Development Notes: Old Wayne County Building progress, QLINE celebration, and more

It’s been another wild week for development in Detroit. We’ve featured a few of the bigger stories. Here are some of the smaller ones that we’re keeping an eye on.

Is work actually starting on the Old Wayne County Building? Two and a half years ago, we reported that this monster downtown was sold and and renovations were starting ASAP. We measure ASAP in years here in Detroit, and Kirk Pinho of Crain’s reports that a building permit was issued last week and restoration is finally about to start. What might these renovations include? For now, according to Crain’s, “exterior masonry and window restorations” plus some work on the stairs and concrete. We’re just happy something is starting to happen.

Woodward is open for real! Last week, the M-1 rail celebrated the completion of Woodward Avenue along the rail line. It’s pretty much open for traffic, but you can still expect to see some orange barrels and cones around. They’ll be finishing up the stations themselves over the next couple months, along with testing of the QLINE. Then it’s all aboard!

Fail Jail is super unpopular. Well, this is awkward. A few weeks ago, we told you that the assessment of the fail jail site said that it was structurally sound and could move forward. Wayne County said they’d issue an RFP in the beginning of 2017. Well, according to the Free Press, only one company responded to the RFQ that went out earlier this fall. But Wayne County says this makes it easier to choose a candidate. Clearly. We still think Dan Gilbert will build a soccer stadium there. We’ll soon find out...

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