As one new glass tower prepares to open along our riverfront, another will start construction soon. The Community Benefits Process will start in January for the Hotel Water Square, a new 25-story high rise next to Huntington Place. This story was first reported by Crain's.

The new hotel is led by Atwater and Second Associates, LLC, which includes Sterling Group, who developed the neighboring Residences at Water Square. According to a city web site, the 600-room hotel will include five podium floors with two ballrooms, 50,000 square feet of meeting space, food and beverage options, a fitness room and spa. Second Avenue will expand to this area, and a pedestrian bridge will go over it, connecting the hotel to the convention center. 

Hotel Water Square and the Residences at Water SquareCity of Detroit

Construction is expected to start in the second quarter of 2024. 

The Residences at Water Square should be complete in February 2024.

According to the city, the Community Benefits Process comes into play for a development that:

  • Is $75 million or more in value
  • Receives $1 million or more in property tax abatements OR
  • Receives $1 million or more in value of city land sale or transfer

An advisory council is created with representatives from the impact area around the development and members selected by the city. They'll work with the developers in a series of meetings to agree on community benefits for the neighborhood. 

The impact area for this development covers areas of downtown and Corktown, from Woodward, down Michigan Avenue, down Sixth St and over to Trumbull, and along Jefferson Avenue.

City of Detroit

Meetings will take place Tuesday evenings starting January 9 at Huntington Place, and running every Tuesday through February. The public is welcome to attend, and can log in virtually.

This will be a huge addition to downtown Detroit's hotel scene. Many people have said that we need more hotel rooms in the city in order to host bigger events and to get people to stay in the city instead of the suburbs. Multiple hotels have opened in Detroit this year, including the Roost at Book Tower, the Godfrey Hotel, and the Cambria Hotel. Additional hotels like the AC Hotel are currently under construction.