The District Detroit

[walker]

If you picked up the Sunday copy of the Free Press you saw the first section was full of articles about the plans for the new entertainment/arena district being developed by the IIitch family.  It is pretty impressive and considering the money behind it, it is likely more than just another pipe dream.

 

Here are links to the articles.  After a certain amount of time the Free Press puts up a pay wall to read their articles but for now they are free, so read-um while their hot:

 

http://www.freep.com/article/20140720/BUSINESS06/307200102/Hockey-housing-and-more-Ilitches-unveil-bold-vision-for-Red-Wings-arena-district    

 

http://www.freep.com/article/20140720/NEWS01/307200107

 

http://www.freep.com/article/20140720/COL33/307200109

 

http://www.freep.com/article/20140720/BUSINESS06/307200106

 

http://www.freep.com/article/20140720/BUSINESS06/307200105

 

http://www.freep.com/article/20140720/NEWS01/307200108

 

http://www.freep.com/article/20140720/BUSINESS06/307200104

 

And lastly - a slide show of beautiful renderings of the proposed district;

 

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=C4&Dato=20140720&Kategori=BUSINESS&Lopenr=307200114&Ref=PH

Edited July 21, 2014 by walker

[RustTown]

The District Detroit is the infill neighborhood Olympia Development is finally developing around Little Caesars Arena and Comerica Park along the border area of downtown and midtown.  The 50-block area will consists of all manner of uses.

2715 Woodward: It was just announced this month that this will house as its anchor tenant the Detroit Medical Center's Sports Medicine Institute.  The other half of the building will be marketed to other medical tenants.  DMC Sports Medicine will include a 3-point basketball court, a 40-yeard track, a golf simulator, and rehab services.

111 Henry: Originally proposed as a residential building and getting so far that the shell of it is actually completed, the building will now house 50,000 square feet of office space and 7,000 square feet of retail space.

120 Henry: Also conceived and built out to a shell as a residential building, this one will now be 100,000 square feet of office and and 20,000 square feet of retail space.

Detroit Life Building: This will be redeveloped back into office usage with ground floor retail.

1922 Cass: This old machine shop and engine shop, and previous to that a carriage and wagon works, will be redeveloped into 66,000 square feet of office space and 8,000 square feet of retail space.

2110 Park: The former Women's Club building, it will be redeveloped into 47,000 square feet of office space, and 10,000 square feet of retail space..

Columbia Street: Originally proposed way back when Olympia wanted to make Foxtown a thing, Columbia Street is fill in the Fox Theater's empty retail spaces just west of Woodward.  With 40,000 feet of space, this will be retail and restaurant space.  The first tenants are expected in a few weeks:

Little Caesars Global Resource Center: While not technically within The District Detroit, it's a part of the larger area and is related to it through the Ilitches.  It's coming along nicely.  I believe it's a bit behind schedule because of some issue with the fitting of the unconventional glass facade.  The headquarters facility includes a welcome center, 425-seat training and screening auditorium, fitness center, a restaurant, training facility, and a large test and experimentation kitchen.  The 14-foot tall pieces of flaces on the facade are supposed to mimic pizza slices.

Michelle & Chris Gerard

Basically, the residential boom is finally allowing for the retail and commercial boom to start.

[walker]

So both the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press the last couple of days have gone after llitch about the lack of progress on the big developments the family promised.

 

DETROIT NEWS STORY

DETROIT FREE PRESS STORY

[RustTown]

2715 Woodward broke ground yesterday:

Olympia breaks ground on $70M office building, takes steps to fix public image

Quote

After weeks of getting hammered by the media and public for not building out District Detroit, the area around Little Caesars Arena, Olympia Development has finally begun to come out of its shell.

Today, the company announced the groundbreaking of a new, $70 million office building—ironically on a former surface parking lot—just north of the arena at 2715 Woodward Avenue. The five-floor, 127,000-square-foot facility will have office space, medical facilities, and ground floor retail.

Looks like the old Hotel Eddystone renovation will also finally start this summer:

Historic Detroit hotel was supposed to be renovated years ago. Now it may finally happen.

Quote

 

Olympia said it had selected Kraemer Design Group as the architect and O’Brien Construction Co. as the construction manager for the project. To be known as 110 Sproat, the project will offer 96 residential units, 20% of which will be reserved as affordable housing.

Construction work is scheduled to start in June.

 

 

[walker]

Another article today in the Free Press from John Gallagher, the Free Press Business Editor:

FREE PRESS: 2019/05/24 Ilitches District Detroit