  Chris_rohn Member Username: Chris_rohn Post Number: 308 Registered: 04-2005 |
Township to attract tourists with stores $184-million project includes homes, more August 7, 2007 BY L.L. BRASIER FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs .dll/article?AID=/20070807/NEW S03/708070325/1001/rss01 Some highlights: A JCPenney and several other large stores soon will sit on what was once a 34-acre cornfield. "We're looking to create a sense of place," said Township Supervisor Mike Kowall, a resident for 30 years. n addition to the JCPenney and other stores, which are yet to be determined, the plan calls for at least three restaurants, also undetermined, for a total of 168,000 square feet of retail. Also, a Starbucks is in the works. The new businesses are expected to ... attract shoppers from north and west Oakland County, who now drive to Pontiac's Summit Place Mall "We have one of the best climates right now for commercial development in the state," Kowall said. Almost half the township is designated park land, including parts of the Pontiac Lake Recreation Area, Highland Recreation Area and Indian Springs Metro Park. "It's very much in keeping with the character of the community," said Beverly Spoor, township treasurer and a member of the historical society. "It's going to be a very pleasing type of development." The project also calls for a widening of Elizabeth Lake Road for about a mile to handle the additional traffic. | ||
Detroit_stylin Member Username: Detroit_stylin Post Number: 4592 Registered: 10-2003 |
That makes no damn sense... Forget about trying to attract out of state shoppers let's keep fighting for the region ones! Yeah let's build a JCPenny and a Starbucks and they'll come frome miles! We are the only ones who have those stores... Yet the state wonders why it is hemorhagging population... | ||
Kenp Member Username: Kenp Post Number: 679 Registered: 03-2006 |
My family settled in White Lake in the late 1800's. The came from Scotland. Most of them farmed, and some still do. My cousin had the last of 2 dairy farms in Oakland county until he sold out to a developer. Its amazing how that area has changed in the last 10 years. | ||
Gravitymachine Member Username: Gravitymachine Post Number: 1761 Registered: 05-2005 |
and the sprawl marches on | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 1308 Registered: 04-2006 |
Where is White Lake Twp? I bet it's a local developer. | ||
Meaghansdad Member Username: Meaghansdad Post Number: 37 Registered: 07-2007 |
Way out 96. Almost bought a home there. nice schools! | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 5645 Registered: 11-2004 |
Oooo...stealing customers from Summit Place Mall! Now that's impressive (strike up the sarcasm meter). I'm not so sure if the title of this thread is correct- they seem to talk about attracting "shoppers" and not "tourists". I'd hardly consider JC Penney's or Starbucks a tourist spot- a place of business yes, but hardly a place I'd spend my vacation or even a long weekend at. | ||
Chris_rohn Member Username: Chris_rohn Post Number: 309 Registered: 04-2005 |
If you read the full article in the Freep is goes into how White Lake prides itself with its natural setting and 4-season outdoor activities you can do there. I guess this corn-killer is supposed to help more people find out you can hike & ski in White Lake. (Message edited by chris_rohn on August 07, 2007) | ||
Urbanize Member Username: Urbanize Post Number: 2164 Registered: 02-2007 |
It's funny when a Complex Coffee Shop can steal Customers from one of the Largest Shopping Malls in MI. I would also think the JCPenny's is there to compliment Summit Place rather than steal their customers (like in Roseville). | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 1310 Registered: 04-2006 |
How much demand is there in this area for more shopping? I can't imagine there being much... What makes Summit Place unattractive for this type of investment? | ||
Kenp Member Username: Kenp Post Number: 680 Registered: 03-2006 |
Livingston county is nearby. Its one of the fastest growing counties in the state. White Lake has been growing very fast in the last 10 years. White lake caters to both the mid/northern Oakland county residents and the growing Livingston county area. Thats why its a hot spot. | ||
Chris_rohn Member Username: Chris_rohn Post Number: 310 Registered: 04-2005 |
There's already a JCPenney @ Summit Place, which is pretty much a "dead mall" at this point. All that's left are the anchor stores (to my surprise). This White Lake site is about 8 miles west on M-59. | ||
Urbanize Member Username: Urbanize Post Number: 2167 Registered: 02-2007 |
^^^And We Wonder What Mall Killed it... (Twelve Oaks, Caterbury Village, Green Oak Probably will kill the Livingston County Shoppers, and stretching it would include Somerset and Great Lakes). Not to mention, Caterbury has a JCPenny's as well. (Message edited by urbanize on August 07, 2007) | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 1545 Registered: 10-2003 |
""We have one of the best climates right now for commercial development in the state," Kowall said." On Cooley Lake Rd. in neighboring Waterford, not that far from this development, there are about five strip malls within a half mile drag that are all but empty. "We're looking to create a sense of place," said Township Supervisor Mike Kowall, a resident for 30 years. "White Lake was just a community that you drove through. What we want is people to stop, enjoy it, spend their money and continue on."" White Lake was just a community for driving through? That's funny, my dad lives there. I guess he and people like him who opted to settle down out there as they got older don't count for anything. Only Starbucks, strip malls, and parking lots do. BTW Great Lakes Crossing destroyed Summit Place mall. Nobody who was thinking of going to GLC is going to opt for a strip mall in White Lake instead. | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 5649 Registered: 11-2004 |
I guess when I go on vacation especially to ski or hike, I never look at locales to see if there is generous shopping such as a JC Penney. While it's great to have some decent restaurants in the area- as all areas should have, but these chain stores don't exactly sway me. | ||
Scottr Member Username: Scottr Post Number: 678 Registered: 07-2006 |
Penneys is moving towards smaller stores, primarily not in malls, rather than huge regional stores that attract from far away. This story doesn't surprise me in the least. The oakland county market is a pretty good sized one, and can probably handle a couple more smaller stores. As for Summit Place, I'd be interested in knowing when that store's lease is up, because i'd be surprised if they keep that one for much longer. Perhaps they will though, sometimes it works well to have one large store in an area and several smaller stores further out. (i work for penneys, but know nothing about future store plans - this is all my own speculation) | ||
Johnnny5 Member Username: Johnnny5 Post Number: 554 Registered: 06-2005 |
There is actually quite a bit of new development along that stretch of 59. The location mentioned in the article is already home to a large strip mall which includes a Kmart and Kroger and they recently built a new Kohl's store a bit further East. I'm assuming the new development will be on the West side of Elizabeth Lake Rd. as that is the only corn field that I know of along that stretch of M-59. The development will probably do well in that location, but it will no doubt be the death blow for Summit Place. That mall has been on Oxygen for the past 5 years. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 1371 Registered: 10-2006 |
"We're looking to create a sense of place" Golly am I ever so sick of the facades of new urbanism... | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 25 Registered: 07-2007 |
White Lake is north of Commerce Township and west of Waterford and is bisected by M-59. I doubt they'll get much Livingston County traffic. It's easier for most people to head down US-23 to the shopping Mecca in Brighton and I think Hartland has some major developments in the work at US-23 and M-59. | ||
Dannaroo Member Username: Dannaroo Post Number: 106 Registered: 05-2006 |
Johnnny: The parcel that the new development will be built on is bordered by M-59 to the North, Elizabeth Lake Rd to the South/West and Decca Rd to the east (there is currently one block face along the est side of Decca that will remain there). As for Summit Place Mall, there was an article in the Oakland Business Review a couple weeks back ( Waterford Field of Dreams) stating that a developer is nearing a deal to bring a minor league baseball team to that location. I am not sure about the Summit Place Mall locations, but generally, anchor stores of a mall own their sites so my theory is that if this baseball field does get developed, most of the interior portions of the mall will be demolished, one or two of the anchor stores will sell their land as well, and the remaining anchor store will rework itself into some sort of "lifestyle" type development incorporating the baseball field and some housing. | ||
Johnnny5 Member Username: Johnnny5 Post Number: 555 Registered: 06-2005 |
^If that is the case is the Kmart/Kroger complex being demolished? | ||
Dannaroo Member Username: Dannaroo Post Number: 107 Registered: 05-2006 |
^If the KMart/Kroger complex is the parcel that is at the corner of Elizabeth Lake Rd and M-59, the parcel that will have this development sort of wraps around it. | ||
Chris_rohn Member Username: Chris_rohn Post Number: 312 Registered: 04-2005 |
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Urbanize Member Username: Urbanize Post Number: 2172 Registered: 02-2007 |
Me thinks they're talking about the land behind the Big K stores (SE of them). | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 1549 Registered: 10-2003 |
Ah yes, just south of Sesame St. Finally Oscar will have a place to buy name brand clothing and grab a Starbucks. | ||
Dustin89 Member Username: Dustin89 Post Number: 88 Registered: 07-2006 |
Ugh...Summit Place and surrounding developments have retained their anchors thus far, and even gained one recently (Steve & Barry's in Summit North.) There is a new Target opening near Telegraph and Square Lake, however, that I think will cause the closing of the one in the Summit West strip mall. I attended all of the meetings in the Summit Place rezoning/redevelopment process, which has now ended. There will much less retail; I can't remember the sq. ft., but they will only have what is sustainable and that is not much in that saturated and mostly dead retail area. There will likely be a sports element--probably the minor league baseball park proposed by some Waterford businessmen (it would be located in the northwest corner of the Summit Mall property, i.e. in the section where the vacant movie theater now sits.) I believe there will be some sort of connection-hopefully a People Mover/tram type setup-connecting the PDA (Planned Destination Area) to the Oakland County complex just up Telegraph, which is a huge captive audience for restaurants, etc. The owners of the mall seem to be willing to take the suggestions of the redevelopment team, and I think when that final plan is submitted this fall you will see the Summit Place change drastically from its current state. A correction: the Summit Place is located in Waterford Twp., not Pontiac (as the Freep article stated); the Oakland Pointe strip mall across Telegraph is in Pontiac, and was not included in the redevelopment process. | ||
Msuscorpio Member Username: Msuscorpio Post Number: 29 Registered: 04-2007 |
It's definitely right behind Kmart. I was wondering why they were clearing that land...I live about 3 miles south east of there. | ||
Udmphikapbob Member Username: Udmphikapbob Post Number: 411 Registered: 07-2004 |
Here's your "sense of place":  | ||
Professorscott Member Username: Professorscott Post Number: 596 Registered: 12-2006 |
Turn this conversation around though. Downtown shopping districts are struggling, or dead, everywhere, and retail tends to center around regional malls (some of which are having a hard time themselves) or strip malls, each of which is a blot on the landscape IMVHO. But what do we do? White Lake sees the opportunity for land to produce more property tax, so of course they'll favor this. We don't have any effective regional leadership that can do anything to turn off the sprawl spigot; even the in-the-toilet economy can't do the job completely. So if you think shopping should be at a human scale in an urban environment, what's the solution? Move out of Michigan? | ||
Danindc Member Username: Danindc Post Number: 2971 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote: I'd like to add "in the Detroit area" as a qualifier to this statement. |
