Not all is good for Developers in Detroit

**bigboat** · January-14-20, 06:49 AM

Reading the Curbed Detroit email yesterday about the "Mid" development. Article indicates the developers are having financing issues and the proposed project is being re-designed and scaled back to eliminate some of the high priced condos. Maybe this is the same issues that Bedrock has indicated with the Monroe Blocks development and the significant scaling back of the Hudsons Tower. Vertical construction should start by spring on the tower portion, but I don't think anyone knows what they are building yet. Bedrock has to know by now as you just don't purchase structural steel at Home Depot as most are custom made for any particular building.

**Seven&wyo** · January-14-20, 09:05 AM

I've always had my suspicions about the Mid from the announcement. With the labor shortage and difficult financing I couldn't see it getting built. If it does then Yippy, but I'd personally rather see the artistry of architecture be more the focus than the height in Detroit. It can be a "low" city, but it can be the most low city.

**Danny** · January-14-20, 11:43 AM

Once you're the real estate business. Find some investors FAST!

**Metro25** · January-14-20, 11:51 AM

You dont need to make a whole thread for this it was covered in the other one.

The mid is finishing financing next month.

Lafayette west is carrying on with condos as planned.

**Dmberko11** · January-14-20, 05:24 PM

Just saw an article in crains that the Alamo drafthouse plans were scrapped because of parking. WTF Detroit. They need to change their zoning laws and parking requirements. It’s KILLING development 😡

**JK313** · January-14-20, 05:27 PM

Originally Posted by Dmberko11

Just saw an article in crains that the Alamo drafthouse plans were scrapped because of parking. WTF Detroit. They need to change their zoning laws and parking requirements. It’s KILLING development 

Except that Development was scrapped because of lack of parking, which is almost never an issue with developments in the city.

**bigboat** · January-14-20, 05:36 PM

This is a forum for and about Detroit, what I said in the first comment is nothing bad.

**Dmberko11** · January-14-20, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by JK313

Except that Development was scrapped because of lack of parking, which is almost never an issue with developments in the city.

I didn’t mean ALL developments are cancelled because of Detroit’s parking requirements. But the fact that ANY developments are scrapped because of their ridiculous requirements and they are ridiculous because parking isn’t an issue in Detroit, then that’s a crime shame. Detroit doesn’t even really have a movie theater and an Alamo drafthouse would’ve been huge. Those are nice theaters

**313WX** · January-14-20, 06:48 PM

Originally Posted by bigboat

This is a forum is for and about Detroit, what I said in the first comment is nothing bad.

Don't feed the trolls.

**stasu1213** · January-14-20, 07:39 PM

Originally Posted by Dmberko11

I didn’t mean ALL developments are cancelled because of Detroit’s parking requirements. But the fact that ANY developments are scrapped because of their ridiculous requirements and they are ridiculous because parking isn’t an issue in Detroit, then that’s a crime shame. Detroit doesn’t even really have a movie theater and an Alamo drafthouse would’ve been huge. Those are nice theaters

That's a very flimsy excuse not to build the only theater inside Detroit city limits. Someone else want this property and had great influence over planners and elected officials to stop the development of a theater

**Metro25** · January-14-20, 07:44 PM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

That's a very flimsy excuse not to build the only theater inside Detroit city limits. Someone else want this property and had great influence over planners and elected officials to stop the development of a theater

hmmm, you have some insider info?

**Dmberko11** · January-14-20, 08:46 PM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

That's a very flimsy excuse not to build the only theater inside Detroit city limits. Someone else want this property and had great influence over planners and elected officials to stop the development of a theater

Flimsy excuse indeed. I swear Detroit comes so close to finally getting a theater and then something happens. Whatever happened with Big Sean and the emagine theater?

**JK313** · January-14-20, 11:53 PM

Originally Posted by Dmberko11

Flimsy excuse indeed. I swear Detroit comes so close to finally getting a theater and then something happens. Whatever happened with Big Sean and the emagine theater?

Curbed article said to expect an announcement in Q2.

**iheartthed** · January-15-20, 10:57 AM

It's pretty crazy that a movie theater in the middle of Detroit would need 300 parking spaces in order to be viable. The old Detroit movie houses didn't have parking lots at all.

I was looking at the lot where the Alamo theater was going to be built on Google Maps street view. It has had various signs claiming that a development was pending for almost 10 years.

**Metro25** · January-15-20, 12:00 PM

It doesn't need it. Alamo is being absurd. They are from Texas so of course they think everything needs an army of parking spaces to operate.

If that's their idea of development in the core city they can go elsewhere. Build this on the west side or whatever.

Hopefully Emagine is planning something better. Something like Birmingham's palladium would be nice.

**iheartthed** · January-15-20, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by Metro25

It doesn't need it. Alamo is being absurd. They are from Texas so of course they think everything needs an army of parking spaces to operate.

If that's their idea of development in the core city they can go elsewhere. Build this on the west side or whatever.

Hopefully Emagine is planning something better. Something like Birmingham's palladium would be nice.

I wonder if this is Alamo's or the city of Detroit's requirement. There is an Alamo near where I live in Brooklyn that is part of a large development with no dedicated parking at all.

**Metro25** · January-15-20, 12:48 PM

I don't think the city is requiring that much parking there's no way. Alamo pulled out of the deal themselves because they wouldn't promise so much parking.

The city is going though a massive zoning overhaul so parking requirements will be very much reduced or eliminated.

**iheartthed** · January-15-20, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by Metro25

The city is going though a massive zoning overhaul so parking requirements will be very much reduced or eliminated.

That's great to hear.

**stasu1213** · January-15-20, 01:11 PM

I think that Alamo had pulled out for the city had discouraged them as well as the city had discouraged Restoration Hardware who had pulled out saying that they need more floor space . The city always given national chain a hard time setting up shop in the city. Developers who want to build expensive condos are given the green light if they are affiliated with someone in city government

**masterblaster** · January-15-20, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

It's pretty crazy that a movie theater in the middle of Detroit would need 300 parking spaces in order to be viable. The old Detroit movie houses didn't have parking lots at all.

I was looking at the lot where the Alamo theater was going to be built on Google Maps street view. It has had various signs claiming that a development was pending for almost 10 years.

That is not the lot that the Alamo was going to be built upon. That site is the location for the unbuilt, "The Mondrian" office building/"The Woodward @ Woodward" mixed-use project. The site of the Alamo would have been across Stimson street on the odd-shaped and slim piece of land between between MLK, Jr and Stimson, next to the Detroit Rescue Mission.

**Metro25** · January-15-20, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

That's great to hear.

Yeah you can view it here

https://zonedetroit.com/2019/11/22/zoning-analytic/

**hybridy** · January-15-20, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

I think that Alamo had pulled out for the city had discouraged them as well as the city had discouraged Restoration Hardware who had pulled out saying that they need more floor space . The city always given national chain a hard time setting up shop in the city. Developers who want to build expensive condos are given the green light if they are affiliated with someone in city government

This is a curious sentiment. I recall reading that the city required 2-3k parking spaces for LCA [[within a certain distance) and Ilitch complied with a shit ton of surface parking. So they say. The city ‘allowed’ the surface lots built sans landscaping to comply with zoning [[which they didn’t). I would like to be a fly on the wall during these parking discussions. Is the city continuing it’s thuggish hands out then we’ll approve it approach?

If that’s not the case, the city would be rolling out the red carpet for these national players??? Is this over taxpayer funds? Typically these deals die over structured parking and developer performa. Usually the city has to subsidize any structured parking component.

**Dmberko11** · January-15-20, 09:27 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I wonder if this is Alamo's or the city of Detroit's requirement. There is an Alamo near where I live in Brooklyn that is part of a large development with no dedicated parking at all.

There’s an Alamo in Austin where I live without dedicated parking near downtown. It’s a Detroit thing. They probably wanted a parking garage. Stupid! Their loss. Let’s hope emagine comes to fruition

**Gistok** · January-15-20, 09:49 PM

Stasu1213 is our new conspiracy theorist, now that Gannon has sadly passed away. So like with our late long time poster Gannon, I think sometimes his posts have a sprinkling of conspiracy, rather than totally based on known fact.

[[Metro25 and I posted at the same time, so that's not my post he's pointing at.)

**Metro25** · January-15-20, 09:49 PM

^ That's not true, there's nothing about the city strong-arming them into parking. It was a private deal that fell through because of what they wanted. Nobody was stopping them from buying without parking.