fuzzymoomoo Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/ford/2018/03/19/ford-talks-tenant-michigan-central-station/33088971/ If this actually goes through Jim Hackett can take his cost cuts and shove them up his ass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assimilator Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 Oh Man, that would be AWESOME! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackinaw Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 Bill Ford could be pressing this more than anybody. Way too soon to be talking specifics, it sounds like negotiations are ongoing, and that a deal may not even happen. Though I left SE Michigan more than 40 years ago, the old train station is a cool place with a great history and has always been a real attraction. I'll be following this closely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted March 20, 2018 Author Share Posted March 20, 2018 The problem I have with it is Matty Moroun is going to demand way too much money for the building and Im not buying their estimates for how much it will cost to rehab it. It could very easily run close to $1 billion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 Wasnt the whole point of renovating the main Ford campus to centralize everyone and avoid having to make purchases like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 This would be for future stuff like autonomous vehicles and big data analytics not the core engineering stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted March 20, 2018 Author Share Posted March 20, 2018 The other thing too is theres plenty of other buildings nearby they could buy or lease that would require a lot smaller investment to refurbish or are already good to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assimilator Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 (edited) They are looking for an icon in the city and a creative working space, it's not always just about creating the cheapest work space possible. Work has already been done to the infrastructure and events have been held there so it's probably not as big of a project as it once was and Detroit real-estate is booming so it would be great if they can snatch it up and create a new satellite campus. GM and Apple don't house their entire business under one roof, even if the campuses are just miles apart. The other interesting building that would apparently be part of the same deal is the former DPS book warehouse which has been vacant for decades and sits right across the street. It has recently been cleaned out but it's famous for a disturbing discovery in a frozen elevator shaft. But it was a remarkable ruin, filled with burned and rotting school supplies which turned into soil for a thriving woodland growing beneath a broke skylight on the top floor. Detroit has some epic ruins and epic transformations. The only problem with the premise is that the Depot isn't exactly in a thriving urban setting, they are too far away from Downtown...but parking won't be an issue. Edited March 20, 2018 by Assimilator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted March 20, 2018 Author Share Posted March 20, 2018 Other than those fugly ass windows, what work has been done in and around there Im genuinely wondering, I havent spent much time around there since I stopped working for the beer distributor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 GM and Apple don't house their entire business under one roof, even if the campuses are just miles apart. Part of the impetus behind Apple building their new spaceship was to give them space to get everyone together in one facility. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMSA-XJR9 Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 Both Historic Tax Credits and possibly New Market Tax Credits could be used on Central Station, which would help soften costs while also having some private funds invested in a distressed community. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blazerdude20 Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 Part of the impetus behind Apple building their new spaceship was to give them space to get everyone together in one facility. They are building a second campus to match the new one. They out grew the new one before it was finished being built. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Rosadini Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 Wasnt the whole point of renovating the main Ford campus to centralize everyone and avoid having to make purchases like this? You would think. Like "one Ford"- one organization. Hmn-didn't Jac move design elements to the Left coast?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 Michigan Central Depot and Ford Motor Co. World HQ are less than 20 minutes away from each other - imagine if a light rail / trolley system is engineered by Ford to connect them for commuters to come and go at will....part and parcel to Fords' future ideals of transportation services offered by FoMoCo... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 Michigan Central Depot and Ford Motor Co. World HQ are less than 20 minutes away from each other - imagine if a light rail / trolley system is engineered by Ford to connect them for commuters to come and go at will....part and parcel to Fords' future ideals of transportation services offered by FoMoCo... Light rail? How about a fleet of autonomous Transit Connects? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackinaw Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 You have to live, or have lived, in SE Michigan to really understand the importance of this idea. The old train station is currently a symbol of Detroit’s past. You see its picture frequently in various city “ruin porn” websites (and in movie too). Reading Daniel Howes article in today’s Detroit News, I really think that Bill Ford wants to make an impact on Detroit the way his uncle, Henry Ford II, made back in the 1970’s when he built the RenCen (now GM world headquarters). Developing the old train station in Corktown, would do just that. And the “ripple effect” would really rejuvenate the area, making it another draw for the urban crowd, who prefer city living to living in the suburbs. The Michigan Central train station is a fascinating place with a fascinating history. We still drive by, when in Detroit visiting family. We’ll see if they can pull this deal off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 Light rail? How about a fleet of autonomous Transit Connects? That’s exactly the type of application where I see autonomous vehicles being used. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 You have to live, or have lived, in SE Michigan to really understand the importance of this idea. The old train station is currently a symbol of Detroit’s past. You see its picture frequently in various city “ruin porn” websites (and in movie too). Reading Daniel Howes article in today’s Detroit News, I really think that Bill Ford wants to make an impact on Detroit the way his uncle, Henry Ford II, made back in the 1970’s when he built the RenCen (now GM world headquarters). Developing the old train station in Corktown, would do just that. And the “ripple effect” would really rejuvenate the area, making it another draw for the urban crowd, who prefer city living to living in the suburbs. The Michigan Central train station is a fascinating place with a fascinating history. We still drive by, when in Detroit visiting family. We’ll see if they can pull this deal off. To me, that is a very important part of being a large corporation like Ford. Giving back to the community is meaningful ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted March 20, 2018 Author Share Posted March 20, 2018 Light rail? How about a fleet of autonomous Transit Connects? Local governments around here have a hard on for light rail recently. See: the ever so useless 3.3 mile (and horribly named) Q-Line Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted March 20, 2018 Author Share Posted March 20, 2018 You have to live, or have lived, in SE Michigan to really understand the importance of this idea. The old train station is currently a symbol of Detroits past. You see its picture frequently in various city ruin porn websites (and in movie too). Reading Daniel Howes article in todays Detroit News, I really think that Bill Ford wants to make an impact on Detroit the way his uncle, Henry Ford II, made back in the 1970s when he built the RenCen (now GM world headquarters). Developing the old train station in Corktown, would do just that. And the ripple effect would really rejuvenate the area, making it another draw for the urban crowd, who prefer city living to living in the suburbs. The Michigan Central train station is a fascinating place with a fascinating history. We still drive by, when in Detroit visiting family. Well see if they can pull this deal off. I just dont see how thats a financially prudent decision, even for a company with very deep pockets like Ford. Especially when all theyve talked about for the better part of a year now is cutting costs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 I just dont see how thats a financially prudent decision, even for a company with very deep pockets like Ford. Especially when all theyve talked about for the better part of a year now is cutting costs. It's getting harder and harder for companies to attract top talent. Part of attracting the folks you need is having a desirable area to live, especially in a place like Michigan (it doesn't have the weather of FL and CA). I'm sure this is part of that strategy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted March 20, 2018 Author Share Posted March 20, 2018 It's getting harder and harder for companies to attract top talent. Part of attracting the folks you need is having a desirable area to live, especially in a place like Michigan (it doesn't have the weather of FL and CA). I'm sure this is part of that strategy. As I mentioned earlier, theres plenty of buildings nearby that can be had for much more reasonable prices and need far less work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 I just dont see how thats a financially prudent decision, even for a company with very deep pockets like Ford. Especially when all theyve talked about for the better part of a year now is cutting costs. It depends on the cost difference for other options. You need floor space somewhere so no matter what there is some expense involved. So the question is what is the cost difference and is it worth it. They could also get incentives from government or preservation groups to help with any added costs. In the end it might not be that much more expensive. Hard to say. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 As I mentioned earlier, theres plenty of buildings nearby that can be had for much more reasonable prices and need far less work. But do they have the cachet and iconic status of this one? (I seriously don't know...I'm not familiar with the area) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted March 20, 2018 Author Share Posted March 20, 2018 But do they have the cachet and iconic status of this one? (I seriously don't know...I'm not familiar with the area) Some closer to downtown do, which by the way is only a couple of miles away. Less national/global recognition though. Assuming they announce in May that they do buy it, its going to be at least 2 years before they can start occupying it, probably more. The decay in that place is astounding, which is why I dont believe the Morouns restoration estimates. To start with the basement has been flooded for about 15-20 years and who knows what thats done to the stability of the foundation itself. I really worry Ford will be stuck with something they cant do anything with. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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