Making it look cleaner would be huge. Putting in new windows (mini versions of whats on the MW lofts), painting the interior, putting brighter, "whiter" lighting in and new doors/entrances. Also, covering the the outdoor areas between the wings of the building with a glass canopy, I think that would be a HUGE boost, maybe make one of the sides a place where people selling plants can have their business and the other a food court (the glass areas.) Also, getting the bussiness to look more proffesional and permant. The big key here, make the entire market cleaner, brighter and more welcoming, because it isn't in very good shape currently and its really a dissapointment.
Lmich, I think that you hit the nail on the head, if your going to have the market at all, you need to make it 7 days for the facility. The part time tenants can't support the place, they can supplemant it, but they alone can't do it.
So the next question I would ask is, what do you guys predict will happen to it. Will the property succumb to budget restraints and get the ax, will the city invest in saving it and overhauling it, or something else?
I had not heard of the possibility of an expansion by the Lansing Center, that would be quite tragic. Nothing like creating one gigantic stretch of river that would only be used on special occasions, and completely vacant of attractions the rest of the time. Oldsmobile Park definetly was a catalyst for much of the Stadium District and Project, however until the Stadium Project is completed, there is a huge gap that is created by that parking lot and the stadium. When there is no event at the Stadium, it doesn't help the area, and the vacant lot keeps most people from walking from Rum Runners to The Exchange, I mean people do it, but it is just not that big of a draw. The Lansing Center furthers that feeling of a gap, as unless there is an event indoors, it does nothing for the street outdoors. That would be the quintessential mark of poor planning in the modern, new urbanism times.
Adding another floor to the place could be a very good idea, but I think then you may as well add three. Personally I'm a little stuck on the Kerrytown market in Ann Arbor, its two floors and has a business mix that consists of a bottom floor grocery, that is actually three businesses sharing floor space, a meat market, fish market, and I believe a wine area. The business mix is such that it doesn't directly compete with the farm produce, but shoppers could get most all of their food needs from the various market vendors.
A stepped building might not be bad, like the visitors bureau building in Old Town. With the right business mix, a very unique restuarant could go in, that could have a nice view, from maybe a third or forth floor vantage of the river which would specialize in products from the market. For that to really work, you would have to expand towards the river, or take the whole thing down and reconstruct closer to the river. Personally I think its a neat building, but it needs so much, I bet the utilities alone are astronomical on that place.
I think if floors were to be added to city market it would be better off demolished and rebuilt in a better locaion with a better design. In it's current condition the City Market is no good, in order to draw new customers it needs new and better businesses, in order to draw those businesses it needs to be improved cosmetically.
On the subject of the Lansing Center expansion I think that it is essential that it be expanded as has been proposed since Hollister's late days in office in '01-'02. The proposed expansion was to be 250,000 sq ft and almost certainly would not have directly affected City Markets fate. It was an editorial in the LSJ that posed the idea of building an arena on the site of City Market, it is a pretty far out but not bad idea. In the end though, I think the City Market needs major overhauls ASAP in order to survive.
I'm curious if the Lansing Center expansion would actually do anything.... meaning, there are so few hotel rooms downtown, that who would they book there? Chicken and the egg, but I think another hotel needs to open first, besides the Radisson is a piece of dung.
I would think that an arena, while not a bad idea, would have to go elsewhere, Lansing Center, Oldsmobile Park, and an Arena all next to each other, would create to many occasional use properties clustered together. Sort of like state buildings, while great to have lunch crowd folks available, they wall off an area (not literally) for example, west of the capitol. The state buildings clustered, close off most possibilities of downtown expansion to anything other than parking ramps or more state buildings. It is sort of like that in Old Town the retailers at Grand and Turner have infinitely more foot traffic than those, across from the Temple Club, before Preuss there was a gap there that people didn't venture down to explore. That is changing now that Preuss is there, but I think the same idea would apply at the City Market.
To bad the Ottawa wouldn't become a casino. I think most everyone thinks it would be great, and its one of the few businesses that the cost of renovating an old factory, wouldn't detract. I don't see anyone expending their political capital to try that anytime soon.
I always figured that if the Lansing Center was expanded they would work out a deal to build a hotel at the same time. I always thought that a new hotel would go great on the site of the Grandview building and the South Grand ramp, something similar in design to the Amway or J W in Grand Rapids. As for an arena I would rather see it placed either along S Washington or Capitol down by the NuUnion building or maybe up on the Oliver Towers site.
How different are the Allen Street market that was in the news months ago and the City Market? I've been to the City Market before, but never the Allen Street market. I believe that is the name of it, it is the market that got vandalized, I think near the Allen Street Elementary school.
I realize this is an old discussion, but I enjoyed reading through it. In my opinion, major overhauls and adding floors may add attraction to the City Market, but I propose a less costly solution. How about adding some signage and publicity? When I visited the market for the first time last summer, I wasn't even sure if it was open. When I found the parking lot I wasn't exactly sure where the entrance was. Now I consider myself to be at least of average intellegence, so if I was having these problems perhaps others were discouraged as well. After the signage is jazzed up, I guess all we'll need then is a Zingermans!
Comments
So the next question I would ask is, what do you guys predict will happen to it. Will the property succumb to budget restraints and get the ax, will the city invest in saving it and overhauling it, or something else?
Adding another floor to the place could be a very good idea, but I think then you may as well add three. Personally I'm a little stuck on the Kerrytown market in Ann Arbor, its two floors and has a business mix that consists of a bottom floor grocery, that is actually three businesses sharing floor space, a meat market, fish market, and I believe a wine area. The business mix is such that it doesn't directly compete with the farm produce, but shoppers could get most all of their food needs from the various market vendors.
A stepped building might not be bad, like the visitors bureau building in Old Town. With the right business mix, a very unique restuarant could go in, that could have a nice view, from maybe a third or forth floor vantage of the river which would specialize in products from the market. For that to really work, you would have to expand towards the river, or take the whole thing down and reconstruct closer to the river. Personally I think its a neat building, but it needs so much, I bet the utilities alone are astronomical on that place.
On the subject of the Lansing Center expansion I think that it is essential that it be expanded as has been proposed since Hollister's late days in office in '01-'02. The proposed expansion was to be 250,000 sq ft and almost certainly would not have directly affected City Markets fate. It was an editorial in the LSJ that posed the idea of building an arena on the site of City Market, it is a pretty far out but not bad idea. In the end though, I think the City Market needs major overhauls ASAP in order to survive.
I would think that an arena, while not a bad idea, would have to go elsewhere, Lansing Center, Oldsmobile Park, and an Arena all next to each other, would create to many occasional use properties clustered together. Sort of like state buildings, while great to have lunch crowd folks available, they wall off an area (not literally) for example, west of the capitol. The state buildings clustered, close off most possibilities of downtown expansion to anything other than parking ramps or more state buildings. It is sort of like that in Old Town the retailers at Grand and Turner have infinitely more foot traffic than those, across from the Temple Club, before Preuss there was a gap there that people didn't venture down to explore. That is changing now that Preuss is there, but I think the same idea would apply at the City Market.
To bad the Ottawa wouldn't become a casino. I think most everyone thinks it would be great, and its one of the few businesses that the cost of renovating an old factory, wouldn't detract. I don't see anyone expending their political capital to try that anytime soon.