Live6 neighborhood development thread

[Rogobob77]

With retail development on Livernois Ave. near campus starting to gain some momentum, thought I would start a thread on the topic. Here's an article from today's Detroit News about a new business opening up in the UDM neighborhood.

http://m.detnews.com/topstories/article ... 025&f=1207

[AmenBrother]

I would like to see Buddy's Pizza open up on Livernois.

I am pleased to see the Woodward / 9 Mile area of hotspots becoming popular with UDM students and alumni. We need to make sure when we go to Dinos, Comos, Rosie OGradys, One Eyed Betty, and BW3 that we are supporting them because of UDM!

[Rogobob77]

Nice column in today's Detroit Free Press regarding continued progress on Livernois development:

http://www.freep.com/article/20130920/C ... repreneurs

[SFCTitan]

This seems like the most appropriate thread for this question: What is going on in the old neighborhood behind Shiple Hall? It is nothing but abandoned houses, burned out shells of houses and empty lots. We can improve Livernois a ton, but to a prospective student driving around campus that would be a huge turn off. Was there a redevelopment project that died in the great recession because it almost looks like the neighborhood was semi-cleared. Any info would be appreciated.

[JimmyChitwood]

This seems like the most appropriate thread for this question: What is going on in the old neighborhood behind Shiple Hall? It is nothing but abandoned houses, burned out shells of houses and empty lots. We can improve Livernois a ton, but to a prospective student driving around campus that would be a huge turn off. Was there a redevelopment project that died in the great recession because it almost looks like the neighborhood was semi-cleared. Any info would be appreciated.

When Michael Joseph was here he talked about how Xavier bought up land adjacent to its property and expanded the campus, and said we could do the same. I hope that is what they are doing there. Each street still has 2 or 3 occupied homes. I hope we own all of the other lots and I trust we have made reasonable offers for the occupied homes. I wouldn't be surprised if some owners are holding out thinking their property is worth more than it is. Its not a lot of property, but it would be nice to have some more.

[SFCTitan]

If you look on the street view of Google maps and Bing maps most of the houses on Holmur, Quincy and Petoskey between Puritan and campus look occupied. Now it looks like only two or three are occupied on all three streets combined. It almost looks like the neighborhood was being cleared for another use, maybe additional units of the Pilgrim Village development that is directly across Puritan from there.

[AmenBrother]

I also had a similar conversation with Michael Joseph about acquiring that property in back of the dorms. I drove around campus this past summer and was surprised to see a number of the homes knocked down already. It does have the look already that it is being acquired by somebody. He also mentioned that they should have kept the Smith Media Center building that was UDM's on puritan rather than selling it when they did. It is a church now.

[Rogobob77]

new signage for Livernois "Avenue of Fashion" district:

http://www.modeldmedia.com/features/ave ... +way+comes

[Rogobob77]

Another article about Livernois development:

http://www.modeldmedia.com/features/Ave ... s+district

Slowly but surely things are improving along the University District commercial strip. The medians on Livernois are being landscaped this week, somehow getting ahead of the winter weather. It is my understanding that street light improvements are on the horizon now that the bankruptcy proceedings are completed and there will be some money for those type infrastructure projects in the city budget.

[R.B.J1]

I also had a similar conversation with Michael Joseph about acquiring that property in back of the dorms. I drove around campus this past summer and was surprised to see a number of the homes knocked down already. It does have the look already that it is being acquired by somebody. He also mentioned that they should have kept the Smith Media Center building that was UDM's on puritan rather than selling it when they did. It is a church now.

Any updates on the abandoned homes off of Puritan. I believe there are only two homes on Quincy, and they are both burned out. Hopefully UDM is acquiring this land.

[JimmyChitwood]

Any updates on the abandoned homes off of Puritan. I believe there are only two homes on Quincy, and they are both burned out. Hopefully UDM is acquiring this land.

I keep thinking the same thing. That area looks so awful as you (you, me, donors, potential students) drive by, and I am sure it looks awful from the dorms. Making it a greenspace until they have the funds to build something there would help a lot (assuming the U is acquiring all of that property).

Looks like a perfect spot for the facility operations buildings. I always that where it is. It hides Calihan and creates that narrow entrance to Calihan. Again, not a good impression for someone coming for the first time. Imagine if that area was open with more parking or even the Dave DeBusschere or Carlos Briggs pedestrian plaza for tailgates, etc.

[Big Chuck]

Great Idea regarding Facilities Building. Every game we head down Puritan past those homes, I get the same question from my wife. I think the City should give us the property after it is cleared for $1. It would be the best investment they could make, even if we just cut the grass.

[R.B.J1]

Hopefully someone from UDM is contacting the city in regards to using some of these funds to knock down those homes burned out homes on Quincy and few others around UDM.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/l ... /20479333/

[Rogobob77]

New restaurant opens on Livernois:

http://www.modeldmedia.com/devnews/Kuzz ... rnois.aspx

[SFCTitan]

Regarding the property behind Shiple Hall on Petoskey, Quincy and Holmer. There is a web service called Why Don't We Own This that maps the city parcel by parcel. The site has a photo of each parcel and reports on the owner, tax status and even the condition of the property for each property.

https://whydontweownthis.com/#7/41.294/-83.145

There are a few individuals that own multiple parcels and an entity called LIV-PUR, LLC that owns 10 parcels on Petoskey, Quincy and Holmer

[titanmac]

the city is also dying to dump properties that it owns and is giving a lot of them away. not sure of the mechanisms but i know they are in place. i hope we have the administrative wherewithal to be pursuing working with the new mayor. his state of the city speech the other night was impressive.

[Titan.RW]

16169 Fairfield is owned by Patrick Owenu according to the why don't we own this website.

[Rogobob77]

A proposed project that would introduce fiber art to the Avenue of Fashion:

https://www.patronicity.com/project/fib ... he_avenue#

[AmenBrother]

a lot of hoopla for the past few years about the new landscaping along Livernois thru the Avenue of Fashion, just north of campus. I have to say, I am not impressed with it. The grass seed that was put down in the median never took and all thru this past year it has been nothing but ugly hard pan sand/mud.

[AmenBrother]

Mike Illitch donates $40M and one block of land to Wayne State to build the Mike Illitch School of Business. His daughter Denise graduated from UDM Law. You think we could get a piece of the pie! This makes our $1.5M re-landscaping of Livernois look like....well, you know!