'08 predictions

hood

I saw a similar forum over on UP's Grand Rapids section, it seems like a good idea to get some dialogue going. Basically it's just speculating as to what you think will happen as far as development this year.

Whats (supposed) to happen in '08:
Stadium District is completed
Ground broke for MSP HQ
Ground broke on Kalamazoo Gateway
Ground broke on Capitol Club Tower
Ground broke on Ottawa & Butler
Work begins on Ottawa Power Plant
Ground broke on Market Place and/or Ballpark North
Ground broke on Michigan Museum Place
Ground broke on new Marriott in West Village
Stonehouse Village 3 completed
Ground broke on new MSU art museum???

Predictions:
I am wary of making any predictions whatsoever but I'll try for a few:
There will be another development announced for the Stadium District area, something at least as big as Kzoo Gateway
The "Association Project" will be announced ; )
One or more condo/apartment project will be announced west of the river, at least one will be over 10 floors.
Something significant will be annunced for N Washington Sq.
Concrete plans for a performing arts center will be announced

This is basically just for fun I hope everyone throws out a few ideas, and hopefully I remember to check this thread a year from now to see if I was right.

cliffordzang

Probably not much of a guess, but I'll say that MSU will announce plans for a new building on the site of the current MSP HQ. I'll get really wild though and say that it'll be a new hockey arena.

hood

I thought I heard that there were some talks about a new hockey arena, any idea if it's true.

MichMatters

What I've heard is that for the forseeable future they are looking to use the MSP site as overflow parking.

cliffordzang

It wouldn't shock me as it seems like there have been a few new large hockey arenas built recently, like at Ohio State and I think Wisconsin, but I haven't heard anything.

Jared

My predictions for 2008:

I predict that Stonehouse II will be reintroduced after Albert Place Condos (Stonehouse III) sells at a fast pace. David Krause will be opening a model unit for Albert Place Condos in a storefront on Grand River in February, which should help push sales. It's too bad that Campus Cartridge has closed down (it was really nice to see another independent store in business), but it does make it easier for Krause to redevelop, as it is one less tenant to relocate.

Talk may also start about a development on Lot 1 in East Lansing. The city has already made it public that they are looking at the parking lot for development, and I remember David Krause having his eyes on the location for another development. The city would like to see something 10-12 stories tall, but I am not sure if the market can handle a building that tall with Michigan Museum Place already being 10 stories.

Michigan Museum Place SHOULD break ground in 2008, as it has been postponed now for a couple years. I will just hope for some basic site prep work to begin within the next 4 months.

I'm looking forward for an announcement on the "Association Project".

And I suspect that as the Marriott Residence Inn plans a move to the West Village, that there will be a new residential development announced for the current site of the Residence Inn.

Sparty73

It would be hard to see Munn go, but a new hockey arena certainly would be nice. Not sure if I could see it being done right now though since MSU Hockey still doesn't pull enough attendance (despite a National Title) to warrant building a bigger building, and it also seems like a lot of these new large arenas (Wisco's Kohl Center, for instance) are being used for both hockey, as well as b-ball, and we all know Breslin isn't going by the wayside anytime soon. But, again, I do think it would be pretty cool if you were right, and they found something interesting to do with the space left by Munn.

Also, not to be negative, but I think we may, possibly late this year, get some sort of confirmation that the East Village project, in it's present form, will not be going through. I'm subscribed to the City's "newsletter" on the project, and I haven't gotten anything for months. I know you guys have stated that they are likely not coming out with new news because they're still trying to buy up the property, but I just cannot see Pierce being able to buy up all of those seperate properties from all of those individual owners.

Let me know what you guys think.

Sparty73

Also, should have asked this in the previous post, Jared, when you say the Marriott may be moved to the "West Village," are you talking about the development near Grand River and Harrison? That would be a good location, but where exactly would it fit in there?

Jared

Just for clarification, the Marriott that I am referring to is currently located near the corner of Hagadorn and Michigan Ave. Here are some pictures to help:





The East Village has already been downsized once, and will probably end up being built in phases. I don't think that the current housing market is helping to deal with financing the development either.

Sparty73

Isn't the location pointed to on the bottom map supposed to be where the "Park Place" phase of the project is supposed to go? I'm not personally sure, don't know the exact layout.

Jared

Right, just a while back, probably a couple weeks or so, Jerome Abood said that he didn't think he would be able to sell enough condos and so he has been looking in to getting a hotel located there (instead of Park Place). It kind of seemed to me like the whole Park Place was just there to help get approval of a zoning change in the first place, with the intention of switching it to a hotel all along.