Mark Maynard | shipping containers

Ypsilanti deserves better than a Family Dollar store on Water Street

By Mark | November 17, 2012

Certain kinds of businesses do well in times of great economic uncertainty. Chief among them are so-called “variety stores” and “dollar stores.” As Howard Levine, the CEO of Family Dollar, one of America’s leading chains operating in this sector recently said to the press, “In today’s uncertain economic environment, value continues to resonate… Our strategy […]

Posted in Economics, Rants, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged AnnArbor.com, Burger King, Charlotte, Chase Ingersoll, cohousing, Core Resources, dollar stores, economic development, Family Dollar, Leslie Leland, Mark's big ideas, Mix, national chains, North Carolina, our fragile downtown business ecosystem, Paul Balcom, Paul Schreiber, The Rocket, variety stores, Water Street, Ypsilanti City Council | 129 Comments

Shipping container community in Detroit moves closer to realization

By Mark | November 2, 2009

While my plans for a shipping container development on Ypsilanti’s Water Street never materialized, it looks as though a group in Detroit may be close to making something similar happen. The following clip comes by way of MLive. A visionary project that will turn 93 reused shipping containers into housing units has achieved some important […]

Posted in Architecture, Detroit, Sustainability | Also tagged Exceptional Green Living, green buildings, Leslie Horn, The Power of Green Housing, Water Street, Water Street Redevelopment Project | 9 Comments

Water Street Redevelopment Project Updates and Discussion

By Mark | October 13, 2009

There’s a meeting coming up next week to discuss the “future expectations” of Ypsilanti’s infamous Water Street development. I’m tempted to make a smart-assed remark, but, truth is, there isn’t much the City can do at this point. No one in their right mind is going to invest in new construction in Michigan right now. […]