Why now? Olympia Parking Now Asphalts Gravel Surface Parking Lots Behind the Fox

[ABetterDetroit]

Guys, I think they will be 'over the finish line' as soon as everything which is started is finished.

As for 'why now'? I have no idea.

Maybe a 'parking lot' expert can explain if there are weather considerations, i.e., if they will be utilized more in winter [[think Red Wings, Pistons, etc. at LCA) that asphalt is preferable to dirt.

Is it easier to keep the lots clear for heavy usage?

How much usage did those lots get during winter [[i.e., when the Tigers were not playing ball)?

Huh? "Over the finish line"? After years of being the largest proponent of the Ilitch family and the LCA on this forum and everything it and they would do for Detroit in the future you are declaring them finished? All the promises have been fulfilled?

Thanks for the heads up there Steve because it is bit hard to notice when one is actually walking around downtown and one crosses into Ilitchlands vast emptiness.

[emu steve]

Huh? "Over the finish line"? After years of being the largest proponent of the Ilitch family and the LCA on this forum and everything it and they would do for Detroit in the future you are declaring them finished? All the promises have been fulfilled?

Thanks for the heads up there Steve because it is bit hard to notice when one is actually walking around downtown and one crosses into Ilitchlands vast emptiness.

My, my, my...

The quote is completely out of context.

The quote was 'over the finish line' AS FAR AS meeting their obligations as to what they were obligated to spend within District Detroit.

My point was as soon as LCA, the garages, LCA headquarters, residences, Ilitch School of Business, hotel, etc. are finished, the amount expendited would meet their requirement.

Any monies spent on parking lots is chump change and would not be needed to meet the requirements.

As other posters suggested Ilitch organization needs these lots to be available 12 months a year for employees, patrons of LCA, etc. and the only sensible way of doing it would be use asaphalt so that snow removal is feasible.

[Rock N Rye]

Huh? "Over the finish line"? After years of being the largest proponent of the Ilitch family and the LCA on this forum and everything it and they would do for Detroit in the future you are declaring them finished? All the promises have been fulfilled?

Thanks for the heads up there Steve because it is bit hard to notice when one is actually walking around downtown and one crosses into Ilitchlands vast emptiness.

He means the $200 million in spin-off development "finish line" that was required for them to get public financing. They got over this mark with a $25 million parking garage, the Little Caesars headquarters that supposedly costs $150 million, and the money for the business school.

[Rock N Rye]

They did announce from the beginning that the plan for the "Columbia Park" neighborhood was to build landscaped parking lots that would be developed in the future.

[Hermod]

As other posters suggested Ilitch organization needs these lots to be available 12 months a year for employees, patrons of LCA, etc. and the only sensible way of doing it would be use asaphalt so that snow removal is feasible.

Not to mention that by paving them, you can also stripe them which greatly increases the parking capacity over what you get with unstriped gravel.

[ABetterDetroit]

My, my, my...

The quote is completely out of context.

The quote was 'over the finish line' AS FAR AS meeting their obligations as to what they were obligated to spend within District Detroit.

My point was as soon as LCA, the garages, LCA headquarters, residences, Ilitch School of Business, hotel, etc. are finished, the amount expendited would meet their requirement.

Any monies spent on parking lots is chump change and would not be needed to meet the requirements.

As other posters suggested Ilitch organization needs these lots to be available 12 months a year for employees, patrons of LCA, etc. and the only sensible way of doing it would be use asaphalt so that snow removal is feasible.

No Steve, it is not out of context. Here again, you are pushing the same line about devolopments that don't exist in reality or even in a construction phase.

What "residences"? Where are they? Where's the construction for them? Who's leasing or selling them?

Again, what hotel? Where is the hotel construction? Who are they doing it with?

Do you know the difference between 'could' and 'renderings' and existing in the real world in a physical form?

The only difference here is NOW, in this thread about their parking lots, you're counting paving asphalt and parking decks as part of putting them "over the finish line" for "meeting their obligations".

This really sucks, Steve. Their largest loudest proudest backer, YOU have lowered the bar considerably by counting asphalt and fences in "what they where obligated to spend within District Detroit" It is NOT a good omen for those of us hoping that this time it would be different.

[emu steve]

Completely false:

"This really sucks, Steve. Their largest loudest proudest backer, YOU have lowered the bar considerably by counting asphalt and fences in "what they where obligated to spend within District Detroit" It is NOT a good omen for those of us hoping that this time it would be different."

As I understand it, from what I've read and seen on the Fox Sports Detroit special, the work to get LCA finish on time is a real challenge.

No way would a rational person encourage the Ilitch operation to start more projects until LCA is essentially 99% complete.

I think you are being completely disengenous. I would think that 2018 will prove you to be a 'false prophet.'

The Ilitich have YEARS to see that all of the agreed upon spending occurs. We have posters who have indicated that the Ilitches have a time frame to get their projects done. Some will be done in 2018.

This asphalt parking lot work is CHUMP CHANGE. Out of spending which could total 1.2B in a few years we are talking about what five or ten million?

This whole thread has turned into another nothing burger.

[emu steve]

Getting back to parking capacity...

Lest my search was wrong, starting Sept 16, we will see the first of a number of entertainment 'doubleheaders' in the Comerica/LCA venues. Kid Rock and Tigers the evening of 9/16/

Sept. 24 Lions and Tigers both at 1:00 p.m. That could be as many as 100K fans in the same area at the same time...

Time to get those parking lots finished. LCA opens in what 4 months.

[ddaydetroit]

My biggest beef with these fenced in parking lots is the local bars in the area were allowed to use them for parking years back on none game nights now they are fenced and locked up and empty and no where to park on the streets on some none game nights

[3WC]

Those parking lots are a mystery to me. They have been working on them for months and are still a long way from completing all of the,.

They have to be spending many millions on those things. They're excavating down 2 feet or more and then putting in engineered fill prior to paving. They're installing drainage and electricity for lighting. They're installing automated ticket spitters on some and guard shacks on others. They're fencing some of them. They're tearing up the streets and sidewalks in some areas, apparently for connections to storm drains and electric lines.

The construction has been dragging on interminably. I worked on building parking lots in college [[a long time ago) and those things should have been completely constructed many weeks ago; the works gets done sporadically, as if the owner runs out of money has to come up with more before construction starts again.

Those lots are intended to be permanent, for sure. Bye bye future development of that area.

Finally, the big winner in the area is Harry's Bar, on the NE corner of Clifford and the I-75 service drive. It's a great sports bar with wall-to-wall large flat screen TVs. It's entirely surrounded by the new stadium and parking decks, 200 feet from the entrance to the new arena. The food is way above average; in fact it's excellent, and reasonably priced. The brother and sister owners are hands on. They have lots of parking and own a large lot across Clifford from the bar to handle the overflow on game days. They have always been busy but the place is now a much bigger gold mine. Kudos.

[jcole]

Yeah, all the fans that live on or near Woodward from Grand Blvd to the Caesar.

They're in for a disappointment. The lots will be empty because all the fans will take the Q-line in.

Right?

[K-slice]

Has anyone read how the District website describes this area? In case you haven't here it is:

"Perfectly positioned in heart of the city, Columbia Park will be home to Detroit's newest urban green space. This neighborhood, once an important industrial center, will become a place to relax and refresh during a busy day, after work or on the weekend. New offices, retail specialty shops and loft-style condos will surround this tree-shaded respite. With the city's skyline as a backdrop, it will be easy to take advantage of the views while enjoying a meal at a terraced cafe. This area was filled with hotels before it became an important industrial center. Once again, people will be able to stroll through the manicured gardens, people-watch while lounging on the lawn, or give the pup some exercise at the dog run. Columbia Park will soon offer boundless opportunities to play, interact, relax and connect".

I'm sure we all remember when this area was an "important industrial center". We can really see and appreciate Olympias vision of making this "Detroit's urban green space". I mean, just look at all the wonderful grass and trees in this picture!

[Atticus]

I think the reasons for doing the parking lots now are several fold.

1- For many years, it was unclear whether the new arena was going behind the Fox or north of I-75. As the arena construction project is very complicated with lots of permits and other issues, really until all the permits were approved and ground broken for construction, there was no definite arena site.
And if you didn't know where the arena was going to go, it would be a waste [[from Olympias point of view) to spend money on the surface lots when the arena still might go behind the Fox. Yes, they finally "knew" last summer, but maybe there were other surface lot paving permits or other reasons that delayed them a year. But as mentioned, it wasn't until fall of 2015 that the Illitches knew for sure where the arena would get built, because that is when ground was broken.

2- There are some old, mostly unknown rules [[legal and zoning) about unpaved surface lots and lots not fenced in. I don't know them all, or am not 100% sure on the details of the rules, but suffice to say Olympia is now finally bringing their lots into compliance. Yes, they got away with it for years, but City government is finally becoming functional again, and they weren't going to continue to be able to get away with it.

3- As mentioned in earlier posts, unlike gravel lots, striped lots have a set capacity that is known. This makes it easier to sell online parking by passes and minimize staffing and dollar collection on site. Basically, it is more profitable because you don't have to rely on the lot attendants to be honest with the money they receive, and people like buying stuff online now anyway.

4- There are also the aesthetic and winter maintenance issues that come into play [[as mentioned in previous posts by others), since these lots will be in use year round.

[Rock N Rye]

the residential building near the large parking garage is under construction, but they haven't worked on it in months. They are really kicking ass on the parking garage across Henry from it, though.

[UofMGuy423]

Those parking lots are a mystery to me. They have been working on them for months and are still a long way from completing all of the,.

They have to be spending many millions on those things. They're excavating down 2 feet or more and then putting in engineered fill prior to paving. They're installing drainage and electricity for lighting. They're installing automated ticket spitters on some and guard shacks on others. They're fencing some of them. They're tearing up the streets and sidewalks in some areas, apparently for connections to storm drains and electric lines.

The construction has been dragging on interminably. I worked on building parking lots in college [[a long time ago) and those things should have been completely constructed many weeks ago; the works gets done sporadically, as if the owner runs out of money has to come up with more before construction starts again.

Those lots are intended to be permanent, for sure. Bye bye future development of that area.

Finally, the big winner in the area is Harry's Bar, on the NE corner of Clifford and the I-75 service drive. It's a great sports bar with wall-to-wall large flat screen TVs. It's entirely surrounded by the new stadium and parking decks, 200 feet from the entrance to the new arena. The food is way above average; in fact it's excellent, and reasonably priced. The brother and sister owners are hands on. They have lots of parking and own a large lot across Clifford from the bar to handle the overflow on game days. They have always been busy but the place is now a much bigger gold mine. Kudos.

I disagree that the lots are permanent simply because they were paved. A single lot with a 100 spaces at $20 a spot at 100 events a year would bring in $200k a year in revenue. That more than pays for the one time investment in surfacing and fences. Once a development is ready, they'll tear it out and build something on it.

[Honky Tonk]

A single lot with a 100 spaces at $20 a spot at 100 events a year would bring in $200k a year in revenue. That more than pays for the one time investment...

Based on that, I disagree with your disagreement.

[emu steve]

I disagree that the lots are permanent simply because they were paved. A single lot with a 100 spaces at $20 a spot at 100 events a year would bring in $200k a year in revenue. That more than pays for the one time investment in surfacing and fences. Once a development is ready, they'll tear it out and build something on it.

I don't know about how good of an investment it is.

$200K / year doesn't sound like a 'cash cow' to me.

Or think of it this way: $200K x 5 lots = 1M / year which pays for one of the lowest paid Tigers for one season.

Or 1M = 20K seats @ $50 for one [[Tigers') game.

Doesn't sound the Ilitich organization is getting rich on those lots. $1M isn't much for a pro team enterprise.

[casscorridor]

It doesn't mean anything that they're paved besides looking nicer. It probably increases the chance of development, as the whole area looks better.