Things are going to look a little different in the Paradise Valley and Entertainment District. The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) approved a plan to redevelop nine properties in a historically significant pocket of downtown with a $52.4 million investment in new construction and renovations.
The project includes the simultaneous redevelopment of five existing buildings and four surface lots. It will feature commercial and retail space, residential units, restaurants, entertainment venues, and a boutique hotel. All of these developments are scheduled to be built over the next three years.
This development has been nearly a decade in the making.
At the urging of the Detroit City Council, the DDA used casino fund dollars to purchase the buildings and lots in 2006 with the intention of developing an entertainment district that would celebrate African-American culture and the vibrant music scene of Paradise Valley. At that time, crime and blight were becoming major concerns in the district, and the buildings were only 20 percent occupied.
“Stepping in to purchase these buildings to stabilize this section of the district was the right move,” Rod Miller, CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. (DEGC), said. “I’m proud that a decade later, the DEGC has found developers who have the capacity to develop the entire district at once and turn it into a cultural destination that’ll serve Detroit for years to come.”
DEGC, acting as staff for the DDA, established a selection committee made up of representatives from Michigan Black Chamber of Commerce, DEGC and City of Detroit.
The committee then evaluated the proposals for the projects based on a variety of factors.
The winning proposals came from developers with strong Detroit roots. Several of the developers, including Rainy Hamilton, Jr., Hiram E. Jackson and Ismail Houmani, already have a major presence in Paradise Valley.
“The City of Detroit is finally in a position to deliver on a promise made a decade ago,” Mayor Mike Duggan said. “The key developers behind this project are longtime Detroiters. They know what this district was and they know what it can be. They’re committed to working with existing tenants and building a Paradise Valley that not only honors the heritage of our city, but ushers in our future.”
The development plan includes five projects in the area that also was once known as Harmonie Park:
Hastings Place
Now (the first building is staying in place, but being added to):
Soon:
Paradise Valley Real Estate Holdings, II, LLC, led by Hiram E. Jackson as managing partner, plans to build a new 83,340 sq. ft. building on three current parking lots at 1468, 1480 & 1496 Randolph St. It will include 60 apartments, a parking deck, and first-floor retail space. It also will house Real Times Media, the publisher of the Michigan Chronicle.
Harmonie Club Hotel
Now:
Soon:
311 E. Grand River, LLC, led by Patricia Cole and Roger Basmajian as partners, plans to renovate the 36,000 sq. ft. building at 311 E. Grand River as the Harmonie Club Hotel. It will be a 25- to 30-room boutique hotel on the first and second floors. The third floor will function as a theatre and banquet hall.
Harmonie Pointe
Gotham Capital Partners, led by Dennis Archer, Jr., as managing partner, plans to renovate 1407 and 1427 Randolph St. with a music forward lounge and restaurant on the first floor, and offices in the two upper floors.
Randolph Centre Building
Hamilton Development Corporation, led by Rainy Hamilton, Jr., FAIA, NOMA, as president, plans to renovate this building. The firm has been an anchor tenant for Paradise Valley. This rendering looks like it’s going to eliminate the parking lot between it and the corner building that was recently purchased by Lear Corporation.
La Casa Cigars and Lounge
La Casa Properties, LLC, led by Ismail Houmani as principal, plans to purchase and refurbish the 7,500 sq. ft. building at 1502 Randolph St., in which he now operates La Casa Cigars and Lounge.
