If you still think the only thing worth visiting in Detroit are the sports teams, think again. The area within a few miles of the in-progress arena has more cranes and construction equipment than in recent memory. New retail, new apartments and condos, and a church project. Detroit is not out of the woods when it comes to challenges, but there are signs of progress.
This list isn’t comprehensive – there’s a lot going on, and there will be more projects that fire up as the weather gets warmer. For today, since we mention the new arena underway that gets a ton of coverage, we thought we’d focus on things that are a within a relatively close distance – say, an easy bike ride.
1. Mosaic Midtown Church
This will become the permanent home of the Mosaic Midtown Church. They expect to move into this building at 80 W. Alexandrine in June.
2. The Plaza Midtown
The $21.1 million project at 3800 Woodward across from Orchestra Hall is expected to include 72 apartments and 2,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.
3. The Griswold
The first new apartment construction downtown in years, the project was delayed due to the recession but is now in full swing. The 80-unit, $24 million project being built atop the parking garage of the Book Cadillac Hotel and Residences should be complete by the end of the year.
4. The 751 (Formerly Olde Building)
A rehab is underway on this old corner of Detroit near Campus Martius on Griswold and West Lafayette built in 1924. The plan is retail and office space. Before purchase, the building was vacant for a whopping 17 years.
5. The James Scott Mansion
Soon, you’ll be able to live in the mansion of the guy the Scott Fountain on Belle Isle was named after. James Scott was a controversial character, but there’s no doubt that his house was gorgeous in its heyday. Developer Joel Landy is doing the $6 million, 18-month project that will have 27 apartments and a small retail space.
6. The Scott
At the end of the block from the James Scott mansion, at Peterboro and Woodward, is an even larger Scott project. Containing 199 units, it sprawls across most of an entire city block. It will have private underground parking, bike storage, fitness center, private library, and conference center and 24/7 concierge.
7. Brush Park Detroit
The 8.4 acre Brush Park Detroit that’s revving up this spring will have around 400 residential units when it’s done, comprising of many new buildings but also a few restorations of old. The famous Ransom Gillis house, highlighted on HGTV, is actually part of this $70 million project. 20% of the units will be set aside as affordable according to the Mayor’s office.
8. Ducharme Place
A couple of blocks over the I-375 freeway from Greektown on East Lafayette is Ducharme Place. It’s a four building, $45 million project expected to be complete in 2017, with rents of $900-$1,800 a month for apartments ranging 500 to 1,100 square feet.
9. Orleans Landing
This is new construction right near the Detroit riverfront, just down the Dequindre Cut from Ducharme. The $65 million project will have 278 residential units and something around 10,000 square feet of retail, as well as a swimming pool, fitness center, community center, and bike storage.
10. 3350 Cass + 149 Davenport
This is project actually two buildings, even though one is pictured above, as part of the same low-income development. Headed up by the Cass Corridor Neighborhood Development Corporation, this is a $16.7 million project will become 47 low-income housing units at the corner of Cass and Martin Luther King Boulevard. The building on Davenport was built in 1918, and the one on Cass (pictured) in 1924.
11. The Strathmore
And so we end this sampling of projects back where we started, with a building next to the Mosaic Church. The Strathmore, within steps of Great Lakes Coffee, the Detroit Medical Center and lots more, is coming back to life after a decade of abandonment. The 1924 building will be 40% affordable housing, and will have 129 units as part of a $28 million renovation. There also will be retail on the ground floor.
