Steven H M Lee’s Post

Back in action with part 3 of our #flighttoquality series. On the border of Hazel Park and Warren, we have a case study for the industrial sector. Once upon a time, this was the former Hazel Park Raceway and Stacey's Golf Center. Hazel Park Raceway was a fun venue, and Stacy's Golf Center in Warren is where I took my first golf swings.... Matthew & Carter could explain a few things. Over time, the land simply became too valuable, and both have been redeveloped into Class A Industrial parks by Ashley Capital & Hillwood. Today, companies like Amazon & BorgWarner lease large blocks of space, all inked up to long-term leases. The reason these tenants weren't here before... in effect, they couldn't be. Hazel Park and Warren are both older, inner ring suburbs. Most of the product was too old for modern users: tight columns, small truck courts, small footprints, low ceiling heights, etc. There really wasn't a building with the qualities modern tenants were looking for until these buildings came out of the ground. Lo and behold, once the quality was here, the tenants were happy to move forward. Is this a flight to quality? To a degree, I would say yes. Without the Class A buildings, these tenants simply wouldn't be here. Maybe the tenants didn't trade up the way office tenants do, but the concept remains the same to me. #brokerpals & #crefam: Conrad Mark ‘Natalie Kim Danny David Matt Jeffrey Adam Kevin Eric Nick Tim Gabe JP Janet Randy Josh Maggie Michael Andrew Bill John John Daniel Kent Taylor Marc Joel Justin John Eric Wayne Steve that's my two cents... don't bet it all on one horse! #savills #detroit #ccim #sior

Back in action with part 2 of our #flighttoquality series. Here in Detroit's New Center area, we have a 100 year old case study of a Flight to Quality in action. To bring the non-Motor City people up to speed, the New Center area is about 2 miles North of Downtown Detroit. Some folks refer to this area, or any area in the City of Detroit proper as "Downtown," but it's a very different submarket in terms of economics, tenant mix, and just feel & flavor on the street. The only reason this area exists is because of two of Detroit's largest companies and one of it's most prominent families. Back in the 1920s, General Motors and the Fisher Family, owners of the Fisher Body company*, built these two Detroit icons. At the time, the thought was that Downtown Detroit had too much congestion, traffic, hustle-bustle, etc. As a response, you see a sort of Parisian style layout here of large boulevards and grassy medians, and a rather stately type of art deco architecture. From a practical point of view, the New Center area offered larger tracts of land for what became massive floor plates, both for it's time and through today. GM's HQ was the largest office building in the world at the time it opened, ultimately losing the belt to Merchandise Mart in Chicago, and it served as their HQ through the mid 1990s. The Fisher Building is still known as Detroit's largest art object, an art-deco masterpiece designed by Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. About 20 years ago, this area was really starting to show it's age. High vacancy and deferred maintenance was the norm, and the infrastructure was pretty beat up. However, as a cliffhanger for next time, the Flight to Quality returned to make some positive changes. #brokerpals and #crefam: Randy Nick Randall Robert Kim Luke Kevin Jason Joseph Alex Brendan Eric Gabe Christopher Daniel Kyle Eric Peter Gerard JP Dominic Mark John DJ Ryan Conrad Ken Kim Mike Keith Adam Scott Marc Wendy Simons Matt Jeffrey... there's your cliffhanger. Until next time... * Car nerds: you might remember the Body by Fisher emblems in the door jams of older GM cars. This was the same company/family. A branch of the company lives on in Fisher Dynamics. #ccim #sior #savills #detroit

Transforming curb appeal one driveway at a time! Read our latest blog post to see how Atlas General Contractors executed a stunning driveway makeover in Virginia. Discover the details here: #DrivewayRenovation #AtlasGeneralContractors #VirginiaConstruction #HomeImprovement

Agree. We need “meaningful density,” not just more square footage piled up at one place. Misplaced density might use a site more efficiently but rely entirely on private vehicles, producing more VMT and resulting in construction of more lanes of highways and roads. Too often, developers just want to maximize their profits and put all of that extra square footage on unsustainable sites. Until 1929, we were doing a reasonable job of building regions in the U.S. From the Great Depression to the 1950’s, we did not have a functioning domestic economy, including the housing sector. Then, the federal government built the suburbs, with highways, tax breaks for shopping malls, grants for water & sewer systems…. and the list goes on. A developer only needed a pickup truck and some help in scraping the land and …. Suburban sprawl !!! Many cities in post WW II America were overcrowded with war-production having concentrated from Pittsburgh to Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago (naming only some of the cities of the Rust Belt.) 1950 population statistics became an artifical high point for many cities throuout the country. And the baby boom from 1946-1964 created a new demand for homes. We had forgotten how to build regions and new development followed the sewers and highways, too often forgetting land forms, water and other natural features. And density got a bad name. Now? We need density, but not misplaced density. We need Meaningful Density, carefully placed, connected by multiple means of travel and commerce, less reliant on fossil fuels, guided by enlightened collective actions, producing communities of lasting value for all, where generations can prosper. We need good governance and good planning — we can’t have one without the other.

The FIRST post in my "32 days of Case Studies in Retrofitting Suburbia" project, undertaken in the weeks leading up to my keynote in March at ULI Australia's National Conference: Case Study II.1: Aurora Avenue North, Shoreline, WA, USA One tactic towards improving public health is to prevent injuries in the first place, through design. Before retrofitting, the Aurora Avenue North corridor, north of Seattle, was a typical suburban arterial road, a classic “auto mile,” of car dealerships and box stores, dangerous to pedestrians. New crosswalks, sidewalks, greened medians, enhanced lighting, and bus rapid transit in dedicated lanes dramatically improved the corridor’s safety and performance. As the ULI’s 2016 report “Building Healthy Corridors: Transforming Urban and Suburban Arterials into Thriving Places” reminds us, 40% of children in the US walked to school in 1969, and only 13% did in 2009. Similarly, 9.9% of commuters walked to work in 1960 and only 2.8% did so in 2013. If we want to reduce car dependence and increase levels of walking, we must retrofit more streets for safety. Image: The Shoreline Interurban Trail Bridge, by CH2MHill Engineers, Clinkston Brunner Architects and Hough Beck Baird Inc., featuring public artwork by Vicki Scuri SiteWorks. #RetrofittingSuburbia #urbandesign #urbandevelopment #DisruptAutomobileDependence #ImprovePublicHealth ULI Australia Suburban Futures Ellen Dunham-Jones Mike Day of Hatch

"Former Downtown Denver Bus Station Plans Surface" Read the full article below..

West Bend, Wi - It's a hot topic regarding what is being built to the east of the cinema on the south side of Parkway Drive, just to the west of the grocery in West Bend, Wi. #expansion #Menards #Park&ampRide #ParkwayDrive

Think your driveway is just a spot to park your car? Think again! Y our driveway is one of the first things people notice about your home and plays a huge role in your property’s curb appeal. A well-maintained driveway not only enhances the overall look of your home but can also boost its value. Whether it’s sleek asphalt, classic concrete, or charming pavers, choosing the right materials and keeping it in top shape can make a big impression. So, when you're planning your next home improvement, remember not to overlook this important entry point. A great driveway isn’t just practical; it sets the tone for the rest of your home! #homeimprovement #curbappeal #drivewaydesign #firstimpressions #propertyvalue

I love a good driveway and so should you, it is one of the first things people notice about your property. This quick little read here will discuss some options you have to upgrade your current access. #residentiallandscaping #lakesconsultancy

"Former Downtown Denver Bus Station Plans Surface" Read the full article below..