New year, new development news! While 2022 saw a lot of big projects in process and some lofty ideas pitched, this year we should see how downtown, Detroit neighborhoods, and the metro Detroit region continue to adapt to the changing landscape and needs of the population. Here are a few stories we're keeping an eye on.
Hotel boom
It's well known that Detroit could get more major events if we had the hotel space for visitors. This year we should get an idea of how many will make it online. Currently, the Cambria Hotel on the west side of downtown has signage and is moving closer to an opening date. The Godfrey Hotel on Michigan Avenue continues construction in Corktown. And three major projects underway - the Hudson's site, Michigan Central, and Book Tower - have hotel components. On the horizon, the current construction at the former Joe Louis Arena site is for residential, but a hotel is planned. Ideas are floating again for a second tower at the Fort Pontchartrain hotel. And Olympia's big vision for the District Detroit include converting the Fox Theater office space into hotels, and adding a new hotel next to the Little Caesars Arena.
Filling in the District Detroit
Speaking of Olympia, all eyes are on the Ilitch/Ross collaboration to see what actually gets done. The Detroit Center for Innovation will break ground this year, and if the schedule goes as planned, an office building in front of Comerica Park will break ground and construction will start on building rehabs previously announced. Some think it won't happen because Olympia doesn't have a great track record. Many think the addition of Ross's Related Companies adds some credibility and hope to the plans. We're looking forward to seeing what's to come and if we can build up that part of downtown. The Community Benefits process for the project is currently in progress.
A new life around Michigan Central Station
Ford has been hard at work redeveloping the old train station and the area surrounding it for the past few years. This is the year we should see some of that come to life. The Book Depository is expected to open. The Bagley Mobility Hub is open, and the neighboring Southwest Greenway will be completed this year. The reconfiguration of Roosevelt Park will open this year. And we should see parts of the train station itself opening later this year, which will be an exciting day in Detroit.
Filling in the Woodward Corridor
Over the past few years, we've seen a lot of development between Midtown and Highland Park. This covers a large area (New Center, Milwaukee Junction, North End, Piety Hill, Boston-Edison), but the incremental development is adding up. Piety Hill has seen projects completed, like the Ruth Ellis Center, plus new construction for senior apartments in the Rev. Dr. Jim Holley Residences. The North End has seen many infill projects over the past few years, and construction is well underway at the Detroit Food Commons. In Milwaukee Junction, the redevelopment of the Studebaker Plant will bring more housing to the neighborhood. We eagerly await the start of construction at a project on the far edges of the area that will have major implications in several neighborhoods - the redevelopment of the Fisher Body Plant.
While there are plenty of neighborhoods and urbanism projects to watch (Eastern Market, Brush Park, the revamp of East Warren Ave., businesses coming to McNichols, the road diet in Ferndale), we want to hear from you. Which projects do you want to learn more about in the upcoming year? Feel free to comment below.
And if there's a story we should be covering, feel free to reach out at detroit@urbanize.city. Happy 2023!
