BJ's Wholesale Club is opening two locations in southeast Michigan. I wonder if they might be purchasing the old Sam's Club location as their next Michigan expansion?
I wonder what you all think about the design for Rotary Park? I am trying to like it but it kind of looks like an outdoor seating area for a restaurant in this area of the new park. I don't know about the maintenance plan but I think those tables and chairs will require at least once daily maintenance to clean and rearrange them. I have said this before, I think there could be a "pushcart" vendor area next to the Lansing Center that would provide a reason to stop and sit in this new park. I think it will be very important to offer amenities that people will actually use, with thoughts of former riverfront and "mall" plans downtown. I am looking forward towards a "wow this is nice" feeling verses an "oh wow this is it ??! reaction.
I don't like it. I agree, it feels like they're building the outdoor seating for someone else's restaurant. We should have bathrooms and drinking fountains. Park benches or tables and chairs are good too though, but the outdoor fireplace is a gimmick that costs a lot of money with no real value. I'd rather have BBQs that people can use and cook their own food in if we want to add to the outdoor restaurant feel.
Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn, NY has multiple of these and they are really popular when the weather gets warm.
The only component that is using the river are the steps down to the river, which are nice.
Yes, it is an improvement, and I do like the concept I'm just not sure who is going to be sitting there or when these tables will be full of people. Perhaps if a hotel were to be built where the City Market is or something like that would populate the area. It is not really an improvement if no one uses it.
It just looks like a restaurant patio. Grills and bathrooms and a bit more green space would be great, but as it is now, I just can't see any reason to go to the park. I guess it's better than nothing, but if this is what is going in there, it's really a missed opportunity.
I don't want to seem ungrateful, this is a donation after all, but it just seems like what's being planned is so close to great, but just misses the mark.
Having a spot for concerts is wonderful, but I think there needs to be a compelling reason to come down there when there isn't an event going on. Apart from easy river access for kayaking (which is great, but almost by definition doesn't keep people in the park), I just can't imagine why I'd go down there on an average weekend afternoon. To paraphrase Gordon Ramsey: Don't judge a restaurants success by there Friday night, look at their Monday.
I say all of this with the caveat that it might be totally different from what I'm getting when it's done, and I hope I'm wrong about it.
Mich - these are beautiful photos (you should submit to the city for PR purposes). These events look fun, but wouldn't this permanent installation actually preclude gatherings like this from happening, in terms of space it would be taking up?
I wonder if a lighter touch (temporary tables and seating) might be a better starting point than immediately dropping a permanent and seemingly heavy-handed installation.
Also, most importantly was there public input regarding this? Even if it's private money, it's public space and a broad spectrum of residents should be able weigh in on this. I feel like the resulting design would be quite different if there were authentic and broad public input for this project. More likely there was a stakeholder group (with Gillespie probably acting as a major voice) that met with residents of those apartments and employees at Accident Fund .....and everyone was like, yeah....outdoor fireplace sounds awesome..... Obviously the immediate neighbors have importance, but this site especially belongs to the broader public.
I remember playing on that playground as a kid and having endless fun (it was a wooden one built into the side of the slope). The city and foundations could draw a lot more people and a wider variety of people to this site by investing in a fantastic playground at this park.
I understand that the area depicted is just one part of the park, I am just concerned that this is a good investment of private money. I love Lansing, this is where I chose to live, but sometimes it seems like when we have some money to create something new and great we end up with a project that is just OK. Filling these tables and this space would be as easy as having concessions, food, drinks, a beer garden maybe food trucks, perhaps something like a summer-long carrousel or Ferris wheel just like London. A night market that only sets up after 6 pm. Of course, if there were a first class hotel and a small casino or performing arts center behind this area that would bring people there. I could see restrooms being installed in the underground parking ramp of the Lansing Center. It could be that the city and the people involved with this park have all kinds of plans to bring people into this area and I am hoping that this park is a great success.
I love the ferris wheel idea! And I think you're right that with intentional programming this project could and WILL be a success. I'd like to see it succeed so that the funders continue giving money for projects like this.
The steps to the water will be awesome. The lighted forest seems neat too, but I can't really tell what it is.
Some other things I think would help in/around the park:
Upgrade and expand the playground that's down in that nook. There used to be a restroom down there too.
Add a few extra concrete features (ramps, rails, etc....all permanent) to encourage kids to skateboard under the bridge, where they always have been. Definitely need to maintain clearance for the riverwalk trail passing through. (There's a great little unintentional-but-sanctioned skate spot (mini skatepark) in London UK connected directly to the main drag of their riverwalk, near the Tate Museum.
I barely remember, but I think the last time I checked it out, the old train bridge-turned pedestrian bridge had an art installation that looked great! That bridge is really cool and it seems like they've improved it over the years (better lighting, paint??)
Maybe the 1980's pedestrian bridge to the Lansing Center could host some light art projects -- illuminate it in purple during breast cancer month, green and white during march madness I forget what it feels like in there, but I feel like some young professional's group could set it up in a cool way for happy-hour events or avant-garde performances. It's unique to be hovering over the river, and the views are the best!
As floated in other comments, this would be a great area for a hotel.
I'd like the see the market reopened, I think some of these other things will start to bring more critical mass of people to this area to make the market viable again. In the meantime, and in addition to the market, food trucks are always a hit.
Comments
I wonder what you all think about the design for Rotary Park? I am trying to like it but it kind of looks like an outdoor seating area for a restaurant in this area of the new park. I don't know about the maintenance plan but I think those tables and chairs will require at least once daily maintenance to clean and rearrange them. I have said this before, I think there could be a "pushcart" vendor area next to the Lansing Center that would provide a reason to stop and sit in this new park. I think it will be very important to offer amenities that people will actually use, with thoughts of former riverfront and "mall" plans downtown. I am looking forward towards a "wow this is nice" feeling verses an "oh wow this is it ??! reaction.
I don't like it. I agree, it feels like they're building the outdoor seating for someone else's restaurant. We should have bathrooms and drinking fountains. Park benches or tables and chairs are good too though, but the outdoor fireplace is a gimmick that costs a lot of money with no real value. I'd rather have BBQs that people can use and cook their own food in if we want to add to the outdoor restaurant feel.
Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn, NY has multiple of these and they are really popular when the weather gets warm.
The only component that is using the river are the steps down to the river, which are nice.
Yes, it is an improvement, and I do like the concept I'm just not sure who is going to be sitting there or when these tables will be full of people. Perhaps if a hotel were to be built where the City Market is or something like that would populate the area. It is not really an improvement if no one uses it.
It just looks like a restaurant patio. Grills and bathrooms and a bit more green space would be great, but as it is now, I just can't see any reason to go to the park. I guess it's better than nothing, but if this is what is going in there, it's really a missed opportunity.
I don't want to seem ungrateful, this is a donation after all, but it just seems like what's being planned is so close to great, but just misses the mark.
Having a spot for concerts is wonderful, but I think there needs to be a compelling reason to come down there when there isn't an event going on. Apart from easy river access for kayaking (which is great, but almost by definition doesn't keep people in the park), I just can't imagine why I'd go down there on an average weekend afternoon. To paraphrase Gordon Ramsey: Don't judge a restaurants success by there Friday night, look at their Monday.
I say all of this with the caveat that it might be totally different from what I'm getting when it's done, and I hope I'm wrong about it.
Mich - these are beautiful photos (you should submit to the city for PR purposes). These events look fun, but wouldn't this permanent installation actually preclude gatherings like this from happening, in terms of space it would be taking up?
I wonder if a lighter touch (temporary tables and seating) might be a better starting point than immediately dropping a permanent and seemingly heavy-handed installation.
Also, most importantly was there public input regarding this? Even if it's private money, it's public space and a broad spectrum of residents should be able weigh in on this. I feel like the resulting design would be quite different if there were authentic and broad public input for this project. More likely there was a stakeholder group (with Gillespie probably acting as a major voice) that met with residents of those apartments and employees at Accident Fund .....and everyone was like, yeah....outdoor fireplace sounds awesome..... Obviously the immediate neighbors have importance, but this site especially belongs to the broader public.
I remember playing on that playground as a kid and having endless fun (it was a wooden one built into the side of the slope). The city and foundations could draw a lot more people and a wider variety of people to this site by investing in a fantastic playground at this park.
I understand that the area depicted is just one part of the park, I am just concerned that this is a good investment of private money. I love Lansing, this is where I chose to live, but sometimes it seems like when we have some money to create something new and great we end up with a project that is just OK. Filling these tables and this space would be as easy as having concessions, food, drinks, a beer garden maybe food trucks, perhaps something like a summer-long carrousel or Ferris wheel just like London. A night market that only sets up after 6 pm. Of course, if there were a first class hotel and a small casino or performing arts center behind this area that would bring people there. I could see restrooms being installed in the underground parking ramp of the Lansing Center. It could be that the city and the people involved with this park have all kinds of plans to bring people into this area and I am hoping that this park is a great success.
I love the ferris wheel idea! And I think you're right that with intentional programming this project could and WILL be a success. I'd like to see it succeed so that the funders continue giving money for projects like this.
The steps to the water will be awesome. The lighted forest seems neat too, but I can't really tell what it is.
Some other things I think would help in/around the park:
Upgrade and expand the playground that's down in that nook. There used to be a restroom down there too.
Add a few extra concrete features (ramps, rails, etc....all permanent) to encourage kids to skateboard under the bridge, where they always have been. Definitely need to maintain clearance for the riverwalk trail passing through. (There's a great little unintentional-but-sanctioned skate spot (mini skatepark) in London UK connected directly to the main drag of their riverwalk, near the Tate Museum.
I barely remember, but I think the last time I checked it out, the old train bridge-turned pedestrian bridge had an art installation that looked great! That bridge is really cool and it seems like they've improved it over the years (better lighting, paint??)
Maybe the 1980's pedestrian bridge to the Lansing Center could host some light art projects -- illuminate it in purple during breast cancer month, green and white during march madness
I forget what it feels like in there, but I feel like some young professional's group could set it up in a cool way for happy-hour events or avant-garde performances. It's unique to be hovering over the river, and the views are the best!
As floated in other comments, this would be a great area for a hotel.
I'd like the see the market reopened, I think some of these other things will start to bring more critical mass of people to this area to make the market viable again. In the meantime, and in addition to the market, food trucks are always a hit.