Michigan Street/Midtown Neighborhood Development

[HavingAhoot]

IMO it'd be nice if they would start applying this to the Michigan street development. Especially between Union and Houseman with all the people walking around this area now.  

[x99]

Yes, because sucking away traffic lanes for more bike lanes on Michigan is a brilliant idea.   A 24/7 traffic jam won't be that much fun, either.  What would be nice is an attractive barrier.  

[thebeerqueer]

40 minutes ago, x99 said:

Yes, because sucking away traffic lanes for more bike lanes on Michigan is a brilliant idea.   A 24/7 traffic jam won't be that much fun, either.  What would be nice is an attractive barrier.  

.... for more bike lanes ... ??? There aren't currently any bike lanes on Michigan. In the area that HavingAHoot mentions, I think that would be an ideal area for a modified traffic pattern. 

[Raildude's dad]

That is a nice drawing  except for one thing, not enough real estate on Michigan.  The Michigan ROW is 66 feet. The section built in front of the Brassworks building on N Monroe is 100 feet from back of walk to back of walk

[AG3]

Maybe just use what we have more effectively.. 
 

Michigan street is 43' give or take a half foot I believe. With the curb cuts recently done for parking like in front of 7 Monks the width is 51'.   North avenue in Chicago is 45' wide total. A drive down that road may change some perspectives, that strip is almost everything I think folks want Michigan to actually become. Parking on both sides will have a dramatic positive affect on Michigan street.  W. North Ave street in Chicago is very similar to Michigan street in many ways.  It moves on average 30,000 to 40,000 cars daily, and has a major intersection like Michigan and college and access to the highway right off of it. It also borders pretty high dense neighborhoods to its south and north. Parking on both sides, narrow sidewalks but very pedestrian friendly and business friendly. Cars drive slower because of parking on both sides and it feels safe to walk. Michigan as of now is far from walkable.  The city thinking regarding parking on our streets is the opposite of the approach cities like Chicago take.  25 years ago most of these buildings on North ave were vacant , now its bustling hub and very safe to walk.   

I threw some screen shots in, but You can walk it here. 

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9105387,-87.6731958,3a,75y,296.67h,91.52t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1stTV9ktmqmfcBMyAktbh52Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

 

 

 

[VectorPrime]

A few weeks late, but they've finally begun construction on replacing the bus lane between Bostwick and Barclay with a wider sidewalk. Interestingly, there's no mention of the median island, so I guess that was scrapped.

[GRDadof3]

On 10/25/2017 at 9:02 AM, VectorPrime said:

A few weeks late, but they've finally begun construction on replacing the bus lane between Bostwick and Barclay with a wider sidewalk. Interestingly, there's no mention of the median island, so I guess that was scrapped.

This project is way far along. They've already moved the sidewalk curbs into the bus lane and have light pole bases installed. 

[GRDadof3]

Not on Michigan Street but on Fuller where the former Burger King was located. A proposed (strip mall) development with Starbucks with drive through. 

 

[Pattmost20]

10 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

Not on Michigan Street but on Fuller where the former Burger King was located. A proposed (strip mall) development with Starbucks with drive through. 

 

Compared to a vacant Burger King I'll take it. That stretch of Fuller will probably never have a high volume of walking traffic with the highway right there.

[GR_Urbanist]

So glad to see this thing go (I know for certain that it's been there since the early 1980s). I dont even mind the auto-centric nature of the site plan.

Well actually I hate that reflexively, but I REALLY hate what is there now, and it's next to the highway anyway, so whatever.

[GRDadof3]

7 hours ago, Pattmost20 said:

Compared to a vacant Burger King I'll take it. That stretch of Fuller will probably never have a high volume of walking traffic with the highway right there.

Definitely. I actually won't be surprised if they make the developer flip it and put the parking in the back, but whatevs it's a definite improvement. And a Starbucks there with a drive through? Gold Jerry, gold! They show the drive through stacking at 9 cars and that might not be enough. 

[MJLO]

17 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

Definitely. I actually won't be surprised if they make the developer flip it and put the parking in the back, but whatevs it's a definite improvement. And a Starbucks there with a drive through? Gold Jerry, gold! They show the drive through stacking at 9 cars and that might not be enough. 

 I think they will be hindered by the location a bit.  It's already a cluster  on that strip of Fuller between Michigan St. and the Ford, I think people will have a bitch of a time pulling in and out for their $5 coffee.  That said I think it's a much welcome addition to what's there.  I was literally thinking that something needed to go there yesterday morning on my way home from yoga......the irony.

[Pattmost20]

17 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

Definitely. I actually won't be surprised if they make the developer flip it and put the parking in the back, but whatevs it's a definite improvement. And a Starbucks there with a drive through? Gold Jerry, gold! They show the drive through stacking at 9 cars and that might not be enough. 

Yeah the area is definitely lacking drive through coffee shops. Besides Bagel Beanery I can't think of another in the area.

[MJLO]

1 minute ago, Pattmost20 said:

Yeah the area is definitely lacking drive through coffee shops. Besides Bagel Beanery I can't think of another in the area.

Bigby on the other side of Michigan and Fuller?

[Pattmost20]

Just now, MJLO said:

Bigby on the other side of Michigan and Fuller?

No drive through. 

[GRDadof3]

10 minutes ago, Pattmost20 said:

Yeah the area is definitely lacking drive through coffee shops. Besides Bagel Beanery I can't think of another in the area.

I hate that drive through at Bagel Beanery.  And all the car scrapes on the wall don't help with my anxiety. 

[Pattmost20]

Just now, GRDadof3 said:

I hate that drive through at Bagel Beanery.  And all the car scrapes on the wall don't help with my anxiety. 

Yeah it is awful. I drive a pretty small car and I still get nervous making that corner.

[joeDowntown]

4 minutes ago, Pattmost20 said:

Yeah it is awful. I drive a pretty small car and I still get nervous making that corner.

Funny you say that, I stopped going to Bagel Beanery because I'd stress out every time I had to make that sharp turn.  And, their coffee (latte's) was pretty lousy.

Joe

[discgrab21]

23 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

I hate that drive through at Bagel Beanery.  And all the car scrapes on the wall don't help with my anxiety. 

When I was young, after a Dr. apt on Michigan, my mom took me there and we went through the drive-through in a Suburban!  We pulled the mirrors in, and went SOOO slowly, almost getting stuck, but somehow made it through unscathed.  My mom and I laughed about that for YEARS!

[thebeerqueer]

On 11/5/2017 at 9:24 AM, MJLO said:

 I think they will be hindered by the location a bit.  It's already a cluster  on that strip of Fuller between Michigan St. and the Ford, I think people will have a beotch of a time pulling in and out for their $5 coffee.  That said I think it's a much welcome addition to what's there.  I was literally thinking that something needed to go there yesterday morning on my way home from yoga......the irony.

Good call, that strip of Fuller Ave is a nightmare of driveways and distracted drivers. That being said, I think that location will do killer business there. Queue up the  trente mocha lattes, half caf, soy,, double ugg boot, yoga pants with extra spray tan please orders. 

[EastownLeo]

27 minutes ago, thebeerqueer said:

Good call, that strip of Fuller Ave is a nightmare of driveways and distracted drivers. That being said, I think that location will do killer business there. Queue up the  trente mocha lattes, half caf, soy,, double ugg boot, yoga pants with extra spray tan please orders. 

Every morning, there is a line of cars from Michigan all the way to the exit ramps, south bound turning east.

Knowing that a large chunk of commuters are heading north from the east GR and eastown area on fuller and would want to stop at this location, There is no way that those drivers could get back on fuller northbound. The turn lane traffic will totally cut them off.  The only option is a traffic light.

 

[Guest]

ehh.. I'm a little disappointed.  I always thought that would be a great location for a nice five or six story commercial/residential building, similar to the stuff going up on Michigan.  Like others have said it's better than what is there.  Traffic pulling out will be a nightmare, just like everything else around there.  

[GRDadof3]

There's a request before the city commission to "vacate" the little Prospect Ave cul-de-sac that sits between parcels that GVSU and Spectrum own, to facilitate a project by Spectrum and GVSU (wording in the application). No timeline given yet.

 

It's proposed to be replaced by a "loon" turnaround for the new Laker Line BRT. Interestingly in the drawings if you look closely they show articulated buses. 

 

 

 

[thebeerqueer]

On 11/12/2017 at 7:44 AM, GRDadof3 said:

It's proposed to be replaced by a "loon" turnaround for the new Laker Line BRT. Interestingly in the drawings if you look closely they show articulated buses. 

I'm pretty sure that through all of their meetings, town halls and such they talked about the buses being articulated. Probably makes more sense getting through some of the older, narrower streets in that part of the city. 

[GRDadof3]

On 11/13/2017 at 9:21 AM, thebeerqueer said:

I'm pretty sure that through all of their meetings, town halls and such they talked about the buses being articulated. Probably makes more sense getting through some of the older, narrower streets in that part of the city. 

I probably missed it. 

I found out today that this GVSU/Spectrum project that's mentioned in the Prospect Avenue vacation is the second part of the health sciences addition and it will also be another parking ramp for Spectrum. Starts Spring 2018.