Vacant Land, Cass/Clifford/Columbia area

**Meddle** · January-05-10, 01:10 AM

Bopping around on GoogleEarth I noticed what appears to be several blocks nearly completely leveled, only a building or two left standing. Of course the image is two or three years old, but is that area still flatland?

**casscorridor** · January-05-10, 02:54 AM

yes. in fact, more buildings are gone.

When you account for this area, the gap between the "good" area [[aka north of MLK) and Downtown seems longer. This is a critical gap that must be filled. I just hope not by a stadium, it really isn't what we need. Lots of small scale buildings would be ideal. Repopulate the area as it was first populated, building by buidling, rather than superblock by superblock.

**Gistok** · January-05-10, 03:46 AM

That's the west Foxtown area mostly owned by Ilitch Holdings Inc. A 4 block section of that area will one day likely be the future home of the Red Wings. The question is... which 4 blocks. There are still a few parking lot owners who are holdouts, and may require a new arena north of the Fisher Fwy., where the Ilitch's also own large chunks of land.

Very little will likely happen on any of that land [[especially in the current economy) until the location of the arena is established.

**Meddle** · January-05-10, 03:47 AM

Originally Posted by casscorridor

This is a critical gap that must be filled. I just hope not by a stadium, it really isn't what we need.

I also noticed in the aerial shots that the Comerica mess and that monstrosity next to it are HUGE eyesores.

**Gistok** · January-05-10, 03:52 AM

.... you should have seen the area 25 years ago.... depressing...

**Meddle** · January-05-10, 03:58 AM

25 years ago, it looked like a city.

**econ expat** · January-05-10, 06:46 AM

Originally Posted by Meddle

25 years ago, it looked like a city.

Agreed!
A real city with a neighborhood that was a 'haven', a central place to go in hard times and 'regroup'.
Diverse in backgrounds, but not income- it may have been depressing to some with higher incomes.
One of the last areas of the city to be 'urban walkable'- very few could afford cars or cab fare, but there were still small groceries, 5 and dime, hardware stores, corner bars and diners, etc. Yes, at least till the early 80's.
Thanks, gentrification.

bartock · January-05-10, 09:05 AM

Originally Posted by econ expat

Agreed!
A real city with a neighborhood that was a 'haven', a central place to go in hard times and 'regroup'.
Diverse in backgrounds, but not income- it may have been depressing to some with higher incomes.
One of the last areas of the city to be 'urban walkable'- very few could afford cars or cab fare, but there were still small groceries, 5 and dime, hardware stores, corner bars and diners, etc. Yes, at least till the early 80's.
Thanks, gentrification.

Not gentrification - two stadiums, massive parking lots, and two wealthy team owners who used [[in large part) public funds and political influence to get what they wanted, where they wanted 'em. The condos on the other side of the freeway would have enhanced the area as it was.

**EastsideAl** · January-05-10, 10:32 AM

I wish it had gentrified. And it did seem potentially headed that way a few years back when some of the hotels on Park were being renovated and other nearby former commercial buildings were being occupied as lofts.

Instead what happened is what has almost always happened in Detroit. Not renovation, not gentrification, not adaptive reuse, not contextual infill, but just clearance. Followed by urban-life-sucking emptiness and a very very long wait for any new structures or new use to arrive.

**buildingsofdetroit** · January-05-10, 10:46 AM

Hey! Honk if you love Mike Ilitch's parking lot empire and destruction of Detroit's urban fabric! Honk! Honk!

**Gsgeorge** · January-05-10, 11:06 AM

Little Caesar's new motto: Parking! Parking!

**casscorridor** · January-05-10, 11:36 AM

what a shame. does anyone have any pictures when this neighborhood was alive?

I doubt anyone will really care, but another stadium will make this area even worse.

when are we going to take back the power from the likes of Illich and Bing?

The total collapse of this neighborhood, like others in Detroit, is a crime, yet the only people thrown in jail are the victims.

**jackie5275** · January-05-10, 11:48 AM

Originally Posted by Gsgeorge

Little Caesar's new motto: Parking! Parking!

LOL, that's it!!!

**GOAT** · January-05-10, 12:04 PM

Wow. Ilitch might be a bit of ~~~~~~ but he sure has done a fuck of a lot more for Detroit and the downtown area than most if not all of you.

**casscorridor** · January-05-10, 12:15 PM

Originally Posted by GOAT

Wow. Ilitch might be a bit of ~~~~~~ but he sure has done a fuck of a lot more for Detroit and the downtown area than most if not all of you.

What has he done?

Create "Foxtown" ? What a dumb name. I can't believe the light-rail backers want to name a station after it. What is there? Park Ave. Is any of that illich? I'm pretty sure the buildings he owns are vacant. I'm pretty sure he tore down the building that had lofts on Elizebeth/Grand River. Wow. So he owns the Fox Theatre, does almost nothing for the neighborhood and gets all this credit for helpin Downtown. Look at the sea of parking lots. Just look at the ariel images of the area between Adams and Vernor and you will see how nothing is left but the strip along Park Ave and one side of Woodward [[the other side being Comerica Park Parking). How is this improvement?

I think Kafallanos has done more to help, another gangster that is brought up a lot in Detroit politics. At least he has converted several buildings to apartments in Downtown, not just let all his buildings sit empty.

Fuck Illich. And his wife. Motor City Casino is a gaudy piece of shit, I hate having to see it at the end of my street every day. And in the North Corktown/Briggs neighborhood, there was suppose to be all this development spill over from the casino. Nope. Nothing. The casino is a fortress with no doors to the sidewalk. Look at Grand River. Look at Trumbull. Desolate. They've done absolutely nothing.

The Illiches are selfish greedy people acting on their own self-interest alone. Period. They don't give a shit about Detroit, at least not enough to go against their business plan.

NO NEW STADIUM!

**Patrick** · January-05-10, 06:29 PM

Fuck Illich. And his wife. Motor City Casino is a gaudy piece of shit, I hate having to see it at the end of my street every day. And in the North Corktown/Briggs neighborhood, there was suppose to be all this development spill over from the casino. Nope. Nothing. The casino is a fortress with no doors to the sidewalk. Look at Grand River. Look at Trumbull. Desolate. They've done absolutely nothing.

The Illiches are selfish greedy people acting on their own self-interest alone. Period. They don't give a shit about Detroit, at least not enough to go against their business plan.

NO NEW STADIUM!

I guess you hate chain pizza places and big box stores too.

**royce** · January-06-10, 02:10 AM

A new hockey arena in that area makes the most sense [[as long as Cass Avenue is not cut off and the westside of Park Avenue is left available for residential or commercial development and not parking up to the street ). A stadium would clearly increase foot traffic in the area and virtually create an all-year round sports environment. Now, if only we could get the Pistons to eventually come back to Detroit and share the environs in the hockey arena, then that would really keep things jumping almost 24/7.

BTW, couldn't Ilitch and those parking lot owners who are holding out simply make a trade of property. Ilitch would give them an equivalent piece of land for parking in exchange for theirs. Seems like that would be a win-win situation.

**kathy2trips** · January-06-10, 03:34 AM

Originally Posted by Patrick

Fuck Illich. And his wife. Motor City Casino is a gaudy piece of shit, I hate having to see it at the end of my street every day. And in the North Corktown/Briggs neighborhood, there was suppose to be all this development spill over from the casino. Nope. Nothing. The casino is a fortress with no doors to the sidewalk. Look at Grand River. Look at Trumbull. Desolate. They've done absolutely nothing.

I guess you hate chain pizza places and big box stores too.

I'll answer that. Yeah, I hate chain store pizza! I make my own pizza. Taught to me by my Italian nonna. Mmmmm!

BIG Box? How about Big Bucks? Brick and mortar stores have WAY more overhead than, say Internet based operations. How was the parking when you shopped at Amazon last time? See what I mean? To fill the customer/community relations gap, Mom & Pop operations should enjoy a revival [[if the gov't will give small businesses a break). Remember, most jobs come from SMALL businesses. They can give what the BBs can't.

That being said, I hate the Illichs, too. They've done more harm than good. Are they so different than the vandals that destroy buildings one at a time, piece-by-piece by hand, rather than take a wrecking ball to marble and fine wood and flippantly tossing it in some landfill?

They've raped, pillaged and destroyed so much human community that no ritzy-ditzy theater or giant sports monument can ever make better.

I look forward to the eventual comeuppance of the Illich menace. A swift, but crippling IRS or similar tax problem would certainly be tasty!