Breaking: Illitch donating 40 million to build NEW WSU business school on Woodward

**SpartanDawg** · October-27-15, 05:49 PM

http://on.freep.com/1RA4K8m

WOW! Huge move by illitch. Great piece of land as well along Woodward and Temple street. Open by 2018

**Scottathew** · October-27-15, 06:42 PM

Apparently he wants to change what his legacy will be. Doing things like this will certainly do that. What a great gift!

**Mackinaw** · October-27-15, 08:29 PM

Wow, this is a huge deal. Probably a good sign that Olympia entities are serious about building development, as this provides one natural source of new residents.

**detroitbob** · October-27-15, 09:32 PM

I've long said that this development was serious after years of planning it was more than a simple arena. Envision the area up to Grand River on the west and surrounding Cass Park and the Ledyard neighborhood to develop sooner rather than later. The business school will add 3000 people into the area and considering night classes one expect 18 hours of activity. We will see the bridge of Foxtown to Orchestra Place happen.

**EastsideAl** · October-27-15, 10:04 PM

To be built at the former location of this beautiful rustic structure:

**Lowell** · October-27-15, 10:38 PM

Isn't it interesting how the Woodward corridor between downtown and cultural center is becoming a university row of sorts. It started with UM moving into Orchestra place in '07, followed by Michigan State Detroit Center in the Albert Kahn building next the Bonstelle/Temple Beth El, also Kahn. Then Grand Valley in the Home Telephone/Jewish Welfare Assoc/Barden building, then Lawrence Tech's in its soon-to-open Detroit center at Willis and now this. I can't say how happy I am to see the rise of this area with its recognition of the importance of Detroit.

**Junjie** · October-27-15, 10:58 PM

Originally Posted by SpartanDawg

http://on.freep.com/1RA4K8m

WOW! Huge move by illitch. Great piece of land as well along Woodward and Temple street. Open by 2018

This is really excellent news. New construction and a use that will draw a lot of activity. Wonderful.

**emu steve** · October-27-15, 11:32 PM

Originally Posted by detroitbob

I've long said that this development was serious after years of planning it was more than a simple arena. Envision the area up to Grand River on the west and surrounding Cass Park and the Ledyard neighborhood to develop sooner rather than later. The business school will add 3000 people into the area and considering night classes one expect 18 hours of activity. We will see the bridge of Foxtown to Orchestra Place happen.

Me too.

What is neat about this, is that WSU has been trying for years to build a new home for its business school. Haven't raised the $. It was supposed to be at Woodward and Palmer or Ferry. Where a parking lot is.

WSU students can take M-1 rail from the main campus to this building.

As Bob and others indicate, whenever there is a sporting event at the arena, other arena event, a school day, etc. the area will be hopping...

When I listed the buildings that the Ilitches planned to build, a building on this corner was one, but I never thought it would have the foot traffic of a university building.

**Chicago48** · October-28-15, 05:03 AM

Originally Posted by SpartanDawg

http://on.freep.com/1RA4K8m

WOW! Huge move by illitch. Great piece of land as well along Woodward and Temple street. Open by 2018

I wish he would donate to build a new DETROIT MAIN Public Library. That Building needs an infrastructure upgrade badly.

**emu steve** · October-28-15, 05:14 AM

This may sound pedestrian [[not in the good sense, like 'walkability') but I wonder if a fast food restaurant might spring up somewhere in the area.

Students attending all day classes or evening classes might want a quick meal. Those attending events at the arena may wish for a quick burger rather than going to Hockeytown.

**emu steve** · October-28-15, 05:45 AM

"Since we are in the neighborhood', how about the block from Temple to Charlotte along the West side of Woodward?

I see three 'things' there:

1). Surface parking,

2). Vietnam Veterans building,

3). Various store front commercial establishments

I believe that I read that #2 will be staying. What about #1 and maybe repurpose #3?

I assume today #1, surface parking, is now very valuable land, as it ONE block from the new arena.

IF it remains surface parking, it will make a ton of money for the owners. Twenty five dollar event parking? Maybe a lot more. Easy access to northbound Woodward.

**Junjie** · October-28-15, 06:43 AM

Originally Posted by Chicago48

I wish he would donate to build a new DETROIT MAIN Public Library. That Building needs an infrastructure upgrade badly.

Wouldn't a reno be better? That building is amazing [[though now in terrible shape) and really fits across from the DIA.

emu steve, I think fast food places will be the least of your concerns once this, Eddystone, and the arena are finished. Wasn't the whole point of the "open" arena concept that parts of the concourse would be accessible as a sort of arcade, even when there's no game? If so I'm sure the Illitches are planning to do things such that they have a nice [[semi-captive) audience for those outlets

**SDCC** · October-28-15, 06:56 AM

Originally Posted by Junjie

Wouldn't a reno be better? That building is amazing [[though now in terrible shape) and really fits across from the DIA.

I've been in that building many times, looked fine, I never noticed any disrepair. Is the building structurally deficient?

**mikeg19** · October-28-15, 07:16 AM

Another huge announcement.

Maybe. Just maybe, after all these years, with the family claiming they were playing the "long game" with development, they are finally going to unleash their master plans and dump the hundreds of millions of dollars they have been planning to into the city.

It will not completely erase the "slumlord" or the neglectful property owner or demolition happy status the family has come to be known by, but these recent developments are maybe showing that we shouldn't have so strongly doubted their commitment to the city. True, as with anything, we can't count chickens before they hatch, but if all of these plans come to fruition, I'd think even the most staunch Illitch haters would have to take a step back and reevaluate their position on him.

**Hypestyles** · October-28-15, 07:32 AM

well, kudos, for sure, for this development.

**hybridy** · October-28-15, 07:48 AM

Is the 40 million in addition to the 250 million of promised ancillary development?

**Junjie** · October-28-15, 08:00 AM

Originally Posted by SDCC

I've been in that building many times, looked fine, I never noticed any disrepair. Is the building structurally deficient?

No idea. My impression last summer was that it could use a ton of money, cleanup, and restoration work. It mostly just looked like a great building that's now sad and dilapidated, especially after coming from the DIA across the street which is fantastic. If those are just cosmetic issues and not structural, then great.

**Gistok** · October-28-15, 08:10 AM

Originally Posted by Chicago48

I wish he would donate to build a new DETROIT MAIN Public Library. That Building needs an infrastructure upgrade badly.

Wanna explain WHY Detroit needs a NEW Main Public Library??

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6mtyGnpRar...ary%2B1921.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U9_CsL6J-P...%2BWto658o.jpg

**Wesley Mouch** · October-28-15, 09:01 AM

Originally Posted by mikeg19

Another huge announcement.

Maybe. Just maybe, after all these years, with the family claiming they were playing the "long game" with development, they are finally going to unleash their master plans and dump the hundreds of millions of dollars they have been planning to into the city.

It will not completely erase the "slumlord" or the neglectful property owner or demolition happy status the family has come to be known by, but these recent developments are maybe showing that we shouldn't have so strongly doubted their commitment to the city. True, as with anything, we can't count chickens before they hatch, but if all of these plans come to fruition, I'd think even the most staunch Illitch haters would have to take a step back and reevaluate their position on him.

The man who is doing the most for the world today is Bill Gates. His foundation is making extraordinary progress is fighting disease and poverty. I recall a time when he was being criticized for making ZERO contributions to charity.

The 1% really do give back to society. They don't always do it Elizabeth Warren's way -- through taxes. But think Carnegie Libraries, Karamanos Cancer, Ford Foundation. We're a strong country in part because there's a strong ethos among the rich to give back.

Thanks, Mike.

**emu steve** · October-28-15, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by mikeg19

Another huge announcement.

Maybe. Just maybe, after all these years, with the family claiming they were playing the "long game" with development, they are finally going to unleash their master plans and dump the hundreds of millions of dollars they have been planning to into the city.

It will not completely erase the "slumlord" or the neglectful property owner or demolition happy status the family has come to be known by, but these recent developments are maybe showing that we shouldn't have so strongly doubted their commitment to the city. True, as with anything, we can't count chickens before they hatch, but if all of these plans come to fruition, I'd think even the most staunch Illitch haters would have to take a step back and reevaluate their position on him.

Sorry if I come across as a shill for the Ilitches, but we need to remember at least one, if not more than one fact:

Seven years ago [[Sept/Oct. 2008) the country faced the worst financial collapse since the Great Depression.

Because of that much was lost [[jobs, houses, etc.) and also opportunities to continue building new buildings, etc. etc. because of very weak demand, tight credit, etc. The progress made regarding the Super Bowl effort kind of came to a crashing halt.

If the Ilitches could have gotten ALL the land behind the Fox that they needed and Sept/Oct 2008 had not happened, we might have been building the arena and related developments say five or more years ago. I believe Chris Ilitch has stated it directly or indirectly.

The whole process of building a new arena and related development got elongated because of some factors beyond the Ilitches control.

The past is the past and everything seems 'full speed ahead.'

The Ilitches seem very willing, private and public money is available, market conditions in Detroit seem right for more apartments, renting suites, expanding their headquarters, etc.

BTW, I wonder if the 40M a). meets part of the 200M requirement [[I assume it does. why not?) and b). It becomes a charitable write-off.

Everyone wins from Ilitches, WSU [[including business students), Detroit, land owners in the arena area, etc. [[the Vietnam Vets association is sitting on one sweet parking lot.)

Ilitches are CREATING wealth for all of those land owners who own or have sold, including the Masonic Temple [[parking lot), those buildings by Cass and Ledyard, building along Grand River both sides of the Lodge, etc. [[essentially anything in the Arena District and Cass West area).

Now that we know what will be happening on Woodward between Sproat and Temple, I'm not fascinated what folks with big bucks will do for the block between Temple and Charlotte as Woodward Ave. continues to building by building become a nice place...

**casscorridor** · October-28-15, 10:58 AM

Detroit may not be a huge destination for students [[we only have one university in central Detroit) but it can be a destination for graduates across the country and the world to move. Detroit is a place were young people can build wealth through buying homes, property and starting businesses, where most other places it's just far too expensive to do so.

**Danny** · October-28-15, 11:37 AM

Whoop dee do!!! for Mike Il-leetch!

**Detroitdave** · October-28-15, 12:21 PM

Originally Posted by Lowell

Isn't it interesting how the Woodward corridor between downtown and cultural center is becoming a university row of sorts. It started with UM moving into Orchestra place in '07, followed by Michigan State Detroit Center in the Albert Kahn building next the Bonstelle/Temple Beth El, also Kahn. Then Grand Valley in the Home Telephone/Jewish Welfare Assoc/Barden building, then Lawrence Tech's in its soon-to-open Detroit center at Willis and now this. I can't say how happy I am to see the rise of this area with its recognition of the importance of Detroit.

And CMU in the Ernst and Young building

**DetroiterOnTheWestCoast** · October-28-15, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by Wesley Mouch

The man who is doing the most for the world today is Bill Gates. His foundation is making extraordinary progress is fighting disease and poverty. I recall a time when he was being criticized for making ZERO contributions to charity.

The 1% really do give back to society. They don't always do it Elizabeth Warren's way -- through taxes. But think Carnegie Libraries, Karamanos Cancer, Ford Foundation. We're a strong country in part because there's a strong ethos among the rich to give back.

Thanks, Mike.

And think of the teeny tiny amounts the Waltons give, almost all of which goes to their own family foundation. And that is after the taxpayers pony up for assistance to the struggling underpaid Walmart employees. Speaks volumes that you have to cite Carnegie, who has been dead almost 100 years.

**emu steve** · October-28-15, 12:38 PM

BTW, 2018 for the new WSU school of business makes sense.

If my understanding of how buildings are done, the contractors will complete the arena and as soon as they are 'out of the way' and their equipment which is stored on that block between Sproat and Temple is removed, then work can begin on the new building.

So work on the new building could begin say second half of 2017 or early 2018.

The next question would be if someone wants to buy the Vietnam Veterans surface parking lot at Temple/Woodward and would they be interested in building something there? What makes sense?