  E_hemingway Member Username: E_hemingway Post Number: 1445 Registered: 11-2004 |
A chance to build up Detroit December 8, 2007 BY JOHN GALLAGHER FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER The new Studio One Apartments under construction on Woodward Avenue near Wayne State University is more than the latest residential project in the city's rapidly developing Midtown district. It's also a chance for a Grand Rapids developer to explain why he chose the Detroit market for his investment dollars. "I've had a lot of comments, 'You're from Grand Rapids. What are you doing here?' " developer Marcel Burgler said recently. A native of the Netherlands who settled in Grand Rapids many years ago, Burgler said he hears the same sort of questions from his friends in western Michigan about investing in Detroit. "There's a tremendous bias against Detroit," he said. "I just looked at the numbers. There's a tremendous business opportunity in Detroit." The $21-million Studio One project, at 4501 Woodward, broke ground in March and should be ready for its first residents by June. http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll /article?AID=/20071208/BUSINES S04/712080301/1002 | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4122 Registered: 02-2005 |
"What am I doing here?" "Building cheaply-built pre-fab housing that I absolutely cannot lose money on." I'm not down on this development at all, and we still have yet to see what the finished product looks like. I'm thrilled that we're filling in some important space, but I'm not going to pretend like the developer is way out on a limb here. | ||
Downtown_remix Member Username: Downtown_remix Post Number: 554 Registered: 03-2007 |
Cant wait till tis one opens in June, we need this variety of housing | ||
Mdoyle Member Username: Mdoyle Post Number: 274 Registered: 10-2006 |
Even with the beginnings of the 3rd floor on there its already feeling amazingly tall. Thats really what excites me. | ||
Rocket_city Member Username: Rocket_city Post Number: 496 Registered: 04-2006 |
Yah, it is taller than one would originally imagine. It's looking better as it comes together. When I saw the first reddish pieces of prefab, I got really leary, but I'm optimistic that the finished product will look swell. Put windows and balconies on the thing and polish the ground level w/ retail joints, and I think it will be a win. | ||
Gsgeorge Member Username: Gsgeorge Post Number: 385 Registered: 08-2006 |
Better than a vacant lot. I think the rendering looks promising. Good to see some additional quality apartments in Midtown.  | ||
Downtown_remix Member Username: Downtown_remix Post Number: 557 Registered: 03-2007 |
A dream come true for the Woodward Cooridor. Hookers and crackheads covered the streets just a few years ago on this site. Urban density now exist. Im moving there | ||
Gsgeorge Member Username: Gsgeorge Post Number: 386 Registered: 08-2006 |
agreed, Remix. South University Village is an important step forward in the revitalization of Midtown. | ||
Rfban Member Username: Rfban Post Number: 220 Registered: 02-2004 |
The pre-fab look doesn’t excite me. It reminds me of some of the tenements in Eastern Europe. The density and sidewalk side construction is nice. Its too bad they couldn’t have used brick, i.e., the ellington, on the facade. Do not get me wrong, I am very happy it's being built—I only hope in the future we can be more selective with our choice of materials. (Message edited by rfban on December 08, 2007) | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4123 Registered: 02-2005 |
The key that reveals why this is good is the following: "many theorists locate the ideal ratio (of street width plus setback to height of streetwall) at 1:1," (Suburban Nation pg. 78). I believe that a five story building even on that wide part of Woodward roughly satisfies that. With the historic building across the street (I forget the name of those apartments), we finally have a small portion of Woodward that is in perfect proportion. The future development across from Brush Park further down Woodward (on top of the current parking lot prairie) had better strive for such a presence on Woodward. The townhouses that are being built by Crosswinds have a perfect presence over the narrower streets of Brush Park, but they should have been built taller and closer to the street on the lots facing ultra-wide Woodward. | ||
Rfban Member Username: Rfban Post Number: 222 Registered: 02-2004 |
I agree with you Mackinaw. | ||
Rrl Member Username: Rrl Post Number: 928 Registered: 12-2003 |
I wouldn't exactly call this pre-fabricated housing; it is PRE-cast, but hardly pre-fab. Pre-cast exteriors and interior flooring are rapidly becoming a material of choice for this type of construction, due to their rapid installation methods, which saves time and labor. The Hilton Garden Inn is a similar product/type of construction, and there don't seem to be too many gripes about that project. Agreed, use of some brick would add a nice touch, and pre-cast manufacturers can actually place brick right into the form, yielding panels which look "almost" like field laid brick. This project hardly looks like Eastern Europe tenement housing, with its large windows and terraces. Could it be better? Sure, but we're not the guy with $21MM on the line, so it's easy for us to critique. Remember, he could've spent that construction funding elsewhere. It'll be a nice addition to the Woodward street-wall and burgeoning mid-town. | ||
Mdoyle Member Username: Mdoyle Post Number: 275 Registered: 10-2006 |
The biggest issue I have so far with the prefab, other than the fact that its pre fab, is that the color doesn't match the rendering. Instead the color is more of a horrid salmon color rather than that reddish brown. | ||
Wschnitt Member Username: Wschnitt Post Number: 43 Registered: 07-2007 |
That area of WooWoo is really coming along. I am always a big fan of filling surface parking lots with development. This project looks pretty good, although sketches can always be deceiving. | ||
Mbr Member Username: Mbr Post Number: 267 Registered: 03-2005 |
Can someone explain here about this "pre-fab" business. Is it pre-fabricated, as in they are building each individual unit off site and assembling it, or are they just using pre-cast concrete. There is a huge difference and as far as I can tell they are just using pre-cast concrete, not a big deal and far different than "pre-fab". | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4124 Registered: 02-2005 |
Obviously the skeleton of the building is being built on-site. We certainly weren't being too precise with our construction terminology, but I think you get the drift. We aren't going to be seeing masonry work here. We will be seeing a lot of veneer. | ||
Mdoyle Member Username: Mdoyle Post Number: 278 Registered: 10-2006 |
Yeas its actually pre-cast panels. I forget if it was here or on urban planet but a big to-do was made of the differences between pre cast, pre fab and cast in place | ||
Danny Member Username: Danny Post Number: 6870 Registered: 02-2004 |
The hip cool shinny jean White kids are coming back to reclaim Detroit and midtown ("White Bottom") is their first start. | ||
Gsgeorge Member Username: Gsgeorge Post Number: 392 Registered: 08-2006 |
Mackinaw, the historic building you mention is the Garfield Building. Jonna Properties owns that building and two other abandoned apartment buildings on Garfield that are being prepped for rehab as we speak. The South University Village will complement these developments nicely. Should be a bustling area in two to five years time. | ||
Bobj Member Username: Bobj Post Number: 3249 Registered: 11-2003 |
I agree, this is a good thing, a nice mix of older rehabs and new construction | ||
Mdoyle Member Username: Mdoyle Post Number: 283 Registered: 10-2006 |
Danny, my jeans aren't that shinny but they sure were expensive. Are you as excited as I for the white-trification of midtown? | ||
Rfban Member Username: Rfban Post Number: 223 Registered: 02-2004 |
At least the Brewster and Jeffries projects were built with brick. | ||
Jt1 Member Username: Jt1 Post Number: 10943 Registered: 10-2003 |
The new Brush Park building facing 75 was made the same way and looked pretty nice the last time I looked at it. | ||
Rocket_city Member Username: Rocket_city Post Number: 498 Registered: 04-2006 |
Mackinaw, you aren't enrolled in the urban design course at WSU are you? ;) Thanks for bringing up the massing ratios though. I always put those principles in mind when dreaming about what Ww could be. Don't forget though, that another good example or good massing is the Ellington and Orchestra Place down the street. Now, imagine of the other two corner lots at Ww and Mack/MLK would get similar massing. That corner could be a funky node with the proper urbanity! Thanks to everyone for clarifying the pre-fab/pre-cast concern. Not knowing a lot about construction myself, I was pretty shocked to witness the "stacking" of the facade/structural walls on top of each other. I never knew that was done before. I'm not sure if I described that correctly, but basically, for each floor of the apartment building, the facade is the same thing as the walled structure...and the floor surface is laid on top of them and secured by connecting rods. I suppose that's kind of how the parking garage was constructed too. It caught me by surprise, because it would seem like the 2nd level precast would not be able to support the weight of the 5th level. Of course, the first (retail) level has a steel frame, and that's how I thought the rest of the building was going to be constructed. I should have taken a picture to illustrate my point. Sorry to babble on about that... | ||
Kslice Member Username: Kslice Post Number: 228 Registered: 04-2007 |
The design looks pretty 70's to me. I kinda like it. Affordable housing close to downtown is what we really need. If I was moving I'd definitely give this place a look over when it's done. West end town in a dead end world. | ||
Royce Member Username: Royce Post Number: 2444 Registered: 07-2004 |
I'm sorry, but for the rent they want a month, I could own a house or condo. Yes, it's downtown, but I think you have to pay an additional fee for parking as well. Yes, you do have to pay for parking. It's $65 per space per car. With my car and my wife's car that's an additional $130 per month. Living in the Cranbrook, the smallest unit at $870, that's $1000 a month for a unit under 700 square feet. Too steep a price just for apartment living. However, if you don't own a car, then maybe the upside will be saving money on gas, car insurance, and maintenance since most of what you want to do is within walking distance. If your job is downtown, then living there wouldn't be so bad. (Message edited by royce on December 09, 2007) | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4129 Registered: 02-2005 |
Totally agree about Mack/Woodward, R_city, it's on the right track and we can dream about what the more complete corner will look like. I'm just an armchair urbanist...with lots of books. | ||
Parkguy Member Username: Parkguy Post Number: 166 Registered: 04-2007 |
I, too, have a feeling that Woodward and Mack will be a really major place in a few years. Those parking lots have got to go! I like the Ellington Building, and U-M, WSU med school complex & DMC, Orchestra Hall, plus all of the mixed use building going on-- it will be excellent. It has already moved up to "kinda nice" in my book, which is way better than it sounds on the surface. |
