Dan Gilbert Expected To Announce Brush Park Development

[MSUguy]

The Historic District Commission according it's facebook the other day is holding a special session today at 5:30 13th floor of the municipal center on this project.

[casscorridor]

My major concern is how are they going to develop the alleys that exists now. Are they going to be wide enough for car traffic and a sidewalk? One of the things that Crosswinds did was put townhouses facing the old alleys, but they didn't make them wide enough for a sidewalk, parking lane, and a one-way right of way. Had they done that, you would have had more foot traffic in front of the townhouses that faced the alley. More foot traffic would have added to a sense of safety and convenience for visitors.

I hope this development takes that into consideration. Some of these new developments never consider that a person living in one of their units might have guests who need to have somewhere to park. It's not an issue when you build on a street that already exists. However when the developer is trying to jam residential units where backyards and garages used to be, then they need to create a new "lane" and not just a passage way for the grounds keeping crew.

Maybe some people enjoy a street with no car traffic.

[bassab]

Last night's meeting:

http://www.mlive.com/business/detroi..._story_package

[mikeg19]

I guess barring any craziness next month, this project is a go. Next up for Brush Park, the Brewstar Douglas site.

[ekleezy]

Have there been any plans announced a block away from this [[on Woodward between Alfred and Edmund) yet?

[ABetterDetroit]

Wonder what the total for new residences under construction in the D for 2016 will be? It's starting to look like a pretty impressive number.

[Junjie]

Here's a quick map I put together with some of the developments, plus the arena and M-1 Rail. Gilbert's is the big one in the middle, then the Scott at top left and Brewster Wheeler at right.

[[Edit: Strike this part!) As ever the issue seems to be things actually getting built. Did the Scott ever start construction? I haven't been that way in some months. This article from June suggested it was a matter of weeks.

The Brewster Wheeler project on the map is the 150 units mentioned here. Any news on that?

Others that people know about? Even just these three add up to a lot if they all come through.

[erikd]

Here's a quick map I put together with some of the developments, plus the arena and M-1 Rail. Gilbert's is the big one in the middle, then the Scott at top left and Brewster Wheeler at right.

As ever the issue seems to be things actually getting built. Did the Scott ever start construction? I haven't been that way in some months. This article from June suggested it was a matter of weeks.

The Brewster Wheeler project on the map is the 150 units mentioned here. Any news on that?

Others that people know about? Even just these three add up to a lot if they all come through.

The Scott, as of a few weeks ago.

[Junjie]

The Scott, as of a few weeks ago.

Awesome, thanks for the update!

[casscorridor]

The Scott, as of a few weeks ago.

built from wood? haha

[hybridy]

built from wood? haha

cheaper than light gauge steel at the moment...those are the options for low to mid rise structures in the us of a

[emu steve]

cheaper than light gauge steel at the moment...those are the options for low to mid rise structures in the us of a

Do folks want to live in apartment structures with wood floors, rather than concrete?

Isn't that a big drawback of garden style apartments: wood floors and not concrete like in mid rise and higher?

[Mackinaw]

Not sure about your question exactly but I am guessing you are not talking about floor covering, bur rather what separates the levels of the buildings.

I've lived in both pre-1900 buildings and brand-new buildings made of concrete. Really no difference in terms of sound dampening and such as to your above/below neighbor. If anything, the older buildings dampen the sound better but you get more creaking and groaning.

The bigger deal is internal walls and how well your walls control sound between wall to wall neighbors and sound hallways. New buildings suck in this regard in almost all cases, and I think it borders on fraud to have any new building marketed as 'luxury' or 'upscale' apartments but not have basic sound dampening. My best experience has been with historic townhouses, where thick, plastered walls with brick behind them meet wall to wall. It's like quadruple thickness and you do not hear a thing from next door save for if there is some sort of chute/alley or unintended crack through which limited sound may permeate. Sadly, nothing of the sort is going to be built in Detroit or really anywhere on a going-forward basis.

[Bucket]

Have there been any plans announced a block away from this [[on Woodward between Alfred and Edmund) yet?

Nothing on the horizon. Unlikely to see anything on that block in the near term save for surface parking for the Wings arena, sadly. The northern half of the vacant property includes the former First Unitarian Church. The church burned in a suspicious fire coincident with the 2014 announcement of the Wings arena across Woodward. The pink limestone Richardsonian Romanesque church underwent an emergency demolition and was reduced to rubble within a few days of the fire. That property, and the adjacent vacant lot to the south, are owned by a fellow named Salim Kemenko. Kemenko had previously petitioned to demo the church, but was denied by the Historic District Commission because the building was listed on the National Register and sits within the Brush Park Historic District. This Metro Times article tells the story.

But I digress.

Just south of that is a lot owned by the City of Detroit, the smallest lot of the four on the block, followed by a half-acre parcel owned by an entity called American Property Exchange.

[emu steve]

Nothing on the horizon. Unlikely to see anything on that block in the near term save for surface parking for the Wings arena, sadly. The northern half of the vacant property includes the former First Unitarian Church. The church burned in a suspicious fire coincident with the 2014 announcement of the Wings arena across Woodward. The pink limestone Richardsonian Romanesque church underwent an emergency demolition and was reduced to rubble within a few days of the fire. That property, and the adjacent vacant lot to the south, are owned by a fellow named Salim Kemenko. Kemenko had previously petitioned to demo the church, but was denied by the Historic District Commission because the building was listed on the National Register and sits within the Brush Park Historic District. This Metro Times article tells the story.

But I digress.

Just south of that is a lot owned by the City of Detroit, the smallest lot of the four on the block, followed by a half-acre parcel owned by an entity called American Property Exchange.

I've always been fascinated by the block, that is, its location, yet, isn't the block pretty small and hard to develop for residential usage?

[bust]

...I've lived in both pre-1900 buildings and brand-new buildings made of concrete. Really no difference in terms of sound dampening and such as to your above/below neighbor. If anything, the older buildings dampen the sound better but you get more creaking and groaning...

I've lived in pre-1900's buildings the better part of my adult life, including the brownstone where I live today, and this has not been my experience at all. I can often make out the conversations of my neighbors above and below and the groaning I hear isn't just from the wood floors. Concrete dampens sound incredibly better. And it can be covered in hardwood if that's what you prefer. That said there are of course construction techniques to dampen sound in wood floors available today that were clearly not used where I've lived.

[hybridy]

Here's a quick map I put together with some of the developments, plus the arena and M-1 Rail. Gilbert's is the big one in the middle, then the Scott at top left and Brewster Wheeler at right.

[[Edit: Strike this part!) As ever the issue seems to be things actually getting built. Did the Scott ever start construction? I haven't been that way in some months. This article from June suggested it was a matter of weeks.

The Brewster Wheeler project on the map is the 150 units mentioned here. Any news on that?

Others that people know about? Even just these three add up to a lot if they all come through.

completely agree.

i can't imagine all of this 'luxury' inventory being absorbed even with M-1 + the Arena...there's only so many empty nesters and pseudo-urban millenial-somethings willing to dump $1500-3500 every month to RENT.

it'll come down to timing. who can get out of the ground fastest and capture the limited appetite that exists.

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

I am not sure what the exact level of demand for higher end units downtown/midtown is. But i don't think anyone does. As long as they keep selling/renting, they will keep building. I have a suspicion demand might be higher than we think. When [[down the road) the DPS system is either fixed or [[better still) a genuine school choice system in place, I think more families will seek to live downtown. While that won't be a huge number of people, I think it will be more than the very few now. When you see a stroller in downtown/midtown, it is probably a visitor, not a resident.

[Wesley Mouch]

Couple points:

1). Yes, it will be challenging to put up new construction which blends with the historic structures which can be rehabbed.

2). This area doesn't necessarily need high density. It is okay, IMO, to have historic structures which take up significant land area blended with new construction allowing a blended neighborhood with moderate density.

Nowhere 'needs' high density. But if land values increase, then it will come -- whether its thought of as 'needed' or not.

My fear is that if you don't allow for density and your create an urban mall feel, you'll end up with incentive to eliminate all but the most valuable historic structures.

I think you can have the density that the market will likely demand from Brush Park AND retain some historic character.