Work Begins/Continues Across Midtown

[DetroitDad]

-Another Midtown Renovation has apparently started at the Helen Newberry Nurses Home at 100 East Willis at John R, as a big crane, crew, and dumpster have been working.

-Work has also been going on at the MidMed lofts, with apparent new tenants.

-A renovation on Garfield is underway for a super green geothermal apartment building project.

-Over on Woodward at Alexandrine, work is wrapping up on the first phases of the Woodward Garden Block, and has moved South towards the old theater to the South. After this, the only phase left is the Zakoor Novelties demolition.

-Work has begun on some new boutiques on Cass. These buildings were originally slated for demolition.

-Meanwhile, Studio One Apartments is long since complete, but a new family bar and grill, Starters has opened, and a nationally recognized burger chain is also under construction.

-The Ellington Condos also appear to be nearly full, with items on most of the balconies.

[313WX]

and a nationally recognized burger chain is also under construction.

Is this Fatburger or Five Guys [[both of which are expected to open around Wayne State)?

[leland_palmer]

-A renovation on Garfield is underway for a super green geothermal apartment building project.

my previously posted photo from January

[Detroit Stylin]

Is this Fatburger or Five Guys [[both of which are expected to open around Wayne State)?

Fatburger.....that sign has been there for at least a year now....

[DetroitDad]

It's becoming somewhat clear to me that Woodward, between Temple and Forest is going to essentially be Main Street Midtown, and a sort of village center at some point. If you are into urban living [[new urbanism, or just urbanism), this has got to be the best stretch to locate. Developers and business owners would be smart to gear this area towards this group, as well as those suburbanites who are tired of the car culture.

My commentary on strategy might be to focus heavily on making this area have a small town center or uptown feel. Then, maybe focus on getting some good destination shopping on Woodward in Downtown, from Grand Circus Park to Campus Martius. All of this would make destinations on both sides of the Brush Park and Cass Park area of Woodward Avenue. If you add in a better transit line, you have the recipe for something good.

This is a pretty vague description of what needs to get done. Once you get into the details, it gets much more tricky.

[wolverine]

Just an fyi, by saying new urbanism you mean a balance between urban and suburban living...so really no one is tired of car culture, since they will still drive cars. Technically all development in Detroit has been a compromise. You can live in an apartment, and you can also own a car too. I'd really like to see some new development go up in Detroit for once that has no off-street parking unless that is required by the city owadays. It's really the first thing that needs to change to create lively commercial and residential districts.

[DetroitDad]

Just an fyi, by saying new urbanism you mean a balance between urban and suburban living...so really no one is tired of car culture, since they will still drive cars. Technically all development in Detroit has been a compromise. You can live in an apartment, and you can also own a car too. I'd really like to see some new development go up in Detroit for once that has no off-street parking unless that is required by the city owadays. It's really the first thing that needs to change to create lively commercial and residential districts.

I agree! Cars will always have a place.

By Car Culture I mean to describe the excessive use of cars. Cars have become more than simple appliances, they have become an extension of ourselves, and they are used as expressions of our personalty. They [[Suburbanite yuppies or city wannabe gangsters) decorate them with spinners or pin stripes, and plaster them with cute bumper stickers that the drivers actually believe are true. I long for a day when a car is viewed as a appliance, and not a fashion statement. All those people that are doing that are projecting.... me me me, but they're not interacting with other people. I could talk on this subject all day, but I must get back to cleaning my apartment.

[Gsgeorge]

It's becoming somewhat clear to me that Woodward, between Temple and Forest is going to essentially be Main Street Midtown, and a sort of village center at some point.

"At some point"? It isn't already?

[stasu1213]

All designs of apartment buildings, shopping centers, businesses and neighborhoods in Detroit were influence by the automobile. The only areas in Detroit where the stores are close to the streets are Livernois Seven Mile, Grand River and Greenfield, Wyoming and Curtis, Midtown, and Downtown. These areas were developed during the streetcar age or when the neighborhoods were true communities and the residents wanted areas of retail where they could walk to without using the car.The Gratiot and Chen area have potentials. I wish a book would come out showing photos of these shopping and retails areas throughout Detroit during the early to mid 20th century.

[English]

It's becoming somewhat clear to me that Woodward, between Temple and Forest is going to essentially be Main Street Midtown, and a sort of village center at some point. If you are into urban living [[new urbanism, or just urbanism), this has got to be the best stretch to locate. Developers and business owners would be smart to gear this area towards this group, as well as those suburbanites who are tired of the car culture.

As someone who is in the housing market, DetroitDad, I can attest that it's definitely one of the more successful areas in Detroit right now for real estate and rentals. There are hundreds of properties available all over the city, but I am finding that there are fewer opportunities in Midtown, and few bargain basement, move-in ready deals. The NEZ tax incentives do take away the sting of some of the price tags, though.

Midtown is far more developed and there are far more retail options now than when I last lived and worked in the area half a decade ago. I remember here on this forum we had threads to entice national coffeehouse chains to move in -- now there's half a dozen places to get your morning latte within a mile's radius of Woodward and Warren.

Perhaps one of the attractions of Midtown is the perception of [[relative) safety. The area is not only patrolled by the DPD, but there's also the Wayne State police as well. I think that this area will only grow more desirable if the M-1 rail becomes a reality [[and isn't "postponed" like the commuter rail) and [[sadly) if Illitch's new Red Wings stadium is built north or immediately south of I-75.

[innercitydoc]

Lets not forget about the Techtown renovation of the former Dagleish Cadillac dealership and the new light rail transit center being constructed just north of it.

[professorscott]

All designs of apartment buildings, shopping centers, businesses and neighborhoods in Detroit were influence by the automobile. The only areas in Detroit where the stores are close to the streets are Livernois Seven Mile, Grand River and Greenfield, Wyoming and Curtis, Midtown, and Downtown. These areas were developed during the streetcar age or when the neighborhoods were true communities and the residents wanted areas of retail where they could walk to without using the car.The Gratiot and Chen area have potentials. I wish a book would come out showing photos of these shopping and retails areas throughout Detroit during the early to mid 20th century.

This is true in general, but neither Livernois/Seven nor Wyoming/Curtis was ever served by streetcars. The streetcar line which was eventually replaced by the Linwood bus route turned around in a loop at the northeast portion of the corner of Livernois and West Six Mile [[now West McNichols), where the Marathon station is now; it missed 7/Liv by a full mile. There was, to my knowledge, never a streetcar anywhere very near Curtis and Wyoming either.

So the idea of having stores near the street, and a pedestrian focus, did survive into the automobile era... just not very far into it.

[DetroitDad]

"At some point"? It isn't already?

Yes, but it's not anywhere near it's potential, and still has the risk of slipping backwards without heavy support. The area South of Mack still has a long way to go.

[tallboy66]

Yes, but it's not anywhere near it's potential, and still has the risk of slipping backwards without heavy support. The area South of Mack still has a long way to go.

As far as I recall the area north of 94 to the New center needs some redo as well.

[tallboy66]

Just an fyi, by saying new urbanism you mean a balance between urban and suburban living...so really no one is tired of car culture, since they will still drive cars. Technically all development in Detroit has been a compromise. You can live in an apartment, and you can also own a car too. I'd really like to see some new development go up in Detroit for once that has no off-street parking unless that is required by the city owadays. It's really the first thing that needs to change to create lively commercial and residential districts.

Take a look at Chicago, New Jersey, the burroughs of NYC. You can own a car and for a lot of uses it's helpful and more convenient but for short trips, daily commutes and finding parking for a 5 block trip or going downtown for a show, game... and paying $10 to park in a gravel lot that used to be a building is Detroit will not ever have a reliable useful mass transit system.

Putting up a parking garage for every new dense residential development either means you have huge spaces between developments or you build on top of garage but then where's room for retail, cafes...?
There's not a real practical way to retro fit the downtown/Midtown buildings to accommodate parking so no real density will occur other than what already exists.

[DetroitDad]

As someone who is in the housing market, DetroitDad, I can attest that it's definitely one of the more successful areas in Detroit right now for real estate and rentals. There are hundreds of properties available all over the city, but I am finding that there are fewer opportunities in Midtown, and few bargain basement, move-in ready deals. The NEZ tax incentives do take away the sting of some of the price tags, though.

Midtown is far more developed and there are far more retail options now than when I last lived and worked in the area half a decade ago. I remember here on this forum we had threads to entice national coffeehouse chains to move in -- now there's half a dozen places to get your morning latte within a mile's radius of Woodward and Warren.

Perhaps one of the attractions of Midtown is the perception of [[relative) safety. The area is not only patrolled by the DPD, but there's also the Wayne State police as well. I think that this area will only grow more desirable if the M-1 rail becomes a reality [[and isn't "postponed" like the commuter rail) and [[sadly) if Illitch's new Red Wings stadium is built north or immediately south of I-75.

Agreed! However, as great as Midtown is, you can't overlook the fact that Midtown's potential residential space is still two thirds vacant. Cass Park is still filled with vacant buildings, and Brush Park behind the new buildings and in the old Brewster projects is a modern day ghost town.

[masterblaster]

All designs of apartment buildings, shopping centers, businesses and neighborhoods in Detroit were influence by the automobile. The only areas in Detroit where the stores are close to the streets are Livernois Seven Mile, Grand River and Greenfield, Wyoming and Curtis, Midtown, and Downtown. These areas were developed during the streetcar age or when the neighborhoods were true communities and the residents wanted areas of retail where they could walk to without using the car.The Gratiot and Chen area have potentials. I wish a book would come out showing photos of these shopping and retails areas throughout Detroit during the early to mid 20th century.

That statement is so untrue - many, many neighborhoods were built that weren't influenced by the automobile. What about Southwest Detroit, Hubbard Richard, Hubbard Farms, the Grand Boulevard, the North End, Palmer Park apartments, the vast westside neighborhoods north of West Grand Boulevard - you had two-family flats, 4-family flats, single-family houses with apartment buildings interspersed - built right on top of each other, with 6 feet in between residences.

In addition, there were PLENTY of Main Street commercial areas besides Seven Mile and Wyoming-Curtis where the buildings fronted the street - Grand River-Lahser, Grand River/Oakman, Schaefer-McNichols, Evergreen-Seven Mile, Dexter-Davison, Warrendale, Michigan Av.-Junction Av., West Jefferson-West End. All of the major commercial streets - Joy, Plymouth, Schoolcraft, Fenkell [[east of Southfield Fwy), Puritan [[east of Greenfield), Warren Ave., McNichols, Dexter, Linwood, 12th, Grand River, Michigan Av., Vernor, Fort, Seven Mile [[west of Wyoming) - were built with buildings fronting the street. And I haven't even touched the east side! So I don't know what you are talking about!

[DetroitDad]

A massive crane has appeared over the Detroit Medical Center. I am told that the parking garage at the North end of the site is adding yet another story on top of the existing garage.

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[DetroitDad]

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The former Newbury Nurses Hall is being converted into apartments. Note that braces have secured the walls to nearby trees and sturdier portions of the building. More information on this rehab, along with DetroitYES poster Wolverine's constant negativity [[) can be found by clicking here.

[[I meant that just as friendly banter based on his comment in that other link).

[DetroitZack]

^I saw that crane from afar and was wondering what was going on. Thanks for the info.

[Stosh]

A massive crane has appeared over the Detroit Medical Center. I am told that the parking garage at the North end of the site is adding yet another story on top of the existing garage.

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That's good news, right? I mean, even if it is a total copout in the walkability department... If it happens in Midtown, it MUST be good for the city, right?

[DetroitDad]

More pictures of the Newbury.
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[DetroitDad]

That's good news, right? I mean, even if it is a total copout in the walkability department... If it happens in Midtown, it MUST be good for the city, right?

Not necessarily, but it is a garage that will be taking a more urban form I am told [[we'll see), and it should help with demand for surface lots in the immediate area.

[Jimaz]

I've never seen a building braced against a tree. Is that really a good idea? Especially that high from the ground? Trees bend in the wind and we're due for some wind tonight.

Maybe they have some guy wires stiffening the tree?

[DetroitDad]

Work appears to be wrapping up at 71 Garfield, with work slated to begin at 74 Garfield soon....

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More information can be found by clicking here.