WSU Park - Not A Field Of Dreams

**emu steve** · October-24-17, 05:44 AM

The old field of dreams was, I guess, build it and they will come.

Well, WSU hasn't figured out what to do with that really nice parcel of land at Woodward and W. Warren, opposite the Welcome Center.

So I guess they decided: If you can't build something big, I guess you can build a park.

Maybe folks will come to the park. See DTE.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article..._medium=social

P.S. I can't believe someone hasn't stepped up and made an offer too good to refuse.

It could be nice apartments for those working around WSU, medical center or downtown [[hint: all easily accessible via QLine).

Student housing??? [[If I were a WSU student today, that location would be great IMO). I assume WSU still has unmet needs for nice student housing esp. for foreign students, grad students, etc.

**1953** · October-24-17, 08:08 AM

I guess we shouldn't be surprised that they're not good at real estate development, considering that they already bought and demolished part of the street wall on that corner, with no clear plan in mind. Fools.

**casscorridor** · October-24-17, 08:28 AM

They also seem to have dropped the ball [[unless someone can confirm otherwise) on the Canfield and Cass development that has been planned for years.

However, I do think waiting for a landmark development on the Woodward site is better than building something forgettable.

**emu steve** · October-24-17, 09:23 AM

Originally Posted by casscorridor

They also seem to have dropped the ball [[unless someone can confirm otherwise) on the Canfield and Cass development that has been planned for years.

However, I do think waiting for a landmark development on the Woodward site is better than building something forgettable.

Agree, better to wait than make a mistake.

I thought I read somewhere that they were looking at bids, etc. for that site and waiting for the right time to move.

I don't know if today is the right day, but the market must be much, much better because of the improvements downtown, Midtown, QLine, etc.

I may have read something in the WSU mag [[I have a WSU degree so I get their stuff) about developing the site but nothing imminent.

I have to assume it will be residential either for the general public or for WSU students.

And, I would like to see WSU build some student housing by the Ilitch school of business building. I just don't know how many grad business students are either out-of-state or out-of-country, etc. who would be prime candidates for that type of housing.

**emu steve** · October-24-17, 09:31 AM

I stumbled across this thread by going to GOOGLE.

It is over 4 years old and seems what we know today isn't a whole lot different than back then.

DrJeff indicated that nothing was imminent back then and making it green space now most likely means nothing is imminent now.

https://www.detroityes.com/mb/showth...n-amp-Woodward

The thread does discuss a possible hotel. Wish we knew what WSU's biggest need is: student residences, sell to a developer who would build a hotel, or something else. Being on Woodward, opposite the Welcome Center, it is a critical piece of the WSU landscape.

**Zads07** · October-24-17, 10:41 AM

I'm ok with a temporary park until they can come up with a big development.

**drjeff** · October-24-17, 12:53 PM

They are looking at various options for the Warren/Woodward parcel. I actually like it as a green space for the moment but it is a valuable property. As for the proposed hotel project on Canfield and Cass, that was to be a privately funded project on WSU property. I haven't heard anything about it recently.

As for the street wall being destroyed, yeah I'm sure the entire greater Detroit area misses that awful, rotting, red wooden building with no architectural interest or significance that used to be there. I'm also crying myself to sleep every night over the Subway that got torn down, because streetwall.

**JBMcB** · October-24-17, 01:37 PM

In a few years, when they dig out the park and put in a building, people will complain about the loss of green space in the city.

**1953** · October-24-17, 02:45 PM

For people who work in that area, Subway was a lunch option. Now, they can walk by an empty tract of land. Surely a win, huh?

And, just because a building is not well maintained, you don't have to tear it down. You know, you can fix buildings [[I mean, I know this is Detroit and we tear EVERYTHING down ALL the time, but still...).

**drjeff** · October-24-17, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by 1953

For people who work in that area, Subway was a lunch option. Now, they can walk by an empty tract of land. Surely a win, huh?

And, just because a building is not well maintained, you don't have to tear it down. You know, you can fix buildings [[I mean, I know this is Detroit and we tear EVERYTHING down ALL the time, but still...).

There are plenty of lunch options in that area. There are four other restaurants right next to it and probably 5-10 more within a 5 minute walk. When tearing down a cinder block Subway building becomes a major loss, we are really grasping at straws.

As far as what was torn down, generally I would agree that remaking it into something useful is the best, but that was just a shitty building. I drove by it more than once every day and hated it every time I saw it. There's not a need to "renovate" every piece of crap building just because it's already there. If there was something historical about that building that I'm missing, go ahead and correct me. I walk through the green space there a couple of times a week and enjoy it a lot more.

**JBMcB** · October-24-17, 09:03 PM

Originally Posted by 1953

For people who work in that area, Subway was a lunch option. Now, they can walk by an empty tract of land. Surely a win, huh?

I guess the half or so outstanding local restaurants that have opened up within a few block radius eases the pain a bit.

Seriously? Pining for Subway? I went to WSU for six years and never ate there. The only people I knew who ate there were first years who didn't know to eat at Epicurus or Johnny's instead. I did know three or four people who got food poisoning there.

**Gistok** · October-24-17, 10:34 PM

I don't care what they do with that property while there's no set plans... just don't go cutting down the trees when you're ready for building. They usually plant somethinf fast growing, such as Sunburst Locust. It would be nice if they moved them instead.

The city is also notorious in just cutting them down in Downtown, when they re-scape an area. Detroit used to be "Tree City".... but not anymore... nothing is ever left to mature. Is there even a mature tree to be found downtown??