Guy Snyder of the Great Lakes Construction Alliance says there was just a lot of talk regarding the plans at a recent council meeting.
The MotorCity Casino has already announced plans to expand at its present site at the Lodge Freeway and Grand River Avenue, on 23 acres of adjacent land.
The casino will build a 16-floor hotel with the required 400 rooms, an 800-seat showroom, new restaurants and lounges, a 50,000-sf convention center area, a spa and fitness center along with additional retail outlet space.
With the new expansion, the casino also will grow its 68,000 sf of gaming space to 100,000 sf.
The MGM Grand also wants to buy two buildings for $17 million for its new site. The company has offered to buy the Michigan Executive Plaza for $12.5 million and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers building next door on Abbott Street for $4.5 million. Both properties sit on more than 12 acres.
Snyder says that by far, the most elaborate presentation was by the Greektown Casino.
"They mapped out a 40-story tall, 400-room hotel for a site bordered by the I-375 service drive, Clinton St., St. Antoine St., and Gratiot Ave. It's to be supported by 4,655 parking spaces, a 1,500-seat theater, and a spa, pool, and fitness center," Snyder reports.
He adds that while Greektown Casino hadn't selected an architect or construction manager, conceptual sketches for its proposal were attributed to Neumann Smith & Associates, Southfield.
A tentative city-casino agreement requires the expansions to be completed by November 2005.
The council is discussing whether to accept a deal arranged by new Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, which brings $102 million to the city in the next two years and other perks. Council members are holding out for more. The deadline for the permanent casino deal has been extended to July 31.
The casinos were supposed to have expanded their three temporary sites to an area along the Detroit River, with about $2 billion in construction plans. The land required couldn't be purchased due to ownership lawsuits, and river plan died.
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