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GAR Building For Sale

Allan

By Allan
in Detroit

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RustTown City

RustTown

Posted
Posted

My favorite proposal is one of the more boring ones, and that's the CS Veco proposal (true mixed use), and the Fieldstone Properties or Olympia proposal (GAR/Civil War Museum). I just can't see them doing the whole thing as a nightclub, and personally don't like that idea for that particular building. A museum as some part of this project would only be fitting.

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Michi Burg

Michi

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The only way I can see the nightclub working is if it has some sort of tie with the two nearby casinos...capturing that particular market somehow.

I think the idea of wrapping the building in advertising is deplorable and should be trashed on the spot.

I'm also uneasy about apartments in such an old building. Condos, maybe, but leasing of such an important building as a place to live isn't right either.

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RustTown City

RustTown

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Yeah, I'm not so sure about why I feel this way, but this is probably one building where I don't think a typical nighclub/bar, residential...plan would work. I guess it's the building's history that makes me want it to be treated with more respect than the average structure. I really want them to give a proper nod to the GAR. It's really just my personal preference, though, because I didn't have a problem with developers turning the old Bethlehem Temple Church in Old Town Lansing in the Temple nightclub, though, I guess I can see where detractors were coming from, now.

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RustTown City

RustTown

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Instead of people just instantly complaining about who got it, lets look at the facts of this one. This was an RFP for redevelopment only. This is not going to be demolished, and it wouldn't make since, to, considering the odd shape of the site which couldn't be used for much of anything else. Secondly, developers had to prevent concrete plans, and it was obvious that Ilitches were more concrete than the others. The main tenant for their plans are already there: Olympia Development, so it's not like this is a speculative renovation where the developer is hoping they'll find a main tenant.

We really have to be more thoughtful.

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RustTown City

RustTown

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It was said on detroit.com, and have been said before that the Ilitches have a limited amount of time to start renovation. If they don't, they loose development rights on the building. So, either way, this building isn't going to be demolished. The very worst that could happen is that Olympia decides not to renovate it. I understand that we're all generally skeptical, but there is no bad way you can really spin this one.

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RustTown City

RustTown

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In a city hurting for every last penny, I don't blame him one bit. Just as it's the owners interest to get the best deal on their sell, it's in the cities interest to get every last penny they can out of a deal, and this is a city in any economic state, and especially Detroit.

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dtown Town

dtown

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I know they need the revenue, but this building has been vacant for 30 years. They havnt been making money off it for years anyway, so i would just take the offer, get the tax money, and quit trying to negotiate for an extra 10 grand.

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wolverine Town

wolverine

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The renovation of this building was required from the get-go. Of course the Ilitches have a plan, and they will renovate it.

This is one of the case where I could care less how much the city charges for it. $1 or $1,000,000, let the most comitted developer win.

My opinion is a highly personal one against the Ilitches. I'm not going to say they are unqualified for this project. They proved with the Fox that they can do great things. But much of the success of Foxtown has come with the destruction of the urban fabric of Detroit. It's not so much the preservation of a few buildings at the expense of a whole bunch of others, but their long term planning and development for the city. Their plans for future development in Detroit can be discussed in another thread, I really could go on and on, but this thread is about the GAR

I wish Detroit would sell these buildings more on a reward basis. The Ilitches still have a lot of empty buildings downtown that don't even have that much life in them to stand much longer. I would ask the city to suggest to the Ilitches they take on a more rigorous comittment in getting the buildings renovated that they have. I understand these are far more complicated than the GAR. But I think the Ilitches should focus on what they have rather than taking on more. The GAR wasn't a building with no takers. There is plenty of other developers that could have had success with this.

This is back to what ScheuerJD said. Would it have mattered if the price was lower for another developer? Not really. Let it show that the city is serious about this building.

P.S. Although I am serious in my position with Olympia and the Ilitches, part of my post was an inside joke having to do with urban exploration that I'm not going to reveal for my own security.

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wolverine Town

wolverine

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Yes, but Detroit must be careful on that. I think selling downtown properties at a higher price is a good thing, so as long as it's reasonable enough to attract multiple developers. If they pull a stunt like this in the neighborhoods, I doubt they'll get any buyers.

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