Monroe Block Development

**SpartanDawg** · April-30-21, 02:55 PM

Originally Posted by MrMichigan

I heard the drive in is going away until fall. Not sure what is replacing it.

a roller rink is being put in for the summer.. creative way to activate the space

**Dmberko11** · April-30-21, 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by 401don

NY mayor announced a full re-opening of the city-offices, Broadway shows, etc. for July 1. We should have a much better idea in about 6 months if everyone will return to offices and hotels, restaurants, etc. will be back to normal.

Exactly. The pandemic is slowly winding down and things are going back to normal. Look for Detroit to have some good development news again and some projects that have been on pause to be resumed, hopefully.

**stasu1213** · May-01-21, 07:12 AM

The plans dor the Monroe block had been stalled a year or so before covid. I dont think that it's a bait and switch on Gilbert's part for he had been a major contributing factor in revitalizing the business and retail of downtown Detroit. The Hudson's site will be the first project that he is actually building from the ground up. I am not going to blame the stalled Monroe Block plan on him nor Covid

**K-slice** · May-01-21, 07:38 AM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

The plans dor the Monroe block had been stalled a year or so before covid. I dont think that it's a bait and switch on Gilbert's part for he had been a major contributing factor in revitalizing the business and retail of downtown Detroit. The Hudson's site will be the first project that he is actually building from the ground up. I am not going to blame the stalled Monroe Block plan on him nor Covid

28 Grand was actually the first newly constructed building from Bedrock.

**NSortzi** · May-01-21, 10:17 AM

Originally Posted by K-slice

28 Grand was actually the first newly constructed building from Bedrock.

Actually the Z Garage was his first. He also built the Rocket Fiber offices in Corktown, the garage for The Assembly and City Modern. Hudson’s is hardly his first.

**Atticus** · May-01-21, 01:26 PM

Bedrock announced a while back that the UM development [Gratiot Site] project was taking priority over the Monroe Block project.

Which, assuming that is still the case, begs the question of what activity is happening on the Gratiot site? Because until something starts happening there, I am guessing we might not see much activity at Monroe.

**stasu1213** · May-02-21, 09:35 AM

I stand corrected

**royce** · May-03-21, 03:26 PM

If office space is going to be reduced due to companies deciding that workers can work from home, as a result of Covid-19, then the logical development for the Monroe Block is all residential. The southern portion of the Monroe Block, where the drive-in is located, was scheduled to be office space. I just don't see how Gilbert can justify that now. Some will argue that that portion of Monroe Block is prime real estate for office space. I just don't see that anymore.

**Dmberko11** · May-03-21, 04:25 PM

Originally Posted by royce

If office space is going to be reduced due to companies deciding that workers can work from home, as a result of Covid-19, then the logical development for the Monroe Block is all residential. The southern portion of the Monroe Block, where the drive-in is located, was scheduled to be office space. I just don't see how Gilbert can justify that now. Some will argue that that portion of Monroe Block is prime real estate for office space. I just don't see that anymore.

Yeah, they need to make this residential. Mixed use at the very least. It's hard to build just office in today's market.

**401don** · May-03-21, 05:06 PM

It's almost certain, along with being postponed, the project will be downsized and built in phases. It only takes a couple of corporate re-locations to downtown to fill a medium sized office building.

**Gistok** · May-03-21, 05:16 PM

Originally Posted by Dmberko11

Yeah, they need to make this residential. Mixed use at the very least. It's hard to build just office in today's market.

The Monroe development is mixed use... office in the front, with a larger chunk of the 2 blocks for residential.

We are still many months away from seeing what the new normal is for office workers, and nothing will be going on at that site until 2022 at the earliest anyway. I'm sure that Gilbert will do what makes the most sense.

**Dmberko11** · May-03-21, 08:34 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

The Monroe development is mixed use... office in the front, with a larger chunk of the 2 blocks for residential.

We are still many months away from seeing what the new normal is for office workers, and nothing will be going on at that site until 2022 at the earliest anyway. I'm sure that Gilbert will do what makes the most sense.

No, you're right. I guess what I meant was the 1,000,000 sq. foot 35 story office tower being mixed use. Might be hard to lease all that space. Maybe do it in phases. Build that 25 story apartment tower first and go from there.

And you're right. We're still a ways off from any of this happening because of the gratiot site and the Michigan center for innovation taking priority

**stasu1213** · May-04-21, 02:11 PM

The design of each unit should be more on a line of office/living floorplan

**ShadowSoarer** · September-30-21, 08:55 PM

Well looks like the Monroe Street Drive In Movie Theater is returning which means that the Monroe Blocks isn’t restarting this year. Read some article a while back that the UM Innovation Center was a priority over Monroe Blocks, but now that the Campus is no longer a part of Bedrock not sure what is happening with both developments. Hopefully we get some major Bedrock groundbreaking this winter [[something like the Brewster Douglas, not sure what the status on that is).

https://detroit.eater.com/2021/9/30/...wntown-detroit

**NSortzi** · October-01-21, 03:22 AM

Yaaaaaawn

**Danny** · October-01-21, 06:15 AM

Originally Posted by ShadowSoarer

Well looks like the Monroe Street Drive In Movie Theater is returning which means that the Monroe Blocks isn’t restarting this year. Read some article a while back that the UM Innovation Center was a priority over Monroe Blocks, but now that the Campus is no longer a part of Bedrock not sure what is happening with both developments. Hopefully we get some major Bedrock groundbreaking this winter [[something like the Brewster Douglas, not sure what the status on that is).

https://detroit.eater.com/2021/9/30/...wntown-detroit

And it's horrible. I can see lots of the investors are pulling out from Campus Martius Building Project right about now.

It will be until the year 2030 if we every see a Campus Martius Building Project resurfaced.

Dan Gilbert, please knock it off with the Andy Warhol pop arts. And start developing buildings to help with demand.

**401don** · October-01-21, 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by Danny

And it's horrible. I can see lots of the investors are pulling out from Campus Martius Building Project right about now.

It will be until the year 2030 if we every see a Campus Martius Building Project resurfaced.

Dan Gilbert, please knock it off with the Andy Warhol pop arts. And start developing buildings to help with demand.

What investors and what demand?

**313WX** · October-01-21, 08:53 AM

Originally Posted by 401don

What investors and what demand?

Exactly, lol.

**Danny** · October-02-21, 06:38 AM

Originally Posted by 313WX

Exactly, lol.

The ones that got away. And most of them are not interest of Gilbert's Detroit building projects until he and his shareholders get serious.

**stasu1213** · October-02-21, 06:25 PM

I don't think that the investors are pulling out because of Gilbert. I think that they are pulling out due to the BS that the city put developers through in order to get things done. Detroit especially downtown is ripe for good developments especially international businesses being that we are just three miles across the pond from another country. Detroit cant get a operational Port Authority with ships coming in and out of it even before the pandemic. Can't blame Gilbert for the failure of the Monroe Block

**Gistok** · October-02-21, 07:48 PM

^ When it comes to Gilbert... all he has to do is call Duggan to get things done. I know you have a lot of "theories", that is your assumption.

The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority is run by the state, county and city TOGETHER, and has multiple terminals, handling millions of tons of goods [3rd largest steel port in the nation]. If you are only referring to the port station next to Hart Plaza... that's apples and oranges as far as the Port Authority goes.

Duggan is notorious for getting his way [unless City Council stops him]. When Duggan was the head of DMC, my brother-in-law was one of his managers... if anyone stood in Duggan's way at DMC... he GOT RID of them, which was one of the reasons that the upper and middle level managers at DMC disliked him. If any mid level or higher level person at City Hall gets in his way, I'm sure he would remove them as well. He doesn't tolerate red tape when it comes to Detroit development for Gilbert.

So I don't agree with your assessment that Detroit bureaucracy is hampering the Monroe Block development. Unless you can provide some link to show that. Gilbert isn't hamstrung as other business in Detroit might be.

**Satiricalivory** · October-03-21, 01:05 PM

It's obvious that Bedrock's hands are full with the Hudson Site. Monroe will come eventually. It's pretty typical for large office building towers to have years of planning.

**Satiricalivory** · October-03-21, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by 401don

It's almost certain, along with being postponed, the project will be downsized and built in phases. It only takes a couple of corporate re-locations to downtown to fill a medium sized office building.

The plan was always to build it in phases, some of you clearly don't pay attention. I highly doubt there would be a downsize, not of the height at least since they got that approved with a variance by the city and this is the most central location for office space in the region. Would be dumb to under-utilize this site.

**bust** · October-03-21, 03:41 PM

It's disappointing this isn't immediately happening, but not because I think it should. What's disappointing is how the local, national, even global economy has changed.

Developers act responsibly when they respond to market conditions -- both for their investment and for the city. They act irresponsibly when they overbuild and/or design for conditions that no longer apply.

Real estate developments exist within an ecosystem. They affect that ecosystem, but only so much.

I hope the time comes soon for a great development that makes a huge positive impact on its environs with an appropriate design for its time.

As far as the difficulty getting things done in Detroit because of bureaucracy/ political interference, I'm sure that's true compared to Troy and Wichita, but I doubt that's true compared with most of the biggest cities in the US. Not an excuse for it. But it cannot be even close to the main reason for delay.