Warren unveils multi-million dollar proposal for walkable downtown

[Danny]

Here we go again. Warren City Council is looking forward to work with developers to create their new downtown business district aimed at Van Dyke Rd. and 12 Mile Rd.

Did a proposed Downtown Warren was done deal about 15 years ago? And we get this result!


https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5102...7i13312!8i6656


Here is the source.

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/...able-downtown/

[K-slice]

It will be "walkable" sure, the way a strip mall is "walkable". You drive your car there, park in a giant parking lot, then you can walk around.

Urban planning via a bunch of Boomers who don't understand what it takes to make REAL downtowns successful. "If we just build up some faux density around manicured streets then we'll have a downtown as good as any of them". Sure man, sure...

[313WX]

It will be "walkable" sure, the way a strip mall is "walkable". You drive your car there, park in a giant parking lot, then you can walk around.

Urban planning via a bunch of Boomers who don't understand what it takes to make REAL downtowns successful. "If we just build up some faux density around manicured streets then we'll have a downtown as good as any of them". Sure man, sure...

In all fairness, there are some legitimately nice faux-downtowns in the suburbs of other major cities:

To name a few:

*Legacy in Plano [[Dallas)
*Avalon in Alpharetta [[Alpharetta)
*Reston Town Center [[DC)

I don't have any confidence in Warren executing anything nearly as nice/impressive though.

[jcole]

Warren's downtown isn't where they want Warren's downtown to be. Downtown Warren is at Mound near 13 Mile

[Henry Whalley]

Warren's downtown isn't where they want Warren's downtown to be. Downtown Warren is at Mound near 13 Mile

Might that be the old village of Warren? Before GM Tech Center existed, Warren was mostly rural, but there was a walkable shopping district and residential area at Van Dyke north of 9 Mile Rd., which I believe is Warren, not Center Line.

[Satiricalivory]

That's cute, at least they're trying. If they were serious about walkable communities though Warren would be in full support of regional transit.

[Satiricalivory]

Speaking of fake downtowns, will the old Kmart HQ in Troy EVER have something done with it? They had a fake downtown concept too. Holy shit it's been sooo long that it's just been sitting vacant.

[kuuma]

It will be "walkable" sure, the way a strip mall is "walkable". You drive your car there, park in a giant parking lot, then you can walk around.

Urban planning via a bunch of Boomers who don't understand what it takes to make REAL downtowns successful. "If we just build up some faux density around manicured streets then we'll have a downtown as good as any of them". Sure man, sure...

this is hilarious to me... what kind of downtown is walled off on two sides by a industrial park superblock and a Wallmart!! love to see actual walkability but girl u gotta do more than slap some apartments on a lot and expect people hoof it in from their single family cul-de-sacs.

idk, it feels like the outer suburbs are competing against each other for hubristic hip points instead of embracing their suburb role as feeders for the region's true urban center. it's like all these towns are trying to one-up or circumvent Detroit instead of working together. guess that's not going away though..

[softailrider]

I never really could understand the ill feelings this forum has towards the City of Warren. I know it's not the garden spot of the state and the mayor seems a bit peculiar but every time I go there it seems like an okay place.

[Richard]

this is hilarious to me... what kind of downtown is walled off on two sides by a industrial park superblock and a Wallmart!! love to see actual walkability but girl u gotta do more than slap some apartments on a lot and expect people hoof it in from their single family cul-de-sacs.

idk, it feels like the outer suburbs are competing against each other for hubristic hip points instead of embracing their suburb role as feeders for the region's true urban center. it's like all these towns are trying to one-up or circumvent Detroit instead of working together. guess that's not going away though..

They are doing what they are supposed to do,each one has its own form of government that is elected by the residents in order to serve their needs.

That includes anything and has nothing to do with the city of Detroit outside of regional issues like mass transit,if a majority of their residents are not into mass transit,the elected officials kinda have to follow along.

You cannot expect them not to do the exact same thing Detroit wants to do,it is always a competition,well has been sense the 50s and 60s,that is why major cities justified slash and burn and destroyed half if not all of their history,because they thought that people wanted new and that’s why they left for the burbs.

So they demolished everything into parking lots and waited and waited and waited …….

Of course I could be wrong and Detroit has jurisdiction over Warren and decides what they can and cannot do,but it sounds like they have their own governing body that is trying to make it a better place to live.

It’s not the suburbs role to improve or look after Detroit or do what is in Detroit’s best interests,that would be on the citizens of Detroit.

Unless a suburb has a Main Street downtown,the definition of walkability is different.

The last 10 years or so it has been popular for suburbs to create little “town centers” of sorts where you park your car and do what you need to do within walking distance where they did not have that established Main Street.

Disney built an entire stand alone town of sorts called celebration. Where all the snobs move to,it’s actually a recreation of an actual old school small town,you walk or golf cart or ride bike everywhere,they even have a little commercial district,people live and work there and never have to leave the property.

That is what burbs are trying to copy or create to an extent.

[hybridy]

The 'new' renderings are from 2018.
https://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...wn/2420478002/

I can't imagine being a Warren taxpayer funding a stupid gerbil tube over to the Tech Center. No thanks. I also can't imagine GM is willing to build it.

How is Southfield's downtown coming along?

[bust]

That's cute, at least they're trying. If they were serious about walkable communities though Warren would be in full support of regional transit.

What he said, except the sarcasm.

[bust]

I never really could understand the ill feelings this forum has towards the City of Warren. I know it's not the garden spot of the state and the mayor seems a bit peculiar but every time I go there it seems like an okay place.

I agree: it's been a pile-on. For those on a limited budget Warren seems a good value sometimes, in some areas, as long as you're ok with a car-centric lifestyle. There are some huge back yards some streets.

But that mayor.

[Jason]

I think it was last year, Warren released a planning document for the city.

They talked about their downtown and also iirc having mini downtowns [[I forget what they called them, but little activity/commercial nodes) throughout Warren, and these would be more urbanistic [[taller buildings, more attention to street design, etc).

And there was a big section about transit and how important it was for getting around and being sustainable and all of this other stuff. But the entire section was actually recreational bike/jogging paths. I think they might have briefly mentioned that SMART exists. idk what the best solution would be, but even just some generic "coordinate with SMART to better connect our residents to their destinations" would be better than nothing.


I'm just thinking off the top of my head right now, but if they built a transit center "downtown", then 740 and 760 [[12 Mile and 13 Mile) could be routed there, and then there would be a good transfer point between those lines and the Van Dyke bus lines which have decent ridership. It would also make city hall, the library, and the courts there more accessible by transit

[Henry Whalley]

South Warren is a rat-infested ghetto but the rest is habitable.

[313WX]

I never really could understand the ill feelings this forum has towards the City of Warren. I know it's not the garden spot of the state and the mayor seems a bit peculiar but every time I go there it seems like an okay place.

Let's not pretend Warren is some delicate little flower that people are picking on for no reason.

They've spewed quite a bit of well-documented venom towards Detroit and its resident/leaders for the past several decades. So many of us are merely returning the same amount of venom in kind.

[Gistok]

I think that Warren has had their share of shady city government folks... first there's Mayor Fouts... who has enough "stink" to make him reek to high heaven.

Then there is former Council President Cecil St. Pierre... even the State Attorney General has been investigating him and shady business practices...

https://www.wxyz.com/news/families-s...sed-loved-ones

And lets not forget their former mayor Mark Steenburgh... and his racist intrigues....

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...101-story.html

[Zacha341]

Avalon is quite nice! Albeit the parking lot and 'ascribed' walking areas. I guess that's enough walking for me! LOL!

No. I don't see Warren doing that, that well.....

In all fairness, there are some legitimately nice faux-downtowns in the suburbs of other major cities:

To name a few:

*Legacy in Plano [Dallas)
*Avalon in Alpharetta [Alpharetta]
*Reston Town Center [DC]

I don't have any confidence in Warren executing anything nearly as nice/impressive though.

[Satiricalivory]

Let's not pretend Warren is some delicate little flower that people are picking on for no reason.

They've spewed quite a bit of well-documented venom towards Detroit and its resident/leaders for the past several decades. So many of us are merely returning the same amount of venom in kind.

Agreed.