  Wowzersmeowzers Member Username: Wowzersmeowzers Post Number: 5 Registered: 02-2009 |
He bought a building my friend and a bunch of people lived in, kicked them out (two years ago) and he still hasn't done anything with it. | ||
Retroit Member Username: Retroit Post Number: 1021 Registered: 04-2008 |
I think we need to spread some of the blame around instead of placing it all on Ilitch. Let's face it: he's a businessman and is going to try and get away with as much as he can for his benefit (and I really can't blame him, as I would do the same, but hopefully with more appreciation for existing buildings, and less for stadiums and parking lots). Is there not a "Building Authority" (proper name?), City Council, and Mayor that have to approve his requests? | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 1272 Registered: 07-2007 |
"I think we need to spread some of the blame around instead of placing it all on Ilitch." I've named DEGC as part of the cast of villians. | ||
Urbanfisherman Member Username: Urbanfisherman Post Number: 125 Registered: 07-2008 |
Personally, I think people should be able to see Comerica Park from Woodward. I like it the way it is. | ||
Heedus Member Username: Heedus Post Number: 22 Registered: 06-2008 |
I too like seeing Comerica Park while I drive down Woodward. I just think that the extra pavement, parking signs, etc. are unnecessary. I have parked in those lots for a Tigers game, and although I liked only having to cross the street to get into the game, I think it kinda detracts from the whole ball game experience (e.g., walking in with the crowds, getting dollar peanuts, etc.). Plus, if we didn't go get drinks after the game, we would have waited forever trying to get out of those lots. I just wish that it was something more aesthetically pleasing than a parking lot. | ||
Retroit Member Username: Retroit Post Number: 1030 Registered: 04-2008 |
Sorry, Novine, I wasn't referring to you. "We" was too broad in its implication. Oops. | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 1273 Registered: 07-2007 |
"I too like seeing Comerica Park while I drive down Woodward." Any reason the park couldn't have been built closer to Woodward? | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 3710 Registered: 07-2004 |
What kind of stadium would it be if it didn't have a parking lot right in front of it?  | ||
Haikoont Member Username: Haikoont Post Number: 141 Registered: 09-2008 |
quote: http://tinyurl.com/d6uoq3 | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 3711 Registered: 07-2004 |
Haha. Right! When you come out and your car window is broken, you may rest assured it wasn't a baseball. ;) | ||
Dcmorrison12 Member Username: Dcmorrison12 Post Number: 116 Registered: 02-2009 |
It's bad planning on behafe of the illitches. It takes away from the urban feel when you place a parking lot next to the road. They should've placed the parking lot BEHIND the stadium.. off the that smaller, lesser used road behind it, and had the stadium come up to Woodward, at least a lot closer to woodward. Increases the atmosphere, walkability and makes the city look that more impressive and compact. | ||
Leland_palmer Member Username: Leland_palmer Post Number: 579 Registered: 08-2004 |
They actually did have plans to put 2 multi-use building on those lots at one point, but that went away along with the tower that was going to be developed on the St. John's Episcopal Church parking lot. | ||
Leannam1989 Member Username: Leannam1989 Post Number: 237 Registered: 06-2008 |
Why don't they build parking garages? There's 5 around Busch Stadium here in St. Louis (unfortunately, due to the economy, "Ballpark Village" will become only a softball field and parking). Although, Busch Stadium, Scottrade Center, and the Edward Jones Dome are all close to the same area, so I'm sure those parking garages are used for all 3. Anyway, as much as I hate parking garages, they're better than a sea of parking in my opinion. | ||
Emu_steve Member Username: Emu_steve Post Number: 752 Registered: 11-2006 |
I'm still hoping that the Ilitches will come up with a coordinated plan which will ultimately lead to a hockey arena behind the Fox and he'll use the rest of the property he owns to build parking garages, etc. Lest I be wrong, if an arena (and a little extra stuff, whatever that might be) is built behind the Fox, Ilitch may need to build a few parking garages to compensate for the surface lots lost. This might take time esp. 'cause of the problems with credit. Even folks like Ilitch rarely have hundreds of millions in idle cash laying around. This is a story which, I think, will ultimately play out over the next 12 to 18 months. Once the economy improves lenders will lend. Today no one knows who might be the next victim of this recession. | ||
Wilus1mj Member Username: Wilus1mj Post Number: 307 Registered: 05-2005 |
If land prices ever rise..the parking lots will be built upon. Illitch has never been against selling the parking lots for the right price. | ||
Croweblack Member Username: Croweblack Post Number: 93 Registered: 02-2007 |
kind of odd that everyone here thinks the new rink is behind the fox. anybody see that HUGE piece of land that is being cleared out across the lodge from the motor city casino? can you say pedestrian bridge from motor city to new rink? why try and ram a huge rink into a small area when all of that land is just waiting there? three blocks from there is an urban wasteland and maybe we can finally get rid of the NSO and salvation army and thus the bums, crack heads and whatnot but we would lose the urban farming project next to the NSO which I always use for comedic value when I drive people around from out of town--just awesome to see a crackhead sleeping in the rows of ugly looking tomatoes! The NHL may have a problem with connecting a rink to a casino but bettman is keen on opening a franchise in vegas so we will see..... | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 6239 Registered: 08-2004 |
The drawback I see with building a new hockey arena too close to MotorCity Casino (or even MGM Casino for that matter) is parking revenue. Make it too close to a casino, and the hockey attendees will opt for free parking at a casino garage (something that Greektown Casino has to contend with... but is addressing). In order to get financing in the future for a new arena, parking revenue streams will be an important part of getting financing, so this may factor into where Ilitch decides to build it. I'm sure that Ilitch was really pushing hard for Dan Gilbert to move his HQ to the Statler/Tuller site... so they could possibly share parking structures... with Gilbert using it for his employees during regular business hours, and Ilitch using it mainly evenings/weekends for hockey/baseball games. This is why I doubt that the area near Masonic Temple is a very viable location for the arena... where would daytime parking revenue come from? | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 1366 Registered: 01-2005 |
Gistok: Very perceptive. Are you a real estate professional? | ||
Danindc Member Username: Danindc Post Number: 4595 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote: The parking revenue streams are only relevant because construction of a massive amount of parking is a de facto requirement. This "requirement" is exacerbated the more isolated a new arena is from the rest of the downtown. You can't tell me that parking spots used by 50,000 office workers during the weekdays can't be used by 20,000 hockey fans at night. If one wanted to see Comerica Park from Woodward--build the damn thing on WOODWARD! Ilitch just wanted to make his parking lots at Comerica highly visible, so people would pay him $20 to park there, instead of driving another block or two and parking on the street for free. | ||
Umtim Member Username: Umtim Post Number: 42 Registered: 12-2007 |
I walk by copa on my way to work most days. In the summer the gardening on Woodward near the parking lots is very nicely done. The sidewalks on this block are clear of trash. There is some demand for people to come downtown for sporting events. CVS seems to be the epicenter of commercial activity. Borders may be selling a few books. The downtown seems to have no purpose. Without a purpose there seems to be no reason for folks to live downtown. It is a natural thing for unneeded buildings to collapse in time. Why try and blame it on someone who is trying to bring some purpose (entertainment) to the downtown area. Detroit has three major industries: parking, glass and plywood. Pushing entertainment seems to me to be a good idea for developing a purpose. | ||
Urbanfisherman Member Username: Urbanfisherman Post Number: 127 Registered: 07-2008 |
quote: Great idea, genius. Then they could have a few thousand people standing in the middle of a five lane road. Maybe you've never been there on a Saturday in the summer, but there are a lot of people going to the games. They already close down the roads that border the stadium. Do you want to be the one who has to deal with the cluster-fuck it would be to have to close down Woodward? | ||
Danindc Member Username: Danindc Post Number: 4596 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote: Oh, that's right. Detroit can't possibly do anything that works just fine in any other city on earth. It's more important to surround everything in seas of parking. You know--for "safety". Ever been to Ann Arbor on a Saturday in the fall, genius? | ||
Urbanfisherman Member Username: Urbanfisherman Post Number: 128 Registered: 07-2008 |
Yeah, I have. And I bet if they played 80 football games in downtown AA every year, all the crowds and road congestion would get pretty old. When they built Comerica, I'm willing to bet that they factored in convenience when they chose the location. I guess someone who doesn't live in the state of Michigan and doesn't have a ticket package to Tigers games doesn't really have to worry about it though. Right? | ||
Detroitrise Member Username: Detroitrise Post Number: 3833 Registered: 09-2007 |
quote: And yet after 400 years, people still adore New York City for "crowds" and "road congestion". (Message edited by DetroitRise on March 21, 2009) | ||
Urbanfisherman Member Username: Urbanfisherman Post Number: 131 Registered: 07-2008 |
Jesus Christ... Since when do people adore traffic? | ||
Gsgeorge Member Username: Gsgeorge Post Number: 778 Registered: 08-2006 |
Since when do you like vacant downtown? | ||
Urbanfisherman Member Username: Urbanfisherman Post Number: 132 Registered: 07-2008 |
Yup. Downtown is vacant. 2 parking lots across from the Fox and a bunch of shitty, run down buildings no one wanted behind the Fox get razed and downtown is vacant. I hope they tear down the AAA building so downtown becomes even more vacant. I hope they tear down old Cass Tech too. Oh, and I'm also glad they tore down the Motown building on Woodward last year. It would also be nice it they would tear down some crack dens and garbage houses in the neighborhoods. | ||
Gthomas Member Username: Gthomas Post Number: 187 Registered: 09-2004 |
Lol | ||
Detroitrise Member Username: Detroitrise Post Number: 3834 Registered: 09-2007 |
When normal people think of a downtown, they normally think of dense and/or tall buildings with crowds and road congestion plopped in between. Then again, Detroit hasn't been normal for over 40 years. | ||
Leannam1989 Member Username: Leannam1989 Post Number: 239 Registered: 06-2008 |
I think if the average person looked at an aerial view of Downtown, they would probably consider it somewhat vacant. I realize what people from other areas think is not everything, but every city should strive to have a dense and active Downtown. A lot of cities don't. |
