An apartment building that's been vacant for 25 years in Detroit's Piety Hill neighborhood will soon be home to residents again. Construction officially started today on The Claire, which will bring 42 apartments to the neighborhood, with half of them listed as affordable.
The city announced the project today, along with developers Century Partners, who have worked extensively in the surrounding area.
“Just a few blocks away from the very first home we purchased and developed in 2014, The Claire is a 100-year old building that has sat vacant in our neighborhood for over 20 years," said David Alade, CEO and co-founder of Century Partners. "We are thrilled and honored to lead this historic renovation and bring another 100 years of life to the building, while working with our resident artist community to lift up, celebrate and preserve the neighborhood’s history in an intentional and collaborative manner.”
Originally called "The Clairwood," the Claire will have three studios, 32 one-bedroom, four two-bedroom, and three three-bedroom apartments. When renovated, the building will have a National Green Building Standard Silver certification, with 6 EV charging stations onsite. Amenities include parking, a fitness center, modern design, and art from local Detroit artists Matt Corbin and Yvette Cole.
27 of the Claire's apartments will have rents set between 50-80% of area median income (AMI). The affordability of the apartments is guaranteed for the next 11 years.
Funding for the $9.17 million project is coming from a variety of sources, including a $4.9 million loan from the Detroit Housing for the Future Fund (DHFF), $1.9 million from Michigan Missing Middle, $300,000 from the Bedrock Fund, and a $75,000 Brownfield grant. The project also received a $100,000 developer of color pre-development matching grant from DHFF, and a $1.5 million grant from Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
The Ebiara fund also supported the Claire with a loan. The Ebiara supports developers of color in rebuilding Detroit and grow and scale their firms. “Ebiara wants to be a partner for real estate development firms who want to scale their impact in Detroit.” Said Rod Hardamon, CEO of Urge Imprint, a partner organization in the Ebiara Fund with Invest Detroit and the Kresge Foundation. “Development firms like Century Partners are playing a major role in shaping both the direction and priorities of development projects in Detroit.”
The development should be completed in summer 2025.
