Well put.
I don't understand why so much of the Detroit "culture" is this "antii-establishment" "anti-power" "anti-money" mentality. You want to solve big problems, you need big resources. You chase them all out of here, well, don't be surprised when the lawns don't get cut.So my bottom line [[and sorry to be so long-winded) is that the best way to save the field is to help find someone with money and know-how who can be convinced that it adds value to his/her project. Anything else is just banging your head into the wall.
I'd rather see the Tiger Stadium lot empty for another 5 years and then see a well capitalized developer come in rather than see a strip mall show up. As for small- to medium- sized developers, I agree. If the Michigan Avenue corridor continues to get redeveloped and residential areas stay solid, a major developer will find the site that much more attractive.
But even better, I'd be thrilled to see OTSC come up with a viable plan that will preserve history and build the relationships and trust with the powers that be to make this work. Development deals are COMPLEX. Why not partner up with a group like Roxbury Capital, who has both a major development on Grand Circus Park and one in Midtown coming up in the next 12 months?
Obviously there are conflicts of interest and sometimes what's good for the leg isn't good for the arm. I would love to see the OTSC vision succeed. But when you compare the track record of OTSC to DEGC, as much as DEGC deserves criticism...they actually have some successful projects in their past and have many more on the way. Like it or not, this translates in political capital.
I hope the OTSC gets what they want. But in order for that to happen, they need to stop "fighting the man" and start "becoming the man"
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