In January, the city of Detroit announced the groundbreaking of a new affordable housing development in Banglatown, next to Hamtramck. Developers Ethos Development Partners and Cinnaire Solutions will redevelop the Transfiguration School into 19 units of affordable housing.
All housing will be available to those making 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), and project-based vouchers through the Detroit Housing Commission will open it up to residents with incomes at 0-50% AMI.
17 of the units will be one-bedroom apartments, while two will be two-bedroom. Historic details will be kept intact through the redevelopment.
The school closed in the 1926 building in 2005, and the building was leased to a charter school until 2014. The building itself is the last remaining structure in what was a larger complex. The Transfiguration School was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019, and historic tax credits will be used in the redevelopment.
This work was done in partnership with the Archdiosese of Detroit. Many vacant buidings remain around the city, and redevelopments such as this preserve historic structures as well as benefit the community.
"This partnership is a perfect example of what happens when we reimagine affordable housing and how we revitalize neighborhoods and communities in Detroit," says city councilman Scott Benson. "The project can serve as a viable template for how the City, developers, the ecumenical community, and neighbors collaborate to redevelop a stronger Detroit."
The building sits at 13300 Syracuse, near the border of Hamtramck, and the developer involved the community to ensure their feedback was heard. The redevelopment should be completed in 2022.
