Ford to buy old Michigan Central Station (Dearborn, Westland: violent crime, movie theater)

[usroute10]

Originally Posted by Indentured Servant

I think the suburbs are going to have to take a step back, for a while, for the region to take a leap forward by the suburbs loss becoming the city's gain. The model of great suburbs and TERRIBLE city tarnished the reputation and ability to sell the region as a whole to outsiders. Detroit's great suburbs was Michigan's secret but the nation just looks at the principle city and the divestment from the city to the suburbs really created some great suburbs at the expense of ruining the city and the regions national image.

Very well said. The thing is, we could have had a vibrant city and vibrant suburbs. It didn't have to be just vibrant suburbs, but the people of this region didn't care.

[usroute10]

Originally Posted by 313 TUxedo

Better get to a Ford dealer quickly - soon they will cease production of cars!

Between the end of passenger car production and the move of white-collar jobs to the former MCRR station, and with things not looking good for Fairlane stores and the former Hyatt Regency, I fear for the future of Dearborn, a fine place today, close to Detroit, with a range of businesses and attractions no other suburb has.

Yes, Fairlane Mall is taking a hit, but U of M-Dearborn is continuing to expand. The Arab-dominated portion of the city is still going strong, and also the $60 million "Wagner Place" mixed use project in downtown West Dearborn is really coming along, see below link:

Wagner Place and beyond: A guide to Dearborn

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by usroute10

Yes, Fairlane Mall is taking a hit, but U of M-Dearborn is continuing to expand. The Arab-dominated portion of the city is still going strong, and also the $60 million "Wagner Place" mixed use project in downtown West Dearborn is really coming along, see below link:

Wagner Place and beyond: A guide to Dearborn

The hit Farilane is taking has nothing to do with moving white collar Ford jobs.

Retail is down, malls are collapsing as viable businesses. They are begin torn down, converted to condos os left sitting empty. Go track down the fate of the various malls once touted as the worlds largest mall (Fairlane was one once from what I recall).

There is no reason Fairlane should be considered different. Most malls are doomed and Fairlane is one of them. It has nothing whatsoever to do with Ford. Much more to do with Amazon. However malls were faltering long before amazon put its nail in their coffin.

Fairlane has an added liability. It has not been maintained and updated. It has become popular at night with unsavory characters. It had become Dearborn's blight. Shut down Fairlane and Dearborn's crime rate will drop precipitously. Other than some minimum wage retail jobs and a bit of taxes (offset by savings on public safety), shutting down Fairlane will not hurt the much city at all.

Very few cities touted to be dependent on this or that mall have failed when their mall shut down (Livonia, for example, has improved since Livonia mall closed). The days of malls are winding down. Getting rid of your mall is simply moving your city forward towards the future instead of clinging to the past.


From what I have heard of Ford's Corktown development, it will not hurt Dearborn at all. The engineering center is still going to be in Dearborn. Corktown is reportedly going to be a new division for electric and/or self driving cars. Not moving jobs form Dearborn, but new types of jobs which if successful will generate new work for the people in Dearborn.

Dearborn is doing fine. Yes they need to rid themselves of the blight that Fairlane has become, but the city as a whole is doing pretty well.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by Indentured Servant

I think the suburbs are going to have to take a step back, for a while, for the region to take a leap forward by the suburbs loss becoming the city's gain. The model of great suburbs and TERRIBLE city tarnished the reputation and ability to sell the region as a whole to outsiders. Detroit's great suburbs was Michigan's secret but the nation just looks at the principle city and the divestment from the city to the suburbs really created some great suburbs at the expense of ruining the city and the regions national image.

I think it will be a zero sum game (between city and suburbs) until Detroit proper is revitalized enough to start attracting investment from out of state....then it will become a net gain for the region as a whole...the suburbs included. However, I repeat that a vibrant core city is needed to be competitive going forward in attracting and keeping businesses and residents.

Stop that!

[Indentured Servant]

Originally Posted by usroute10

Very well said. The thing is, we could have had a vibrant city and vibrant suburbs. It didn't have to be just vibrant suburbs, but the people of this region didn't care.

Precisely. Its Karma though....when you do things for the wrong reason eventually that comes back on you. A lot of it was pure spite of the city for reasons that are not admirable. Some people wanted Detroit to fail....but its fall eventually stymied the suburbs, if not hurt them as well. Yes, the whole would have been better had people just preserved the part....Detroit.

[craig11152]

Originally Posted by usroute10

...... we could have had a vibrant city and vibrant suburbs. It didn't have to be just vibrant suburbs, but the people of this region didn't care.

Can you elaborate? Who are "the people"? what exactly didn't they do?

[Indentured Servant]

Originally Posted by craig11152

Can you elaborate? Who are "the people"? what exactly didn't they



do?

The usual suspects. What they did not do is what the people did in Chicago, Philly, etc. It's the people being credited for Detroit's comeback now. They could have done this starting 40 years ago...

[usroute10]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

The hit Farilane is taking has nothing to do with moving white collar Ford jobs.

Retail is down, malls are collapsing as viable businesses. They are begin torn down, converted to condos os left sitting empty. Go track down the fate of the various malls once touted as the worlds largest mall (Fairlane was one once from what I recall).

There is no reason Fairlane should be considered different. Most malls are doomed and Fairlane is one of them. It has nothing whatsoever to do with Ford. Much more to do with Amazon. However malls were faltering long before amazon put its nail in their coffin.

Fairlane has an added liability. It has not been maintained and updated. It has become popular at night with unsavory characters. It had become Dearborn's blight. Shut down Fairlane and Dearborn's crime rate will drop precipitously. Other than some minimum wage retail jobs and a bit of taxes (offset by savings on public safety), shutting down Fairlane will not hurt the much city at all.

Very few cities touted to be dependent on this or that mall have failed when their mall shut down (Livonia, for example, has improved since Livonia mall closed). The days of malls are winding down. Getting rid of your mall is simply moving your city forward towards the future instead of clinging to the past.


From what I have heard of Ford's Corktown development, it will not hurt Dearborn at all. The engineering center is still going to be in Dearborn. Corktown is reportedly going to be a new division for electric and/or self driving cars. Not moving jobs form Dearborn, but new types of jobs which if successful will generate new work for the people in Dearborn.

Dearborn is doing fine. Yes they need to rid themselves of the blight that Fairlane has become, but the city as a whole is doing pretty well.

Ok, we are looking at things slightly differently. I wouldn't call Fairlane Mall a blight. It still has a Macy's, JC Penney's, Star Theaters, and other typical mall stores like Victoria Secret, Hollister, etc. But what I have noticed, unfortunately, is that there are no white people that shop at the mall anymore. Only black and Middle-eastern people, and a few brown people. This is in contrast to Westland and Southland Malls, which still have a lot of white patrons.

[Indentured Servant]

Originally Posted by usroute10

Ok, we are looking at things slightly differently. I wouldn't call Fairlane Mall a blight. It still has a Macy's, JC Penney's, Star Theaters, and other typical mall stores like Victoria Secret, Hollister, etc. But what I have noticed, unfortunately, is that there are no white people that shop at the mall anymore. Only black and Middle-eastern people, and a few brown people. This is in contrast to Westland and Southland Malls, which still have a lot of white patrons.

When the demographics changes....to some that is "blight".

[mgkeith]

Back to the subject of this thread, if I may (!)
There is a lot of interest going on right now in the big time real estate world in the Corktown area. Many buildings being bought up and others in the works! Very exciting.