  Tetsua Member Username: Tetsua Post Number: 927 Registered: 01-2004 |
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs .dll/article?AID=/20061128/NEW S99/61128015 | ||
Apbest Member Username: Apbest Post Number: 306 Registered: 03-2006 |
6 floors of the Penobscot loosing occupancy? damn..hope they can recover so far looks like a like of shuffling and not a lot of new buisness downtown | ||
Tetsua Member Username: Tetsua Post Number: 928 Registered: 01-2004 |
Which building on Abbott st is the article referring to. Is it currently occupied by anyone else? | ||
Tetsua Member Username: Tetsua Post Number: 929 Registered: 01-2004 |
And by the way, how much space is still left in the Kennedy Square building? | ||
Gumby Member Username: Gumby Post Number: 1479 Registered: 11-2003 |
It is currently occupied by
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Jdkeepsmiling Member Username: Jdkeepsmiling Post Number: 131 Registered: 01-2006 |
This is actually a good thing to happen to a city. You have a growing firm moving into a building of thier own. This will free up space in a marquee building which is more likely to attract a tenant from outside the city. This also helps occupy some of the new Kennedy Square Building. Pretty good news on the whole. | ||
Bob Member Username: Bob Post Number: 1238 Registered: 11-2003 |
Shuffling also allows them to renovate a space for their needs, while at the same time opening up space that can be renovated for someone else. Hard to renovate when you are there. | ||
Itsjeff Member Username: Itsjeff Post Number: 7163 Registered: 10-2003 |
On the up side, the Penobscot is also about to lose a number of scarey-looking folks wandering around their building. (The crim defendants, not the defenders.) I know they're taking a hit, but future leasing will be that much easier without some of these folks on display. | ||
Bob Member Username: Bob Post Number: 1239 Registered: 11-2003 |
I would also have to imagine that these 6 vacated floors could be combined with other empty floor to allow for someone to come in a lease a larger space. | ||
1953 Member Username: 1953 Post Number: 1167 Registered: 12-2004 |
This does seem like fairly positive news in the larger view. Does any one have a picture of the building on Abbot Street? | ||
Gogo Member Username: Gogo Post Number: 1390 Registered: 11-2003 |
613 Abbott Street | ||
Chow Member Username: Chow Post Number: 326 Registered: 10-2003 |
Heres a photo:  | ||
Bob Member Username: Bob Post Number: 1240 Registered: 11-2003 |
So is the Romanian Consulate staying there? Or are there moving elsewhere also? | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 352 Registered: 01-2005 |
Good news for everyone except we taxpayers. The W-A building is a lavish office building. Legal Aid is paying north of $10,000,000 for the building and I'm told that there is no money left to adapt the building to Legal Aid's needs. The Directors are derelict in their duty by permitting this acquisition. The offices, I'm told, are nicer than Honigman Miller's. Where's the oversight? | ||
Itsjeff Member Username: Itsjeff Post Number: 7164 Registered: 10-2003 |
If the building suits their needs and they can afford it, what's the problem? | ||
Bob Member Username: Bob Post Number: 1242 Registered: 11-2003 |
How much would the building need to be adapted if its already in the shape it is in. I think they would not be buying it in the first place if it did not meet their needs. Besides they are buying something in downtown, which is much more of a committment in the area than leasing (not that I am dogging on leasing). | ||
Fnemecek Member Username: Fnemecek Post Number: 2123 Registered: 12-2004 |
Where is the hit to taxpayers? | ||
Itsjeff Member Username: Itsjeff Post Number: 7167 Registered: 10-2003 |
Fnemecek, the Legal Aid & Defender Association is funded by the Legal Services Corporation, a private, non-profit corporation funded by the government. (Kinda like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.) Although they get a little money from other sources, the lion's share is from the LSC. That's where the taxpayers come in. | ||
Magnasco Member Username: Magnasco Post Number: 184 Registered: 10-2003 |
I am glad that the upper management folks of legal aid will have comfortable offices to make their decisions from while the hard working attorneys spend their days in court. Maybe they could have used a few of those dollars to put a few more attorneys on the ground to handle the case loads. Of course I am sure there are things about the existing building and contracts and such that I know nothing about, but I do know some legal aid attorneys who are being overwhelmed by some of the contracts they get signed on to. | ||
Quinn Member Username: Quinn Post Number: 1044 Registered: 01-2005 |
Wow this is cool. I worked for Walbridge for about 4 years through 2002. 613 Abbott was owned by Walbridge, but there were two floors that were used by DEA and other federal agents. Ok building, with an atrium and a 6th floor dining room with a nice view south towards the ambassador bridge. I'm jealous they are going to be at campus martius and in the CBD...  Maybe I'll go back... hmmm.. | ||
Quinn Member Username: Quinn Post Number: 1045 Registered: 01-2005 |
Bob...the owner of Walbridge, John Rakolta, is the Romanian Consul...the only reason the consulate was there is because his office was there. I'm positive it will move with Walbridge to One Kennedy Square. One thing I was just thinking about, Walbridge didn't build One Kennedy...BUT they can now look out and see one of their pre-eminent jobs: Compuware. | ||
Llyn Member Username: Llyn Post Number: 1737 Registered: 06-2004 |
Drek. It will be so much harder getting in and out of Walbridge Aldinger now. Hope they cover visitor parking expenses... | ||
Fnemecek Member Username: Fnemecek Post Number: 2127 Registered: 12-2004 |
Let's assume a worst case scenario: they don't have any funds to renovate their new office. Would taxpayers automatically be on the hook to cover it? Also, if they had stayed in their old office or found a cheaper location, would taxpayers have somehow gotten a refund? My, albeit limited, understanding is that the Legal Aid & Defender Association receives a flat fee for the services it performs for indigent defendants and that fee doesn't increase simply because they moved into a new building. | ||
Llyn Member Username: Llyn Post Number: 1738 Registered: 06-2004 |
P.S. The Abbott building is really nice, but I don't think I'd use the word "lavish". Once you get out of the lobby area it's mostly just open office space (although I haven't seen John Rakolta's office). Can't speak for him, but I think Quinn would probably verify this. Quinn - were/are you an estimator? (Message edited by llyn on November 28, 2006) | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 2231 Registered: 02-2005 |
Good to hear that a good, solid employer like Walbridge will be moving to One Kennedy. On one hand this is slightly disappointing because I know that there were rumors saying that legal aid would purchase and do something with the old WSU Shapiro Hall on Rivard St. across 75 from Greektown. That place is disgusting. It can't be converted to housing because of the way it was built, and it is not desirable for offices being outside downtown and in that strange low-density housing project setting. | ||
Wilus1mj Member Username: Wilus1mj Post Number: 156 Registered: 05-2005 |
One Kennedy was bound to bring in leasers from other buildings due to the huge tax breaks they received. I don't know what the lease rate are between Penobscot and One Kennedy, but i bet they're lower at One Kennedy. | ||
Lmichigan Member Username: Lmichigan Post Number: 4768 Registered: 10-2003 |
I was able to get in contact with Redico, I was informed that by the time Ernest and Young finish their interior build out by Janurary, that another tenant that Visteon has subleased will start their build out. I was told this would bring the building to 75% by the middle of next year. No word on the retail/resturant space, though. This is a good move for all, though. | ||
Spiritofdetroit Member Username: Spiritofdetroit Post Number: 72 Registered: 11-2006 |
The upper floors of One Kennedy Square are being built out, and at night with the lights on, its looking nice.... finally... | ||
Quinn Member Username: Quinn Post Number: 1046 Registered: 01-2005 |
Llyn no I worked in Marketing. Who said it was lavish? It was basic office space. Class A yes...but definitely not lavish. |
