  Danny Member Username: Danny Post Number: 5189 Registered: 02-2004 |
DOWNTOWN DETROIT DEVELOPMENT ALERT!! Construction crew are gearing up and putting up the barracades on the corner of Michigan Ave., Shelby and Griswold St. for a possible demolition or rehab of the Detroit Commence Building. However of the building gets torn down. Could it be that building would be transformed into a small elevated residential parking garage and retail shop for the Westin Book Cadillac? | ||
Detroit313 Member Username: Detroit313 Post Number: 244 Registered: 02-2006 |
With all the surface lots downtown I really don't understand why they are tearing the Commence Building down. I have two ideas for a large parking structure to serve the Book. 1. Build a structure that wraps around the Book on the north side, giving you easy access, without a tunnel or bridge. 2. Build a structure across Michigan Avenue on the existing surface lot and build a tunnel/bridge to the book. I like the commence Building a would like to see it redeveloped.313 | ||
Itsjeff Member Username: Itsjeff Post Number: 7111 Registered: 10-2003 |
The Commerce Building is coming down. It will be the site of the new parking deck to service the Book Cadillac. | ||
Gambling_man Member Username: Gambling_man Post Number: 896 Registered: 11-2003 |
I think it's a done deal already, isn't it? Wasn't this always part of the plan for the re-development........ | ||
Kenp Member Username: Kenp Post Number: 126 Registered: 03-2006 |
this has been a done deal for a long time and this site has had an extensive discussion about it already | ||
Detroitbill Member Username: Detroitbill Post Number: 83 Registered: 09-2006 |
It would certainly be a nice idea to redevelop the Commerce Building but I don't think its going to happen... I thought the Book interests already purchased it for $1million plus in order to tear it down for the planned garage and walkway to the Book...and besides, no one has shown any other interest in the Commerce building. Frankly I dont blame them, it would be visually very unattractive to have a hotel like the BC completed and have a blown out office building sitting there vacant next to it,, I think it will be much more appealing in total they way its going to be developed... Now if someone would do something with the Lafayette building the whole area would be significantly more attractive.. | ||
Itsjeff Member Username: Itsjeff Post Number: 7112 Registered: 10-2003 |
Funny you should mention the Lafayette Building. One of the delays is that Peeples wants the City to help fund a parking deck for them on the site of the Shelby/Lafayette street lot. If this happens, that means that the Lafayette Building would be surrounded on all three sides by parking decks. (The two new ones, plus the existing Financial District garage.) | ||
Detroitbill Member Username: Detroitbill Post Number: 85 Registered: 09-2006 |
Ahh interesting,,is the Peebles group ( I believe out of Fla.) alot of words but little action ?? It seems they proudly announced a highrise condo development on the East River last year, (before the Bettis development) and that seems to have disappeared also, I get the impression this investment group likes to get media attention via these grand developments but always finds something to scuttlebutt it. | ||
Itsjeff Member Username: Itsjeff Post Number: 7113 Registered: 10-2003 |
Peebles, yes. My error. Their scheme for the Lafayette is indeed grand. Condos going for $350 psf. That's why they want the deck, to service the high-end buyers they want to attract. | ||
Gumby Member Username: Gumby Post Number: 1466 Registered: 11-2003 |
I thought the plan was to share the Commerce building deck between the Lafayette and the BC. | ||
Itsjeff Member Username: Itsjeff Post Number: 7118 Registered: 10-2003 |
That's the City's position, and what will probably come to pass. But for now, Peebles is trying to get a deck of their own. | ||
Apbest Member Username: Apbest Post Number: 274 Registered: 03-2006 |
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11 /12/realestate/12nati.html?em& ex=1163566800&en=4fdd5689b37b0 7fe&ei=5087%0A Condo developments without parking Cities around the country are reevaluating minimum parking reqs for downtown condo developments, considering rising housing costs and 21st century tendancies towards new urbanism as always liberal northwest cirites (Portland, Seattle, SF) are leading the pack excluding noeth east (NYC, Boston, etc) where such a concept has already been established. In NYC few moderately priced developments have dedicated parking | ||
Huggybear Member Username: Huggybear Post Number: 270 Registered: 08-2005 |
Too bad banks aren't. | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 360 Registered: 04-2006 |
There is plenty o parking down there now. Once this structure is built, there may even be too much. I'd rather see that lot (and the other to the west of it on the next block of lafayette) turned into park space. I'm sure views of parks are favored over views of parking structures. | ||
1953 Member Username: 1953 Post Number: 1119 Registered: 12-2004 |
I really like the Detroit Commerce Building. Can they move it to my backyard, instead of tearing it down? | ||
Foodandwine Member Username: Foodandwine Post Number: 4 Registered: 10-2006 |
I am a little mixed about new parking decks actually helping attract new tenants to their buildings. I point to the new decks at Woodward and State(1001 Woodward) and Lafayette and Shelby (Dime Building). I supported them in an effort to attract new tenants and keep current tenants and save the buildings from going dark. | ||
Eric Member Username: Eric Post Number: 596 Registered: 11-2004 |
I just hope that city continues to hold its ground against Peebles. I'd rather see the project rebid than the city spend on another garage. | ||
Rocket_city Member Username: Rocket_city Post Number: 133 Registered: 04-2006 |
I heard Ferchill speak, and to indirectly quote him, he said that the BC would have been impossible to do without ATTACHED parking. I understand where he is coming from, although, Merchants Row has attached parking and it takes up a fraction of a block. A smaller space than what is at the corner of Michigan and Griswold. Furthermore, the primary function for parking at the new Book Cadillac is going to be valet. If you valet, what is the point in having attached parking? I don't belive it should have to be attached, but why not linked via sky bridge? The Commerce Building does not have to come down. Part of redeveloping the Book Cadillac is to recreate the sense of place that residents value and are investing in. Downtown's sense of place is becoming big, bold, faceless, porous, lifeless parking garages and it's not cool. You may think I'm exaggerating now because it's not extremely noticable right now, but like (what someone said above) when the Lafayette Building is surrounded by parking garages, what is the sense of place going to be like? It's not going to flow very well, will look ugly, and the huge super blocks that we're creating are destroying the functionality of our center city. The Detroit Commerce Building can stay AND enough parking for the Book Cadillac can be created at the same time. It'll be nice, and a HUGE incentive and asset for the city, when this can be realized on future projects. | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 736 Registered: 11-2003 |
"I don't belive it should have to be attached, but why not linked via sky bridge?" Ferchill didn't mean that the parking structure would by physically attached to the side of the hotel. It will only be attached insofar has having a street-level walkway across Shelby St., which will be closed. A sky bridge cannot be built because of the historic restrictions. I also wish the Detroit Commerce Building would stay, but it's not. That has been a done deal for months now. |
