Bloomfield Park - What were they thinking?

[Zug]

It's interesting that SEMCOG projected "very large increases" for Pontiac itself.

[DetroitPlanner]

It's interesting that SEMCOG projected "very large increases" for Pontiac itself.

Did you read that? The map shows a decrease. That has to be a mis-print or perhaps they were thinking that folks were going to start flocking to older cities like that one?

Here is the new reality: http://library.semcog.org/InmagicGen...newal.3-12.pdf

[nain rouge]

No, Zug is right. SEMCOG did predict a large increase. I can kinda see where they were coming from, though. Pontiac's housing stock isn't nearly as busted as it is in Detroit or Flint [[the southeast side is pretty rough, though). The city has Woodward running right into downtown. There's plenty of room for development on the edges of town, which border some very affluent suburbs. If the city could stabilize itself, there's real potential, especially with the renewed interest in urban environments.

In fact, there's already a sense that the city has already hit rock bottom, and the last census update projected a small increase in population. For once, it appeared an EM actually did some good. The insane blight present in Pontiac's industrial and commercial strips make all the positive strides hard to see, sometimes.

[nain rouge]

In fact, imagine what Pontiac would be like if they'd placed all the county buildings downtown, put the Chrysler HQ within the city borders, and annexed Oakland University and worked with the university to expand its art gallery. They've always had it out for Pontiac, for some reason.

[Bham1982]

The thing is, even if there were positive market conditions, there's almost nothing to gentrify in Pontiac.

Pontiac is overwhelmingly ramshackle little homes built for auto workers from the 20's until WWII. It's a rather young city, and was very small until the 1920's, so there isn't much notable pre-automobile fabric [[and what existed is largely destroyed).

And downtown is a disaster. They bulldozed most of it for a ring road, and for the failed Phoenix Plaza development. Downtown is mostly parking lots and roadways, and not really convenient to anything.

[Shollin]

Didn't they rennovate the old Sears in Pontiac into some lofts and retail? The street grid always seemed confusing in Pontiac. Doesn't Woodward take you around downtown and connect with 24?

[nain rouge]

Name one "major" downtown in southeast Michigan that isn't a disaster. Maybe Royal Oak is an exception, but I suspect it took a lot of modern development to revitalize it.

[scottn55]

Name one "major" downtown in southeast Michigan that isn't a disaster. Maybe Royal Oak is an exception, but I suspect it took a lot of modern development to revitalize it.

Downtown Ann Arbor is not a disaster.

[canuck]

No, Zug is right. SEMCOG did predict a large increase. I can kinda see where they were coming from, though. Pontiac's housing stock isn't nearly as busted as it is in Detroit or Flint [[the southeast side is pretty rough, though). The city has Woodward running right into downtown. There's plenty of room for development on the edges of town, which border some very affluent suburbs. If the city could stabilize itself, there's real potential, especially with the renewed interest in urban environments.

In fact, there's already a sense that the city has already hit rock bottom, and the last census update projected a small increase in population. For once, it appeared an EM actually did some good. The insane blight present in Pontiac's industrial and commercial strips make all the positive strides hard to see, sometimes.

Did the commercial spaces in downtown Pontiac started vacating because of industrial decline in the vicinity?

I took a Google streetview stroll to check out the main streets and found it had a lot of sweet quality architecture. So many downtowns of suburban cities feel abandoned to the more profitable, more automotively convenient shopping malls. It is sad to see how the commercial spaces that are very well maintained for the most part, dont find tenants in what could be a very sweet area. Mentalities have to change for our cities to begin thriving again. The same political will that could bring back Detroit will be needed if suburban towns are to find a more purposeful future. Small towns emulated bigger downtowns for decades and lost traction to the autocentric lifestyle as much as the big cities which is totally nuts when you think of the attractiveness and density places like Pontiac had managed to build over time.

Pisses me off to see this in Canada or the US.

[gameguy56]

Downtown Ann Arbor is not a disaster.

Also Grosse Pointe, Plymouth, Northville, Birmingham, Ferndale, and Rochester.

Downtown Berkley isn't bad either.

[Novine]

Pontiac has some fairly new housing stock that was built in the last 10 years. There's plenty of vacant land within the city too. But in many ways, it's a microcosm of all of the problems that plague Detroit. Amazing to think that Brooks Patterson's office looks out over all this.

[nain rouge]

Also Grosse Pointe, Plymouth, Northville, Birmingham, Ferndale, and Rochester.

Downtown Berkley isn't bad either.

OK, fair enough. I didn't really qualify what I meant by "major". Royal Oak and Ferndale, with populations of about 20,000 in 1930, are even somewhat stretching the concept for me. I don't believe any of those other cities you listed had even half that in population until Metro Detroit sprawl reached their borders and most still don't. Really small downtowns usually weather the storms better, because filling or maintaining a couple retail spaces is a lot easier than dealing with big city problems.

Most of those downtowns you listed, if isolated from Metro Detroit, would have a hard time competing with downtown Dundee, Michigan, let alone Pontiac, Flint, Detroit, or Ann Arbor [[the lone outlier in the discussion).

[m b v]

Pontiac is full of poverty and criminals, which trumps any viable development. Why would any [[young) professionals EVER want to call Pontiac home when there are a dozen better in every way enclaves within 5 minutes? Pontiac will always be Oakland's dump, which I think local leaders may like, because maybe they like the poverty and crime contained within P's city limits.

[Bham1982]

Pontiac is full of poverty and criminals, which trumps any viable development. Why would any [[young) professionals EVER want to call Pontiac home when there are a dozen better in every way enclaves within 5 minutes?

Wait, what? I thought you believed that Pontiac was a great location for people and business.

Weren't you arguing in favor of Bloomfield Park? Bloomfield Park is in Pontiac.

[DTWflyer]

I really like the sign on N. Woodward/Wide Track coming into downtown Pontiac that references back to the 1994 World Cup soccer games that were played at the Silverdome. The sign looks like its from 1994 and was made by a bunch of middle school students. Its like that was the city's "glory days"

[m b v]

Wait, what? I thought you believed that Pontiac was a great location for people and business.

Weren't you arguing in favor of Bloomfield Park? Bloomfield Park is in Pontiac.

Bloomfield Park is 0.10 sq miles. The city of Pontiac is 20 sq miles full of urban blight. Bloomfield Park was/is partially in Bloomfield Twp, has a Bloomfield Hills zip, and is isolated from the tragedies that make Pontiac miserable. The scope of the project and government interference were issues, but it remains a good location, and was [[is currently?) the largest undeveloped section in Bloomfield Twp.

[DTWflyer]

The scope of the project was wrong from the beginning.
The location was questionable because is on the fringe of blighted areas, and not really in the epicenter of the wealthier areas.

The problem now is that you can't really claim its undeveloped since its got this hulk of rotting structures that will cost money to demolish.
Plus, now its got the dysfunctionalness of Pontiac involved in the matter.

[Bham1982]

Bloomfield Park is 0.10 sq miles. The city of Pontiac is 20 sq miles full of urban blight. Bloomfield Park was/is partially in Bloomfield Twp, has a Bloomfield Hills zip, and is isolated from the tragedies that make Pontiac miserable.

No, Bloomfield Park is in Pontiac. No part of Bloomfield Park is in Bloomfield Township. Bloomfield Township has absolutely no jurisdiction in Bloomfield Park.

I'm still not sure why you think Bloomfield Park would be a viable site, if you think that Pontiac is an unviable city. You think Pontiac is "bad", except for the acreage encompassing Bloomfield Park?

[Shollin]

No, Bloomfield Park is in Pontiac. No part of Bloomfield Park is in Bloomfield Township. Bloomfield Township has absolutely no jurisdiction in Bloomfield Park.

I'm still not sure why you think Bloomfield Park would be a viable site, if you think that Pontiac is an unviable city. You think Pontiac is "bad", except for the acreage encompassing Bloomfield Park?

Using his logic, Alter road should be prime real estate.

[buckster1986]

"A dream plan for an upscale town center that morphed into an eyesore, Oakland County's Bloomfield Park could soon be in the hands of a new owner.

Wells Fargo Bank says that it has sold foreclosure rights to the failed development property, which fronts Telegraph Road at the Pontiac/Bloomfield Township border and contains about a dozen partially-built buildings and parking decks."

http://www.freep.com/story/money/business/michigan/2014/10/21/bloomfield-park-foreclosure-rights-new-owner/17646669/

[hybridy]

13 years later...the reboot of the failed Bloomfield Park is beginning to open

https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2019/05/02/retail-housing-village-at-bloomfield/3638035002/

The Village at Bloomfield, in contrast, will serve a more middle-market demographic. Its planned mix of retail, commercial, residential and medical offices includes:

• Aldi low-cost grocery: This 22,245-square-foot store opened in December.
• Menards: A rare two-story Menards store [[243,672 square feet) could open in June.
• Fitness center: A large building for a to-be-announced fitness brand will be built near the Menards.
• 432 apartments: One, two, and three-bedroom market-rate apartment homes will be built and could be ready for occupants in 2020. This development, called 24 at Bloomfield, includes a clubhouse.
• Hampton Inn: A four-store, 100-room Hampton Inn & Suites will be built near the fitness center.
• 150 senior housing units: An American House senior living community is planned for the site's north end. It could open by late 2020.
• More retail/commercial: Several other commercial tenants have committed to the site but have yet to reveal themselves in formal announcements.
• Henry Ford clinic: The Henry Ford Health System is building a two-story, 83,000-square-foot health clinic next to the Aldi. There will be primary care, a walk-in clinic a pharmacy and OptimEyes. It will become Henry Ford's 11th outpatient clinic in Oakland County when it opens this fall.

The Village at Bloomfield was initially pegged at $180 million, but costs have risen above $200 million and could even reach $250 million, Watchowski said.

Site Plan
https://drive.google.com/viewerng/vi...ws/village.pdf

[Towne Cluber]

No, Bloomfield Park is in Pontiac. No part of Bloomfield Park is in Bloomfield Township. Bloomfield Township has absolutely no jurisdiction in Bloomfield Park.

"Now about 95% of the site is in Pontiac with the rest in Bloomfield Township."

https://www.freep.com/story/money/bu...ld/3638035002/

[Atticus]

"Now about 95% of the site is in Pontiac with the rest in Bloomfield Township."

https://www.freep.com/story/money/bu...ld/3638035002/

These aren’t the vacant half built structures surrounding Little Caesar’s Arena?