Is Metro Detroit screwed again ? (Ann Arbor, Dearborn: apartments, lease, condos)

[FrozenI69]

It seems like a good chunk of the places downtown won’t be able to stay open and violent crime is on the rise again. This is horrible news for an already weak economy :

https://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...ce/5485187002/

https://www.freep.com/story/money/bu...it/5480509002/

[Nattering Heights]

It has water, but it needs public transit on rails, and many fine houses became empty lots and highways. It grew with the car age, so adapting it for post-car life will take at least decades. Its future is much brighter than desert cities running out of water and coastal cities that will be under the waves.

[Natural510]

I think we need to compare Detroit and every other city to each other, since this situation is happening across the country. Detroit is not as dependent on tourism for its economy like Vegas or Miami, and its governor is controlling the pandemic situation better than some, so it should rebound fairly well.

[TheProf]

Originally Posted by Nattering Heights

It has water, but it needs public transit on rails, and many fine houses became empty lots and highways. It grew with the car age, so adapting it for post-car life will take at least decades. Its future is much brighter than desert cities running out of water and coastal cities that will be under the waves.

Agreed, esp re transit.

[FrozenI69]

Yeah, at the very minimum a train connection from the airport to Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Downtown since that’s where most car less people arrive.
The biggest problems to overcome are Crime and unemployment. If those 2 can be resolved there is a lot of history and culture here that will interest people.

[Coldjensens]

A lot remains to be seen. Even though the lock-down was lifted, few companies have returned to full staff in the office. Downtown is pretty empty. will businesses in the city return to full on site staff eventually, or will they continue to have people work remotely indefinitely? If so, the impact on the city's recovery and revitalization will be huge.

Even if the people return to their offices, there will be a significant set back. OUr office went back to work about May 6 if i remember correctly. Still few people go out to eat anymore. Nearly everyone brings their lunch where at least some percentage woudl go out for lunch at least once a week. I am told that hundreds of small business have already folded permanently. I do not know whether that is true, but I am aware of some that have given up and closed forever, others are closed now or take out only, but it is not clear whether they will re-open. The places that are open are not very busy. If a second shut down occurs, the impact will be greater. Businesses can only hang on at a loss for so long. How long will Q line continued to operate with nearly empty cars? Will Bird and Lime continue to leave scooters around that hardly get used? Will they even stay in business at all? What is going to happen to the City government when everyone who works in the city submits for a tax refund for months of working from home rather than in the City? Detroit may have to "defund the police" for financial reasons, not political ones.

It is clear a lot of the full time residents have moved out of their downtown condos and apartments. The parking lots sit mostly empty. The cars that are present have not berm moved in months. At night the normal spirited summer crowds are all but gone. Just a trickle rather than a crowd of people out and about. Will they return? If so when?

Will the big sports and concert venues ever be filled again? Will people eventually feel safe enough to return to them even if they do open? Covid may wane, but people's perceptions have changed. Do I really want to see a baseball game badly enough to sit in among all of those unknown germs? Patient zero fo r the next pandemic may be sitting right next to me.

There is a lot that remains to be seen. Some people are assuming that very soon everything downtown will return to normal. I am not sure that is true.

[Well done]

The demand for cars from Detroit will diminish with a slowed economy. I read in the Detroit Free Press that the city will face a $300,000,000.00 deficit over the next three years.
Whether the city will recover as far as the Ballgame attendances? I believe that will depend on how comfortable all feel around one another. I have also read Fauci has stated that - " A vaccine may not be 100% effective.". That is to say that it may not necessarily work for everyone. And , that we may need more than one vaccination. Two.
Asian city dwellers have been wearing masks for some time. Ever since the SARS epidemic hit there a few years ago. And. They are pretty good at quelling these diseases.

There is an old adage which states , "When Detroit gets a cold, Michigan gets pneumonia." I would pray we would "bounce back" economically, of course. Sincerely, and so shudder to think,- What might come of Detroit if we cannot get levels of employment back soon? That some of the small businesses survive? That taxes will generate revenue again. Who knew this could happen? My God. What will be the outcome?
This is one heck of an epidemic. Frightening in its' inclusivity. It is difficult to believe that this, new normal, is reality. What this amounts to is very rapid sociological change. The new norm is, mask wearing and social distancing. Hesitance in dining out. Attending the theater etc. I refrain in going out in public and cut my own hair. My lawyers law offices have a huge "For lease" sign out front. We used to spend many an hour inside there arguing politics. I do not go to the Chiropractor any more. City offices and libraries closed. Will we ever be able to return to the past? Will there be herd immunity?
This epidemic was mishandled from the beginning. From the top down. I think this time, politically, will be seen in a negative context. This is how we landed....I don't know that the virus could have been kept out of the country indefinitely but its' infection rate might have been slowed enough until that time when a vaccine was discovered and so the economy might, could , have remained somewhat intact. We are in a shambles now.
We handled this crisis well, did Michigan. There were a lot of cases and deaths sure, but the spread of the disease was contained fairly quickly. We bore the brunt of the pain of this disease quickly. Good leadership here in Michigan. Miami is still in a learning curve and the mayor is finally waking up today and putting common sense in order. The hospitals are full.
There is word of a spike in the number of cases this fall. With some common sense can this spike be avoided? I think returning the kids to school a mistake. Right now. It is a huge gamble and the stakes are too high, small lives in exchange for political gain.

[jonnynonos]

The metro area will likely not be changed materially.

What Detroiters tend to gloss over or be unaware of is that the “renaissance” has been fueled about 75% by one great man, Dan Gilbert, via massive personal low return, risky, long term investments.

Of course, Detroit being Detroit, instead of building a statue to him and thanking him, he is mostly criticized.

The real dark horse is what happens if he takes his foot off the gas, etc.

Thankfully he’s probably built a solid enough foundation that it won’t get any worse, at least.

[usroute10]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Covid may wane, but people's perceptions have changed. Do I really want to see a baseball game badly enough to sit in among all of those unknown germs? Patient zero fo r the next pandemic may be sitting right next to me.

There is a lot that remains to be seen. Some people are assuming that very soon everything downtown will return to normal. I am not sure that is true.

Far worse pandemics have wreaked death and devastation in this world since the beginning of civilization. Yet, we have recovered and went on with our lives. Eventually, I presume this pandemic will go away like the Spanish Flu of 1918-1919 (no vaccine was ever produced, the Spanish Flu just died out according to history). They still built moviehouses and baseball stadiums and bars and dance halls and ballrooms during that era. Maybe it will take a year or so from now.

[keraT]

Detroit not being a big density city & not having great public transportation system might help us now. People are moving away from big cities with tall sky scrapers and packed public transit. People are valuing life & family more than money & fun life. Detroit has changed and improved in last decade, which has caught the attention of ex-Detroiters who moved out of MI for bigger and better life. Majority of Michiganders move back home when they are done living it up & ready to settle down. I see this pandemic as a reason for people to move back home to be closer to family & to be closer to what matters.

It also takes 20+ years for movement/trend to shift direction. Detroit has been on upward swing for last 7-8 years, that movement will not change direction over 6 month or even over a year course.


I know someone who works in fast food in Detroit, not downtown, & he said they are making more profit now than pre-pandemic. They are open less hours but getting same amount of order as before. Now they are working 8 hours/day while making money they use to make over 16hr/day. My hope is, this pandemic will streamline our life & make it more focus