175 replies to this topic

[Jasoncw]

I guess he's all kinds of corrupt then!

So how exactly does the house fit in?  He promised his financing business to Quicken as part of the deal?  It's money, but a drop in the bucket compared to their total business, and the money wouldn't go directly to Dan anyway.  Or is part of the deal that Quicken has to give Kwame a special deal for his house?

[Veloise]

Mojo, on Jan 27 2008, 12:51 PM, said:

I can't speak for the newspapers, but I can tell you why I'm harping on his affairs. ... This proves what bad character this man has...  Even if he weren't distracted with scandals, at this point I have to wonder if he's got the mental aptitude to run a city.

Just discovered the description of him hosting a "friend" on his King Day speech trip. (It's in the Freep, and easy to find.)

What
A
Sleazeball.

[Michi]

Jasoncw, on Jan 27 2008, 09:22 PM, said:

So how exactly does the house fit in?  He promised his financing business to Quicken as part of the deal?  It's money, but a drop in the bucket compared to their total business, and the money wouldn't go directly to Dan anyway.  Or is part of the deal that Quicken has to give Kwame a special deal for his house?

I was just making the point that...could something become of this?  Is there an irony behind the purchase date of the house and that of the Quicken deal?  I was just questioning more scandalous intentions since that seems to be the bomb that was dropped lately for the Kilpatricks.

By the way, supposedly, the house was put up for sale.  Why that would occur is anyone's guess.  

[Jim856796]

I prefer that Quicken should build their headquarters in the Hudson Block. They shouldn't be in the Statler Tuller block because I wanted that site used for residential buildings.

[Lmichigan]

Wow; talk about a resurrection...

It may be that we don't have to worry about any of this happening, at all with the way things are going and as quiet as Quicken has been.

[rbdetsport]

Lmichigan, on Oct 19 2008, 12:30 AM, said:

Wow; talk about a resurrection...

It may be that we don't have to worry about any of this happening, at all with the way things are going and as quiet as Quicken has been.

A resurrection is right... I miss speculating about Quicken  

We should hear something by November according to the contract. They were required to choose a site by that time. I look forward to seeing what Gilbert plans to do. He is obviously still interested in a move, hints his involvement in mass transit as of late. Fingers crossed for a grand slam project!

[Lmichigan]

Surprised no one got around to posting this.  It seems as if this thing is stalled or is moving at a snails pace due to the economy:

Quote

Credit Crisis Slows Quicken

Financing for move to Detroit from Livonia is harder to get as market queasiness settles in.

Louis Aguilar / The Detroit News

October 23, 2008

Almost a year after announcing plans to bring 4,000 employees to a new downtown Detroit headquarters, Quicken Loans Inc. says the global credit crunch may make it tough to finance the deal. Quicken also has pushed back the date for choosing a location from Nov. 1 to sometime before the end of the year.

Edited by Lmichigan, 24 October 2008 - 05:04 AM.

[Allan]

No surprises there, especially with the way things have gone in the last 3 weeks.  I'm not holding my breath on this one....

[Lmichigan]

I'm not quite as pessimistic, because Gilbert has shown a curiously strong want to come downtown in some way.  I'm not sure I ever expected this thing to go forward without some bumps in the road and delays; this is Detroit we're talking about, after all, but I don't get the sense that when times are better that Gilbert won't be back.  Unlike the Compuware and GM moves, Quicken hasn't just talked about bringing its headquarters, downtown, but being involved in housing and light rail.  CEOs don't usually propose such things.

[Allan]

If Quicken survives all of this financial turmoil (which they will, but probably will require more layoffs and possible restructuring), I think they will be back.  But I'm thinking more long term.  I don't really take much stock in the dates thrown out there by developers, building owners, city officials, etc. regarding developments, since everything in this city takes 10 times longer than expected.  Between the economy, difficulty with financing in the city, and all the red tape, it's a wonder that anyone wants to do anything positive in this city!

[Lmichigan]

I was thinking long-term, too.  In fact, I think their long-term future looks better than their short-term future, which is the only reason why I still see them moving downtown in the years to come.

[Lmichigan]

Looks like Gilbert is still looking downtown, but plans have changed, which is completely understandable.  That he's rumored to still be moving forward in this economy is pretty amazing, if you ask me.

Quote

Will Quicken rent or buy, not build?

Word around Detroit has it that Dan Gilbert will lease space downtown rather than build a new headquarters for Quicken Loans Inc. and its affiliated companies.

Sources say Gilbert's real estate team has been asking around for 250,000 square feet of space to rent. That amount of contiguous space leaves just a few options: 1001 Woodward, Comerica Tower, Chase Tower or some of the city's older, underused buildings.

[rbdetsport]

I think that Quicken will still build new. I think he wants to lease 250,000 sq ft of space just for now before the headquarters is done so that the employees can adjust. Plus, if they lease, where are all the companies that are coming with him gonna go?

[Michi]

Given the city gave him incentives to build on downtown property, I'm sure that is their preference and it may happen someday in the future.  As for now, it is no surprise that they will do what they can to have their HQ presence downtown as a way to walk the walk.  It's just a sad product of the reality that this country doesn't seem to know how to operate anymore as a collective whole, even if Quicken is one of the few reputable big companies out there.  If they make smart corporate decisions, then I think they have a better chance in the future of a reward of a new piece of real estate in the CBD as opposed to the opposite...opening their palms begging for money.

[ZachariahDaMan]

Quicken Loans will occupy four floors in the Compuware building starting next year.  They are waiting to building a Detroit headquarters.  Instead of the original 4,000 employees announced in Nov 2007 it will be just about 1,700 making the initial move.

Edited by ZachariahDaMan, 14 July 2009 - 05:03 AM.

[MJLO]

So today is their first day.   Yay :)I know I heard the word "only" 1700 people.  But hot damn!  That's 1700 more people than before, i'd be happy to hear 150 people were moving downtown.   This is great for Detroit.  I hope to god they do renovate an old building.   Say a Book Tower, or a Stott building.