Midtown Whole Foods rendering

**wolverine** · June-01-12, 01:15 PM

Originally Posted by drjeff

I'm not sure what cities you've been in that have large supermarkets with no parking, but that's pretty unusual. In Detroit, with shitty public transportation, it would be completely unworkable.

Perhaps you would just like to see the parking behind the building instead of visible from the street. I'd prefer that too, but oh well.

Most whole foods urban prototypes put the parking on the roof. But since land in Detroit is practically free, a surface lot isn't surprising. But you think in a city with smash and grabs common with vehicles, parking would be in the building.....plus snow and rain.

But this has to be the lowest end design in their store portfolio which is unfortunate. That area had built up nicely with decent architecture and now this.

**Detroit68** · June-01-12, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by wolverine

Most whole foods urban prototypes put the parking on the roof. But since land in Detroit is practically free, a surface lot isn't surprising. But you think in a city with smash and grabs common with vehicles, parking would be in the building.....plus snow and rain.

But this has to be the lowest end design in their store portfolio which is unfortunate. That area had built up nicely with decent architecture and now this.

+1

I often compare Midtown Detroit to Westwood L.A. in that a) both lack the density of other cities comparable in size and b) both favor cars over public transit [[although L.A. has a great bus system). I would have liked to have seen a Whole Foods based on the Westwood design:

Show on Google Maps

The parking structure integrates well into the cityscape and surrounding neighborhood.

**Mackinaw** · June-04-12, 11:45 PM

Failure of zoning regulations-- plenty of blame for the city planner not standing up for a premium site right at the Woodward corridor. How you plan light rail while also providing up-front parking at a site practically fronting a light rail stop is beyond me. Not to mention ugly-- put the parking in the back. Even grocery stores in suburbs like GP do that.

Not too late though, right? Write a letter to WF.

**Gistok** · June-05-12, 01:34 AM

Mackinaw... where the hell you been?

Good to have you back!

**gameguy56** · June-05-12, 07:38 AM

Originally Posted by Mackinaw

Failure of zoning regulations-- plenty of blame for the city planner not standing up for a premium site right at the Woodward corridor. How you plan light rail while also providing up-front parking at a site practically fronting a light rail stop is beyond me. Not to mention ugly-- put the parking in the back. Even grocery stores in suburbs like GP do that.

Not too late though, right? Write a letter to WF.

In some ways Detroit is a bizzaro universe where we have suburbs more urban than any part of the city. Ferndale, Birmingham and GP Park have intact streetwalls of a kind that don't exist anywhere in Detroit proper.

**Wheels** · June-05-12, 08:58 AM

Originally Posted by Mackinaw

Failure of zoning regulations-- plenty of blame for the city planner not standing up for a premium site right at the Woodward corridor. How you plan light rail while also providing up-front parking at a site practically fronting a light rail stop is beyond me. Not to mention ugly-- put the parking in the back. Even grocery stores in suburbs like GP do that.

Not too late though, right? Write a letter to WF.

How do you figure Mack and JohnR will effect light rail on Woodward?