More East of Downtown Residential Rising - 1200 Units - Shapero Hall Falling

[stasu1213]

I've been writing MDOT, Mary Sheffield's office, and Rashida & Brenda about 375. What I'm gleaning is that they are interested in bumping up the timeline but have more designing to do before breaking ground. But I bet if enough of us make enough noise and get them to understand it's a community priority, the BBB and infrastructure $$ will be able to bump it 2023 or 2024 [[anything's better than the scheduled groundbreaking of 2027!)

I don't trust the names mentioned above

[royce]

This new road isn't going to be anything like the other Blvds you mention. They don't exit off freeways and they aren't going to be used to access massive apartment buildings, offices, or sports stadiums. This is replacing an access freeway and cars are going to be moving fast here, for better or worse, as they exit off 75.

Putting a park in the middle would be ludicrous unless you like seeing your soccer ball run over by a GM employee in a rush to get back home to Bloomfield Hills. Or getting choked out by exhaust fumes as cars line up after a game. You must also consider that a large grassy expanse between two busy roads would, for many, be as much of a mental barrier between Lafayette Park and Downtown as the freeway is now.

I would hope MDOT has the good sense to put all the empty space on one side so they can sell the land off to developers and add density in the area. Reconnecting the whole area so someone walking on Larned or Jefferson won't have that definite feeling that they've "crossed over" some dividing line.

That's my take at least.

I disagree with your assessment that cars are going to be speeding down this new boulevard. According to the latest rendering, cars will be exiting I-75 before they get to Gratiot. There will be traffic lights heading southbound at Gratiot, Clinton, Monroe, Lafayette, Larned, and Jefferson. Speeds on this new boulevard will be no different than any other street in the area. Most stadium traffic should be exiting at Gratiot. Unless Blue Cross Blue Shield opens up their garage to the public on game days, I don't see a lot of car traffic for the sports teams heading south of Gratiot.

Now the city should work out an agreement with MDOT to build underground parking underneath this new boulevard. Not having to fill in the sunken freeway to make the boulevard would save millions, and the city and state could make millions in revenue from the new parking.

Kuuma, I love that recreational space along the center of Chrystie Street in NYC. I wonder if it's always been that way. I wonder if there were street cars that ran down the middle of the street at one time. Sounds like a DetroitYes mystery.

[kuuma]

Now the city should work out an agreement with MDOT to build underground parking underneath this new boulevard. Not having to fill in the sunken freeway to make the boulevard would save millions, and the city and state could make millions in revenue from the new parking.

This would be next-level. Who we gotta write to get these ideas some advocacy? The reps I've already written are apparently untrustworthy so

[southen]

I thought the biggest issue with 375 was the upkeep needed and that bringing a road to grade would be a cheaper solution in the long run. Adding an underground parking garage, no matter the benefit, seems to be on conflict with their reason for removing 375 in the first place.

[royce]

Southen, you state that the reason MDOT wants to create a surface street to replace 375 is because it is cheaper to do that than redoing the freeway in the manner that it is now. That's correct. However, I don't see how building an underground garage would be in conflict with MDOT's reason for removing 375. How much it cost to maintain an underground parking structure is as good a guess to me as any.

Grand Circus Park's underground garage has been around for decades and I've never seen a major overhaul of it. I'm sure there are maintenance expenses. However, to me, it would just seem cheaper to build an underground parking structure that will generate revenue for years to come, than replacing the sunken freeway with a lot of dirt, which will generate nothing.

[DetroitSoldier]

Southen, you state that the reason MDOT wants to create a surface street to replace 375 is because it is cheaper to do that than redoing the freeway in the manner that it is now. That's correct. However, I don't see how building an underground garage would be in conflict with MDOT's reason for removing 375. How much it cost to maintain an underground parking structure is as good a guess to me as any.

Grand Circus Park's underground garage has been around for decades and I've never seen a major overhaul of it. I'm sure there are maintenance expenses. However, to me, it would just seem cheaper to build an underground parking structure that will generate revenue for years to come, than replacing the sunken freeway with a lot of dirt, which will generate nothing.

There was a serious overhaul to the GCP garage just a couple years back. Nothing against your argument, just pointing it out.

[southen]

Southen, you state that the reason MDOT wants to create a surface street to replace 375 is because it is cheaper to do that than redoing the freeway in the manner that it is now. That's correct. However, I don't see how building an underground garage would be in conflict with MDOT's reason for removing 375. How much it cost to maintain an underground parking structure is as good a guess to me as any.

Grand Circus Park's underground garage has been around for decades and I've never seen a major overhaul of it. I'm sure there are maintenance expenses. However, to me, it would just seem cheaper to build an underground parking structure that will generate revenue for years to come, than replacing the sunken freeway with a lot of dirt, which will generate nothing.

I don't have numbers but underground structures do require maintenance and the occasional overhaul. There has barely been enough interest in funding this project as is, I doubt it gets green lit if you had the huge expense of building out a garage. Not that I don't like the idea though.

The other thing is the location. Where is the demand for a giant parking garage in that part of town outside of the occasional football game? Grand Circus is farm more successful because it is in the middle of downtown and even then they were eager to sell off huge swaths of that garage to the Broderick Tower and Kales Building because demand wasn't enough to sustain it from the general public.

I am all for burying parking and finding transit solutions but it is hard for me to see them considering that option due to cost and the location of it.

[JonWylie]

I don't have numbers but underground structures do require maintenance and the occasional overhaul. There has barely been enough interest in funding this project as is, I doubt it gets green lit if you had the huge expense of building out a garage. Not that I don't like the idea though.

The other thing is the location. Where is the demand for a giant parking garage in that part of town outside of the occasional football game? Grand Circus is farm more successful because it is in the middle of downtown and even then they were eager to sell off huge swaths of that garage to the Broderick Tower and Kales Building because demand wasn't enough to sustain it from the general public.

I am all for burying parking and finding transit solutions but it is hard for me to see them considering that option due to cost and the location of it.

I don't think putting and underground garage is going to happen, and I don't think it would be the smartest use of money, but one thing it could potentially help with is finding developers for the newly opened spaced that the boulevard is going to have. Allowing people to come in and build apartments/offices with underground parking already available could really drive demand and/or prices, which could help the state recoup some money.

But I think it's pretty past the change to change anything as far as design goes, they would have to go back and do so much reworking, we'd probably never see this project.