VeeFan

Work started just recently on the Rowe Building Complex in the 500 block of Saginaw Street, and the First Street Lofts should be opening within the next few months. That's about it really, Mad Hatter just got a new facade, but there are no other major projects in progress right now. Once the Lofts are finished, we might see new projects starting up (hopefully ).

The actual city of Detroit was close to 2 million, or the immediate metro area was? The highest figures for just the city of Detroit that I have seen was just over 1 million.

Julie is great. One of the last times we went there my friend said something to her about one of the tables being too close to the glass side table with the plant on it. So then the next time we went there we saw that the side table had been moved, but couldn't sit at our "usual" table. After the people sitting there left, Julie came up to us and said, "What is this? You ask me to move the side table and then you don't even sit there?"

Yesterday at least, they didn't have the floodgate open on the dam near Harrison Street, so it was pretty flooded by the White Building.

Welcome to the board! For the most part, we are more to see anything happening with downtown, regardless of quality. Look at how excited we got just for the Mad Hatter to get a facelift. lol That would be a good idea for BSC to try partnering with Red Ink, and I do know that Julie (the owner) tries to promote what's going on around downtown. But don't forget that BSC just opened last Fall, it's getting more and more customers each day so give her time to redecorate. Aside from no art-work being displayed, BSC does have a nice, cozy atmosphere to it. My friends and I go there every Monday on our breaks between classes, and after 2-3 visits Julie recognizes that you're a regular (and gives you free food and drinks for your birthday ). I'd much rather have a place like that, than one that tries to be like the typical pretentious coffee houses where if you're not depressed or experiencing some sort of angst you're not welcome there.

That's a good point, forgot about Windmill Place. But that's supposed to be redeveloped soon anyway.

I don't know about not falling as hard as Detroit did, Flint has half the population it had 15-20 years ago. 200,000 in 1990 to around 110,000-120,000 today and it's only going to continue losing population for the near future. Granted, Detroit has lost more, considering that it's a bigger city, but it hasn't lost half it's population or workforce. Mini-rant aside now. The Detroit Metro area is already helping Flint out immensely, look at the rate in which Bishop has been growing (and will continue to grow). Although I may not care for the man, it says a lot about Bishop Airport when Bush chose to fly into there a few weeks ago instead of Detroit's airports.

September 2008 for it to be ready, or for construction to begin? Within one block of the campus, so where would that place it? The flat lot on Saginaw?

About the banking, Citizens, I think, is going to be crucial for downtown. They're an important sponsor for the Crim, Whiting, and many other events downtown. Not many people may know this, but Citizens Bank has expanded into Wisconsin and Iowa in the past few years. So the more they continue to expand the better it's going to be for downtown. Now if we could only get more people within the area to bank with Citizens... But on a separate issue, what is the status of the dorms for U of M? I haven't heard anything in over a year, and the last e-mail we've gotten from the Chancellor's office was about the renovations to French Hall and MSB that should be starting within the next year. Are they still planning on building the dorms? My only guess now on what is happening is that they are waiting to get the soil samples back from the lot where the United Way building used to be and consider building the dorms there if the samples are good.

With activity picking up, renovation and occupation of Genesee Towers could be reality before too long.

We get the Journal and I didn't even see the article yesterday or today. Windows on the Mad Hatter are finished now, but it looks like they may be re-doing the entrance now. And I hope they're getting new signage as well because they need it.

If the city isn't protesting that part, the perhaps it is possible? The section of 3rd Ave. they were talking about is near Atwood Stadium, does it dead-end over there somewhere to make it possible for it to be gated?

I think the developer's name is Ray Trent, and his long-term plan was to turn that section of 3rd Ave. into a gated community. They showed some of the homes that he renovated the interiors and they looked really good, very classic designs. So it wasn't that he was like Vemulapalli and might get around to doing something, he's already done the work on the insides, but just needed help from the city to the exteriors. I'm really hoping they'll have the story up on the website in a few hours, but I couldn't catch whether he had spent his own money in the interiors.

He better sell it, get it into the hands of someone who is actually competent. However, I get the feeling that if someone does buy it, the relations with the city won't be much better. I'm still trying to find the article on ABC12, but there was a story tonight about a developer who spent $3 million renovating the interiors of homes along 3rd Ave. and when he asked the city for grant money to fix up the exteriors they denied him the money. It sounded like the city was trying to compare him to a slumlord, but I think I heard him say that he was planning on moving into one of the homes himself.

Who knows if Vemulapalli is ever going to do any serious repairs with Genesee Towers, constantly talks about how the city is preventing him from doing anything major, but he doesn't do himself any favors by getting into legal disputes to begin with.

There really hasn't been anything to update with pictures for awhile, so it's not like your camera wasn't being put to use. But at last there is more activity going on. Now if this could just spur the Land Bank to make a decision about the Durant a little quicker...

That's crazy seeing how the block has already changed. And it looks more like it's just BSC and J. London's that are one building.

Thanks for the pictures! BTW, does anyone know what's happening with the building to the right of the Mad Hatter? It's been empty for awhile now, and it looks like there might be construction notes in and around it (i.e., "this column to remove") but I haven't heard about any development plans for it.

For the moment, not too much new has really happened. Work is just about finished on the First Street Lofts and should be completed within the next month or so. Brown Sugar Caf

I drove by on Friday and saw plastic sheets up in the windows, is that the same thing you saw?

I have a somewhat better picture of the resort, I scanned in the postcard I have of it from when I was there about 3-4 years ago. If you've never been there, you definitely have to try to get there at somepoint. Gorgeous and tranquil setting, and it's practically like a miniature city inside the resort. I was there for the Michigan Student Councils State Conference, so if I could have fun at the resort during that time, so can you. Hmm....I thought I had attached the picture, but it must not have taken. Hopefully this will show up.

Seriously? I've been waiting and waiting for that to finally get started!

It seems like a lot of projects planned for downtown have been stalling and taking a lot of time to get started. At least the First Street Lofts are supposed to be finished within the next few months. Maybe once they're finished that will give a little boost to the other projects.

I saw that one the news yesterday, and I think it would be a good idea to name a street after her, but I agree that it should be one that isn't already named after someone (although I never knew that Pierson Road was named after someone ).

I've been there a few times now, and I love the chai smoothie. I actually was surprised by the variety of drinks that BSC, I didn't expect it to offer that much for just having opened. I love it though, it's a great atmosphere to go to during breaks between classes (or when you're skipping classes ). There are actually very nice chess, checkers, and tic tac toe sets made out of glass at the various seating spots in the cafe.