A redevelopment plan for Huntington Place would add hundreds of new hotel rooms and create riverfront connectivity.
Detroit’s Huntington Place Convention Center could soon be getting a major makeover that would include hundreds of new hotel rooms aimed at drawing more conventions to the city, reports David Eggert in Crain’s Detroit Business.
“The overall effort could make the area — a complex cobweb of infrastructure that is uninviting to pedestrians — more conducive to a big hotel development that would attract more convention business to the city.” The convention center is managed by the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority. As Eggerts explains, “The state's Convention Facility Development Fund, which is funded by hotel and liquor taxes and takes in roughly $100 million yearly, is primarily distributed to counties and the authority.”
The redevelopment would be enabled by a set of bills passed by the state legislature and awaiting Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s signature. “The legislation would let the authority enter into public-private arrangements, lift a $279 million spending cap, authorize $299 million in new bonding and expand the facility's definition to include bike paths, plazas, green space and roads necessary or convenient for use in connection with the facility.”
The authority also wants to connect Second Avenue to the adjacent riverwalk west of the convention center to provide more connectivity.
FULL STORY: Huntington Place could get a pedestrian-friendly makeover — including riverfront access
New Life for Hotels in Downtown Detroit
A new talking point to support the idea of a comeback for Detroit: brisk business and new investment in the Downtown hotel market.
Analysis: Just 5 Percent of Detroit Bus Stops Have Shelters
The city’s thousands of bus stops are sorely lacking in seating and shelters to protect riders from rain, snow, and sun.
Electric Car Share Comes to Detroit’s Eastside
The program is operated by the Eastside Community Network and funded through the U.S. Department of Energy.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Has President Trump Met His Match?
Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.
Study: London ULEZ Rapidly Cleaning up Air Pollution
Expanding the city’s ultra low-emission zone has resulted in dramatic drops in particle emissions in inner and outer London.
The Unseen Aftermath: Wildfires’ Lasting Health and Emotional Burden
Wildfires in Los Angeles not only pose immediate physical health risks but also lead to long-term respiratory problems and mental health struggles, underscoring the need for a coordinated public health response to mitigate their lasting effects.
Public Parks as Climate Resilience Tools
Designed with green infrastructure, parks can mitigate flooding, reduce urban heat, and enhance climate resilience, offering cost-effective solutions to environmental challenges while benefiting communities.
What the Proposed Federal Budget Means for Transit, Rail
The proposed FY 2025 budget keeps spending for public transit and passenger rail essentially the same as in 2024.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Resource Assistance for Rural Environments
City of Edmonds
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research