Working its way through city government is a plan to demolish Professional Plaza , a 12-story building built in the 1960s alongside the squat retail/office building next door. It's unclear how many companies still work in the building, but the property has looked desolate for a while. What's the logic in wasting a modern high-rise in promising Midtown? We can't tell you. But here's the plan.
According to a letter sent to nearby residents in May, the plan's approval would result in the current buildings being replaced with a 4-story medical office building and a 3.5-story parking garage, which would feature ground floor retail. Additionally, a 2-story retail building would be constructed sometime later on.
Based on the plan's basic outline, it's hard to understand or justify the demolition of a modern high-rise to build shorter buildings and a parking deck, especially on a vast property extending all the way to John R. From what it looks like, you could fit a parking garage and more on the property's vast surface lot. Professional Plaza isn't protected or historically notable, but it's almost certainly in usable shape.
The Wayne State University Physician's Group, the organization behind the proposal, declined to comment or provide additional details. We were hoping to discover more information at tonight's Historic District Commission hearing, but the proposal was removed from the agenda so the developer could make changes.
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