Rylee's Hardware

[Ted]

Exactly. For every one person who reads UP and/or wants to see a world as GRTP envisions, there are 10 people who will complain about it and be against it. It's a massive shift in perceptions we're talking about.

[Mark Miller]

Nothing has to change for the previous site plan to be changed to the urban vestibule model at this location. The current zoning would even allow this.

Even perceptions of "all" the folks who would "complain" about the vision would not need to be changed. What is the difference for these folks? They still have all the parking within sight of the door, the building mass is simply at the street, would that make them complain? Do "they" really care where the parking is as long as it is easy?

It is shortsightedness that causes these problems, both architecturally and urbanistically. This building layout and resulting site plan is an easy off the shelf model that could just as easily be plunked on any suburban arterial in America. We should want better, we certainly need better and it is time to start asking for better. It is not enough to settle for this proposal, just because they are staying in the city and just because they are developing an existing "eyesore" of a lot.

All that said, the one downfall of the liner concept is that those liner retailers would need on street parking. But there is nothing to say that Rylees could not work with storefronts on Michigan and scrap the liner buildings. Or better yet start the wheels in motion to get on street parking there. Force the issue, build the humanely scaled building and the rest will come or build the suburban arterial model and nothing will change.

Traffic congestion, truck traffic and ease of parking are only a single components of literally hundreds of design decisions in the equation of placemaking, it is about time that we stop letting them drive the whole damn thing.

[aowwt]

You know what I think this design is wrong for the area. I been sitting on the back looking at this discussion and for a while I thought the hardware store was on the street level so I didnt understand now I took a second look and saw that it wasnt. This reminds me the Gas Station on 28th street. So given this if were the planning commission I would reject the current layout and instead ask that the store be put on the street level. As for a drive enterence I would ask for a 3 lane drive into the property. One for eneterence, 1 left turn, and one right turn exit. That can run to the back. I also think truck enterence should be on the back side. A good amount of parking could be had with this change and more than likely increase the size of the store if they want. The current layout has a lot of curves and wasted space. Its not the green corners which I do like to see its just other parts of the design are not what I would like to see.

[Prankster]

All this fuss about a retail store several miles from the city center, yet many people celebrate the atrocity that is Vandenberg Center. How are the city and county buildings any different than what is going on out of Michigan and Fuller? Seems like we are saying that this type of design is good for our city center, but not our outlying areas. It seems like we are being selective where we want urbanism.

[aowwt]

The issue is that all along Michgan Ave coming from the Medical Hill the buildings are on the street level. This store site has plenty of space to be put on the front and parking in the rear. The design currently also has blind spot areas which I do not like. If you are in a parking lot you do not want to be moving your head 180 degrees looking out for pedistrians and other cars around buildings. Its not fun and that is because of a poorly laid out parking lot. This is what I see in this plan. I have no issues with pedistrains when I am driving but in a parking lot it causes a lot of issues when people are walking in every direction to thier vehicles. Most strip malls are okay since the parking lot is not split. With the split lot like it currently is makes walking dangerous and driving even more so. Frankly if this were designed in my neighboorhood I would get upset as well.

[fotoman311]

That section of Michigan St has only slightly more traffic than the section to the West (between Diamond and College), which is only two lanes with on-street parking. I don't see why Michigan can't be cut down to 2 lanes in that area and made more urban-oriented.

[Mark Miller]

All this fuss about a retail store several miles from the city center, yet many people celebrate the atrocity that is Vandenberg Center. How are the city and county buildings any different than what is going on out of Michigan and Fuller? Seems like we are saying that this type of design is good for our city center, but not our outlying areas. It seems like we are being selective where we want urbanism.

[Veloise]

What's the largest, heaviest item carried in or out of City or County? Calderettes for Park(ing) Day? Boxes of Bike GR?

A hardware store needs a loading zone, at the minimum. Rylee's does have many small impulse items, but as others stated, those tend to arrive in large delivery trucks.

How about situating the building along Michigan and at a zero side lot line (one or the other). Make it more of a usable driveway, loading, and parking lot. Landscape and screening so it looks as nice as a parking lot can.

[GR Jackson]

YES! YES! YES! This is exactly what I've been thinking about this whole area. Certainly, it's a diverse area, with old industrial uses, like Proos manufacturing and the Miller-Zeilstra building supplies mixed in with some retail (Walgreens, a hydroponic growing supplier, liquor store, future D&W) and restaurants (Grand Coney & it's pizza place, closed down Hot N Now, Logan's Alley, Dukes, former Wing On). I think that it might be decent area to open a bicycle shop to serve the downtown area (and many of the workers on the Medical Mile) and would be even moreso if it were made more bicycle and pedestrian friendly.

There is a Michigan Street Business Alliance of some sort, I wonder if they have discussed some of these issues.

My wife and I walked to the hardware store with our dogs last night, and it was not a nice walk along Michigan with the not-too-wide-of sidewalk right along the street and where the cars are zooming by. A buffer of parked cars or even a 6-7 ft bicycle lane would be a huge improvement to the walkability (not to mention having entrances to businesses actually on the street instead of in the rear, yeah you Omelette Shop and monstrosity of a Subway/Biggby).

[Mark Miller]

What's the largest, heaviest item carried in or out of City or County? Calderettes for Park(ing) Day? Boxes of Bike GR?

A hardware store needs a loading zone, at the minimum. Rylee's does have many small impulse items, but as others stated, those tend to arrive in large delivery trucks.

How about situating the building along Michigan and at a zero side lot line (one or the other). Make it more of a usable driveway, loading, and parking lot. Landscape and screening so it looks as nice as a parking lot can.

[aowwt]

The issue folks is what was stated before. The Hardware store has a parking lot between it and Michigan. Had they moved the store to the front they can create the massive lot they need, provide better security for pedistrians and cars alike. The current plan creates blind corners and excess driving around. Hence I think the design should be done better and the current site layout not be approved. The building design is fine for me considering the era we are in but I have real issue with that building sitting in front of a parking lot.

[rtc869]

I've heard that Rylee's Hardware on 1050 Michigan St NE will be starting construction on a brand new building on Michigan where the old Armory used to be. It is nice to see them expand and I'm sure that the D&W Fresh Market will probably make use of that space. Unfortunately, the Family Fare on Fulton will be abandoned when the D&W opens leaving another empty building in town. Wouldn't it be better for Spartan to work out at deal with Rylee's and have a swap for the Building on Fulton? Just wanted to put that out there to see what others think.

[fotoman311]

I've heard that Rylee's Hardware on 1050 Michigan St NE will be starting construction on a brand new building on Michigan where the old Armory used to be. It is nice to see them expand and I'm sure that the D&W Fresh Market will probably make use of that space. Unfortunately, the Family Fare on Fulton will be abandoned when the D&W opens leaving another empty building in town. Wouldn't it be better for Spartan to work out at deal with Rylee's and have a swap for the Building on Fulton? Just wanted to put that out there to see what others think.

[MAU]

1 - Rylee's is still moving, it's just become more of a process than they thought

2 - D&W Fresh Market is on hold till the economy turns around

3 - Supposedly the Fulton Heights Family Fare will remain open as a Family Fare, which is different from a D&W Fresh Market

[fotoman311]

1 - Rylee's is still moving, it's just become more of a process than they thought

2 - D&W Fresh Market is on hold till the economy turns around

3 - Supposedly the Fulton Heights Family Fare will remain open as a Family Fare, which is different from a D&W Fresh Market

[rtc869]

The Fulton Family Fare information was brought back to me from the Fulton Business Assoc. meeting. It was second hand knowledge, and not sure of the original source.

[ModSquad]

What are your sources for this information? I haven't seen anything on the Rylee's move in awhile and I figured the D&W store was on hold indefinitely for now. And why would they automatically close the Family Fare store? They operate stores close together if they are aimed at different demographics (in "downtown" Wyoming for example).

[NorthEnder]

it took them a lot longer than estimated to get approval from the city. The city wants the building practically built on the street, with almost no set back, so they had to redesign their project.

[Prankster]

it took them a lot longer than estimated to get approval from the city. The city wants the building practically built on the street, with almost no set back, so they had to redesign their project.

[Veloise]

... The city wants the building practically built on the street, with almost no set back, so they had to redesign their project.

[fotoman311]

That is a good thing, putting urban design elements into the project.

[Veloise]

On Saturday, one of the clerks said that groundbreaking was slated for June.

[zenstyle]

We received a Dear Valued Customer letter from Rylee's today, explaining about the move and the opening of the new store in Spring of 2010. The husband-unit is always there on Saturdays and nothing beats shopping at a LOCAL FIRST business!

[EGR-ARCHI]

They have started moving dirt on this site.

[MuskeMI]

The walls have started going up as of yesterday.