Development Notes: Movie theater rumors, casino & street renaming, and more

In a “rumor we hear often and really, it’s time to make it a reality” news, Crain’s is reporting that Emagine is considering bringing a big movie theater to Detroit. The article says they’re thinking about two sites - one new construction and one renovation of an existing building. We have ideas of where one would go and would love to hear yours. We hope we can report this rumor as a reality soon enough. When we asked late last year what’s on your development wish list, a movie theater was a common request.

A bill is in the Michigan senate right now to rename part of Woodward from Montcalm to Adams the “Mike Ilitch Boulevard.” This stretch of the street holds two of his biggest development accomplishments: the Fox Theatre and Comerica Park. The bill is sponsored by Coleman Young II, who’s running for mayor.

Last spring, Dan Gilbert’s gaming company announced that all casinos would change their names to Jack at a to-be-determined date. That date is soon approaching, as the letters of Greektown Casino have started to come down. We’re sure the name Jack Detroit Casino-Hotel Greektown will catch on, as new names generally do. Has anyone caught a show at Pine Knob this summer?

In case you missed it, we stopped by the Wurlitzer Building last week to check out The Siren Hotel, which we thought would be opening next year. There’s still a lot of work to do, but ASH NYC is getting it ready to open in October or November 2017. The new Foundation Hotel, opened earlier this year, is pretty spectacular, and we think The Siren Hotel will deliver. Here’s a sneak peek of what the rooms will look like.