The Observation Deck

The block that the Lutheran Church sits on has been bought by CVS Pharamcy for a CVS Super Store, or at least something larger and newer than the current place just east of the Lakewood Public Library.

CVS Pharmacy has plans to move two blocks west of where they are now to larger, facility,
they plan to build just West of the Lakewood Public Library. They plan to remove the church
and the entire block to build something much larger, with a much larger and better
lit parking lot then they have now east of the Library.

While this will see them move outside the Downtown footprint, it should be welcomed by
the Downtown group as it will have a new large anchor at one end. I am sure the residents
will also be happy to have a larger CVS closer to them.

.

hmmmmm....

Thanks for the news!

As a former grocery bagger at the Zakaria Bi-Rite, I wonder what will happen to that site.

Unless the prices are going to go down from what they are in that tiny one, I'm not interested. Then again, I'd probably stick with Drug Mart even if they do.

Heather Ramsey wrote:Unless the prices are going to go down from what they are in that tiny one, I'm not interested. Then again, I'd probably stick with Drug Mart even if they do.

Heather

Not sure if they will be cheaper, but wil a larger better lit light, and with some of the improvements slated
for Arthur Ave. Wider street, old style street lights, to name a few, it will be much easier to get there than
any of the other Pharmacies within that 30 block range.

We could certainly use another 24 hour pharmacy in the area.

.

Hi,
I wish I could say another big drug store is Lakewood was great news.

It isn't actually a new business, right, its the commercial cannibalism you see going on everywhere. Are they going to lock up the lease on their existing space so they don't face any new competition? Isn't that what's going on at Bunts and Detroit?

First it's always sad to see a church demolished. When I was growing up on Arthur, my family actually attended there. It's a sad day.

Second, I wonder what kind of development opportunity that opens up for the existing location. Wonder if it could be knocked down and something much more attractive and functional put there. Or maybe they'll open a cell phone megastore / bar in the space because it seems like the two two things apparently Lakewood always needs more of are bars and cell phone stores.

Jim O'Bryan wrote: . . .and with some of the improvements slated for Arthur Ave. Wider street, old style street lights, to name a few, it will be much easier to get there than any of the other Pharmacies within that 30 block range

This is truly exciting news for Arthur Ave. residents! (Aren't they trying to have a semi-"gated" street, complete with walls at the Detroit and Hilliard access points? Or did I just dream that . . .)

How 'bout a sour note------

I'm not religious but churches are truly majestic. That church is beautiful.

Today's drugstores are the gas stations of the 60s.

It is just so unfortunate that an alternative use can't be found for these buildings than another dumbass drug store, a repulsive donut shop, or a big box style government building.

Just sayin'

Stan

Questions for Rhonda and other nostalgia buffs:

*What was the name of the little independent drug store on Detroit near Manor Park (near the Westerly)? It was the last independent drugstore when it closed (I believe in the early 1990s). How many little drugstores did Lakewood have back in the fifties and sixties? Did they have soda fountains?

I object.

How many overpriced, under-patronized drug stores do we need?

However, what really bothers me is that all I hear are complaints about how Lakewood is built out, and we cannot compete with the suburbs because we don't have land, yet we continually allow one story buildings to be built on newly reclaimed land!

The one story social security office is a total waste of land. The CVS will take up an entire city block and hold nothing but one business? Perhaps we need building codes that require a multistory building on the main streets, to keep the character of the city and to efficiently use the limited space we have.

It can be done. No one talks about Rosewood, but that building looks nice. It's brick, it ties in nicely with the building it is attached to, it's multi-story and has retail, business, and residential tenents. I think all the residential units sold and the retail spaces below were filled, as well (although one could argue that perhaps the armed forces were not the client they had hoped to attract.) They put nice awnings and lights on the older building tot he east and I think it is a good example of how to blend old and new.

Mike Deneen wrote:Questions for Rhonda and other nostalgia buffs:

*What was the name of the little independent drug store on Detroit near Manor Park (near the Westerly)? It was the last independent drugstore when it closed (I believe in the early 1990s). How many little drugstores did Lakewood have back in the fifties and sixties? Did they have soda fountains?

Ratners, also there were Lodlyin(Drugs), Rose and my hang out, Webb Pharmacy.
All had fountains. Then the one at Madison and Woodward that was attached to
10 Pin Hillard Lanes. Maybe one across from Pet's general Store.

Grace, and Stan some excellent points.

.

Bryan,
My wife and I both grew up on Arthur. Her family attended St. Paul's, and we were married there. So obviously I'm also quite sad to see the building go, although it's been equally sad to see it sitting empty or underutilized the past few years.

Grace,
I agree 110% that a standard prototype CVS building is a terribly inefficient use for that site. It's probably too late to do anything about it for this particular site, but I'd love to see the codes revised to require multi-story redevelopment on the "downtown" section of Detroit. The Rosewood building is a perfect example. Then again, CVS probably wouldn't agree to put a new store there if they were bound to those types of restrictions, and the old church would sit vacant even longer. Not sure what's worse....

Modern drug stores are basically convenient stores on steroids. And apparently Lakewood doesn’t have enough convenient stores. Every walkable city should have more of these.

Maybe they can leave the church standing, and turn that into the pharmacy! The pharmacist and his checkout counter could be located in place of the altar. A choir could be retained so that when you get your Oxycontin doses, a heavenly sound would fill the nave.