"Next" Detroit suburb? (Dearborn, Pontiac: condo, house, neighborhood)

[usroute10]

Originally Posted by Republic of Michigan

Hamtramck, Dearborn, Pontiac, Clawson, Wixom, Farmington, Utica, and Berkley have the bones but would require some modification to the urban layout to make them more pedestrian friendly with the exception of course of Pontiac and Hamtramck.

Outside of its downtown, Pontiac doesn't have much of an urban layout. It has no "streetwalls".

Berkley has the bones; it has 2 commercial districts.

And Wixom? What about New Baltimore, which has a (small) downtown that dead ends at Anchor Bay? Or Lincoln Park

City of Detroit Neighborhoods: East Riverfront, New Center, Eastern Market

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

Originally Posted by usroute10

Have you been down that section of Michigan Avenue lately? They are building TWO multi-story mixed-use condo/apartment buildings on Michigan Avenue currently. They are 4 stories each with ground-floor retail. I don't think that the one nightclub that they shut down recently is going to alter their attempt to re-invent downtown west Dearborn into a destination for young professionals.

The construction of one of the condos buildings can be seen in the below Google Maps link (this might be the site of the former Jacobsen's department store)

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3047...7i13312!8i6656

I drive past it every day. They've been reinventing that area for at least 15 years with condos, bars, restaurants and new mixed use development. It starts off promising and then fizzles out when they can't draw enough people down there. The troubled nightclub is just one of many bars or restaurants that have opened and closed over the past decade.

[DTWflyer]

I do think that as Ford works through their massive campus redevelopment and the workforce turns-over more to younger people that this will hopefully be the catalyst needed to bring momentum to Dearborn. West Dearborn is really nice, has some good bones and good housing stock.

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

Originally Posted by DTWflyer

I do think that as Ford works through their massive campus redevelopment and the workforce turns-over more to younger people that this will hopefully be the catalyst needed to bring momentum to Dearborn. West Dearborn is really nice, has some good bones and good housing stock.

It has been turning over since Ford started offering buyouts in 2006. Very few Ford employees want to live in Dearborn anymore. They are mostly clustered in the western Canton/Plymouth/Northville/Novi corridor.

[Coldjensens]

My guess is Wyandotte. It has a decent downtown with some fun bars, restaurants and stores, waterfront. Good housing stock. Short commute to Detroit. Schools are not so great, but they could easily turn around. The hold backs are the Downriver stigma (which comes from people who know nothing about Downriver today) and the less receptive atmosphere for alternative lifestyles. Downtown Wyandotte will come into its own, but it may be a slow trickle rise, not an explosion like some places have seen.

Hamtramk would be in there, but I think it is already one of the "cool places to be" it is not likely to get dramatically better anytime soon.

Brush park will probably take off once Pizza city is completed.

Plymouth, Northville are already what they will be. More of a high end family oriented place with a long commute. Too expensive and too long of a commute to attract the young hipster crowd and DINKs. Farmington is a possibility.

Dearborn is surprisingly cool. Not only good stores, bars and resturuants, but a lot of community amenities (two colleges, Henry Ford, a quality Orchestra, two community theater groups. The housing stock is rather uninspriing IMO, but there are some very nice neighborhoods.

[usroute10]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

My guess is Wyandotte. It has a decent downtown with some fun bars, restaurants and stores, waterfront. Good housing stock. Short commute to Detroit. Schools are not so great, but they could easily turn around. The hold backs are the Downriver stigma (which comes from people who know nothing about Downriver today) and the less receptive atmosphere for alternative lifestyles. Downtown Wyandotte will come into its own, but it may be a slow trickle rise, not an explosion like some places have seen.

Hamtramk would be in there, but I think it is already one of the "cool places to be" it is not likely to get dramatically better anytime soon.

Brush park will probably take off once Pizza city is completed.

Plymouth, Northville are already what they will be. More of a high end family oriented place with a long commute. Too expensive and too long of a commute to attract the young hipster crowd and DINKs. Farmington is a possibility.

Dearborn is surprisingly cool. Not only good stores, bars and resturuants, but a lot of community amenities (two colleges, Henry Ford, a quality Orchestra, two community theater groups. The housing stock is rather uninspriing IMO, but there are some very nice neighborhoods.

Hamtramck has a ways to go. Its very intact downtown business strip is half vacant and most of the buildings are raggedy. Also, it's current population of 22,000 is far less than its peak population of 52,000 in 1930, so it has the potential to be even more densely populated.


IMHO, Dearborn has some pretty impressive housing stock

downtown West Dearborn

Henry Ford Homes Historic District

The Aviation Subdivision 1

The Aviation Subdivision 2

Michigan Ave/Telegraph


Cherry Hill Outer Drive

[SQL]

Originally Posted by Arthur Digby Sellers

Interesting. What types of nightlife, given that alcohol is a no-no in that community? Hookah bars?

There are a lot of progressive Muslims who drink alcohol. Hookah is often served at these bars as well. I've been to some night clubs in Dearborn with some of my Arab (some Chaldean, some Muslim) friends. It was pretty lively.

[SQL]

My vote goes to Hazel Park and Madison Heights as the next up-and-coming suburbs. Higher demand and higher prices are pushing folks out of Royal Oak and out of Ferndale. Many young people I know are renting/buying in Hazel Park because it's close to the scene. My buddy told me they have even opened a premium bar off of Woodward Heights in HP.

I can definitely see development plans down 11 Mile between I-75 and John R as Royal Oak's expansion bleeds over into MH. That strip is technically considered Madison Heights' downtown, though they haven't done much to develop it in recent years.

Berkley and Clawson are already kinda, sorta there. But they will probably develop more as Royal Oak continues to become the hub of entertainment in Metro Detroit's northern burbs.

[NOLA101]

Madison Heights/Hazel Park seem to be getting worse, not better. The John R corridor is horrible south of 696.

And I don't see Royal Oak as becoming more of a hub. If anything it seemed to have peaked maybe 10-15 years ago.

Agree that Berkeley and, to a lesser extent, Clawson, are doing well, though. I'm actually surprised Clawson is so stable, given the housing stock is blah, the downtown is tiny, and the schools are so-so.

[SQL]

Originally Posted by NOLA101

Madison Heights/Hazel Park seem to be getting worse, not better. The John R corridor is horrible south of 696.

And I don't see Royal Oak as becoming more of a hub. If anything it seemed to have peaked maybe 10-15 years ago.

Agree that Berkeley and, to a lesser extent, Clawson, are doing well, though. I'm actually surprised Clawson is so stable, given the housing stock is blah, the downtown is tiny, and the schools are so-so.

11 Mile and 9 Mile are going to be where the growth starts, if it starts, IMO. That's where these respective cities connect to the downtowns of Royal Oak and Ferndale. If the region can attract young professionals, these are viable affordable locations for them to live and buy homes.

My opinion is that the only reason RO and Ferndale stop growing outward is if younger people move into Detroit proper at a higher rate. That may very well be the case. As far as I could tell, Royal Oak and Ferndale have the only viable downtowns in north Metro Detroit for young professionals. Birmingham is nice if you have $$$. These are the only places me and my friends would go to when I lived there. Berkley and Clawson have small downtowns, but we never went out of our ways to go to these places (maybe Clawson for that microbrewery they have on 14 Mile).