862 replies to this topic

[rbdetsport]

The casinos are coming back into the press. Today I was so excited about these articles. I know I am not supposed to hold my breath, but man, so exciting. I feel that a megathread needs to be started for the casinos. Post your renderings, any info, and hopefully in the near future your construction photos. I will start it off with "Plans for MotorCity Casino, hotel approved".....

http://www.freep.com...15_20050913.htm

Edited by rbdetsport, 13 September 2005 - 09:51 PM.

[rbdetsport]

MotorCity gets the OK to build
Casino's construction of 17-story, 400-room hotel, site renovations to be done before 2008.


http://www.detnews.c.../C01-314327.htm

http://www.freep.com...4e_20050914.htm

Barden: My 1% in casino is too little
Greektown plan falls short, he says
http://www.freep.com...4e_20050914.htm

[Ramcharger]

Only in Michigan would the government create an enormously expensive bureaucratic entity to regulate three small casinos, less than 300,000 square feet of gaming space, and justify the waste by making the casinos foot the bill.  All the while dozens of Indian casinos in the state operate with virtually no regulation at all.  
And can anyone explain why the Michigan Gaming Control Board should have anything to do with the design and location of the casinos.  It seems to me that these things should be the purview of the city planning dept. and the City Council.

[Ramcharger]

Does anybody think that the MGM Grand Casino is going to spend upwards of 450 million dollars to build a permanent casino/hotel complex while the competition can get by on the cheap by using their “temporary” facilities at their current locations?  Not a chance!
MGM officials are probably scrambling to come up with a plan where they can stay put and use their existing casino as well.  Hell, they may even renovate the Pick Fort Shelby; it’s only a few blocks away and the good will created by a renovation could make approval a given.

[rbdetsport]

I think that MGM will move to the location that it is supposed to move to. It is a very large piece of land and the whole plan said that there would be room for another 400 room tower in the future. The only casino to have that written in their plan. I Do hope that they move there because the area needs a boost, but what will happen to the temporary casino when MGM moves?

[Lmichigan]

Someone over at the Fab Ruins site reported that MGM has started preliminary site preperation.  Can anyone confirm this?

[Allan]

Yep.  Was by there tonight.  The parking lots are fenced off, and they've torn a few of them up already.

[Lmichigan]

Does anyone know the exact footprint of this complex?  If I remember right, it will be sprawled across quite a few of the blocks.  I've always wanted to see those lots developed, but as smaller parcels creating and urban village of sorts.  This seems like it will be suburban-styled in its layout.

[Allan]

The footprint is the area bounded by Bagley, 3rd Avenue, The Lodge, and I-75.  It does seem very spread out, which is why I've never really liked the plans.  I never like the idea of putting these giant superblocks all over downtown.  

If you ask me, that site is where the new justice complex should go, and not where the casino should go.  The justice complex needs to be centrally located, and I like that location a heck of a lot better than where Tiger Stadium is.

[Lmichigan]

I justed looked at a map, and that area is something like 9 and a half city blocks.

[Aaron]

Looking at the aerials, I can at least applaud the fact they're building on inefficient parking. I mean, I count three blocks that even have (maybe occupied) buildings on them in the 10 square block site (14 if they build west of 5th Street.) The rest are used for parking, and that's a terrible sight coming downtown from the Lodge.

Edited by Aaron, 22 September 2005 - 01:34 PM.

[Lmichigan]

I don't know, though.  When you consider that this is a 100,000 square foot foot-print (maybe 50,000 more for parking and such) speard over these blocks it shows how incredibly underutilized this land will be.

I'm interested to see if they are going to take apart the entire street grid (more likely than not), and how the hotel and casino will work at street level (probably not well).

I can't help but think that if the city would have held out another 10 years or so this would have become a huge residential neighborhood.

[rbdetsport]

What will happen with the temporary complex?

[Allan]

It will become yet another abandoned building that will sit and decay for 20 years until the city finally decides to tear it down.  

[rbdetsport]

How stupid can the city get. Before they start abandoning buildings they need to find someone to use it first? I read over at Detroityes that MGM didn't own the building and that it was being leased out to them.

[Lmichigan]

You don't even know that's what they are going to do that, so calm down.  lol

I really hope they tear down the building, though.  It wasn't nice before, and isn't nice now.

[Michi]

Yesterday evening, (Fri, 9/23) I noticed the fencing up around the site for the MGM Grand Casino and Hotel.  You can see it from Michigan Avenue, and I'm sure 3rd Street as well.

[Ramcharger]

Prep work paves way for permanent casino

"A groundbreaking date has not been set, and final designs need approval from Las Vegas-based MGM Mirage Inc.'s board, said MGM Grand Detroit spokesman Bob Berg."
"In the end, they will invest more in the site than both of the other casinos combined."

It appears that MGM will be the only casino to live up to the promises made when the licenses were awarded.  I hope they bury the competition.

P.S. Isn't Bob Berg Kwame Kilpatrick's spokesman as well? How can this guy work for both the Mayor and a gaming company?

[rbdetsport]

Does anyone have any pictures of the site where MGM is building?

[statedude3]

With work getting underway on the permanant site of the MGM Grand-Detroit... http://www.freep.com...9e_20051109.htm

What will become of their current location when they move out of it?  The same goes for the other casinos??