downtown Detroit contained information from sources that Crain's later learned was not reflective of the company's latest plans.

Crain's is working to clarify the information and update the story."

**nain rouge** · September-12-14, 07:01 AM

Meridian is planning to fly in a skyscraper from Dubai.

**DetroitPlanner** · September-12-14, 08:09 AM

I hear Meridian is going to get away from employing humans and replacing them with talking apes and Bill Bonds will be the ringleader.

**eliboyer** · September-12-14, 08:10 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

Meridian is in Several Floors of 1001 and the Kennedy Square buildings already.

People get all giddy about building size. That is not important to our local economy NEW JOBS are.

Whether the story of this project expanding is true or not, this mindset is very short-sighted. Company's build to account/allow for future growth, which it seems Meridien is doing in this case. When they leave the few floors they occupy in the other building you mention, the hope is that smaller firms will fill in the gaps. And given the demand for Class A office space downtown these days, I don't think the 1001 and Kennedy Square gaps will be empty for long.

**Mackinaw** · September-12-14, 08:20 AM

I agree, Eliboyer. The strong trends downtown and the push to continue consolidation of corporations and employees there warrants appropriate height, to say nothing about the aesthetic considerations.

Staying tuned for Crains' update. It's current fact-check blurb is, well, possibly ominous. But I don't think they could have gotten the 26-stories lead from nowhere.

**Honky Tonk** · September-12-14, 08:24 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

I hear Meridian is going to get away from employing humans and replacing them with talking apes and Bill Bonds will be the ringleader.

I heard they're going to be stacking converted shipping containers as needed.

**bailey** · September-12-14, 08:52 AM

Originally Posted by Mackinaw

I agree, Eliboyer. The strong trends downtown and the push to continue consolidation of corporations and employees there warrants appropriate height, to say nothing about the aesthetic considerations.

Staying tuned for Crains' update. It's current fact-check blurb is, well, possibly ominous. But I don't think they could have gotten the 26-stories lead from nowhere.

allegedly someone got a hold of a very obsolete "dream"/"every bell and whistle" wishlist memo for the new building which in no way reflects reality and ran with it as a scoop. ALLEGEDLY. someone I know could also just be talking out of their hat...