Dive brief:
- The city of Detroit has nearly $3 billion in developments under construction, with 25 more projects in the pipeline, according to a new report.
- While many of the recently completed jobs focus on multifamily housing, the city also has a number of non-residential projects underway or nearing completion, including the $250 million University of Michigan Innovation Center of dollars and the Wayne County Justice Center, which the Detroit. The reported news will be cost $598 million.
- Data from Downtown Detroit Partnership Report suggests that the Motor City may be on the rise from the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The area’s population has increased by 25% over the past decade, according to the report, and visitor numbers have increased to pre-pandemic levels.
Diving knowledge:
The report noted that Detroit will soon host several high-profile events, including the Midwest Regional Round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and the tournament’s Final Four in 2027. It will also host the 2024 NFL Draft in April .
The hotel projects will respond to the next demand of visitors. Projects in the pipeline include the Huntington Place Convention Center hotel and renovation project, and the recently completed Godfrey Hotel.
Some recently completed projects in downtown Detroit include:
- Newlab at Central Michigan: Home of Newlab Detroit, a hub for experts, scientists, engineers and others to create businesses in the city. The 270,000-square-foot complex was part of a billion-dollar investment across the entire Central Michigan campus. The Ford Motor Co. funded and developed the project.
- Bagley Mobility Hub: The mobility center houses 1,250 parking spaces, a testing area for autonomous vehicles, electric bicycles and scooters, electric vehicle charging stations and intelligent guidance systems. The project was also part of the $1 billion Central Michigan Campus investment, which Ford financed and developed.
- Book Building Project: The two-track construction included a seven-year, nearly $400 million restoration of one of Detroit’s oldest skyscrapers. The location now has 229 apartments and the Roost Detroit, an extended stay apartment hotel with 117 rooms.
Given the events of the past two decades, the new projects indicate that Detroit is on the rise. The 2008 recession hit the famously self-reliant city, which fell on hard times afterward, including a 2013 bankruptcy where reported $18 billion in debt, by Vox. The pandemic also affected the city, however is making progress in recovery through investments in housing and office buildings that could drive growth, according to Axios.
Earlier this March, local ABC affiliate WXYZ Detroit wrote that the city was undergoing a “great transformation” as a result of the construction boom.
