DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[DetroitMan]

Packard Plant redevelopment plan collapses

A vision to redevelop part of the Packard Plant announced in the waning days of former Mayor Mike Duggan’s administration has died.

The precise reason for the collapse of the deal between the city and the development team of Oren Goldenberg and Mark Bennett isn’t clear — but it again leaves the fate of the sprawling East Side industrial site up in the air.

A letter of intent executed late in the Duggan administration had a Feb. 11 expiration date.

Detroit Planning Director Alexa Bush sent a letter to the developers Feb. 24, notifying them that the city was “unilaterally” terminating all negotiations. The letter does not specify a reason the city is choosing not to move forward with the $50 million-plus redevelopment proposal.

The 40-acre site roughly bifurcated by East Grand Boulevard near Interstate 94 is one of the few large-scale sites remaining in Detroit. Duggan, whose gubernatorial campaign declined to comment, made the site’s demolition and redevelopment a pillar of the last term in his 12-year run as mayor.

Through a spokesperson for Mayor Mary Sheffield, the city said it “wants to take this opportunity to explore a broader range of redevelopment options for the site before moving forward with the proposed plan.”

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/commercial/cdb-packard-plant-plan-collapses-20260325/


Detroit developer gets underway with Jefferson-Chalmers affordable housing project

Detroit-based developer Tribe Development, in partnership with affordable housing provider CHN Housing Partners, formally broke ground at a site along East Jefferson Avenue in the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood.

The new 52-unit apartment building will include a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, all priced for those making $21,210-$42,420, or 30%-60% of the area median income for a single person in Wayne County.

Added housing and amenities in that neighborhood, just west of Grosse Pointe Park and near the banks of the Detroit River, has long been a priority.

“As a Jefferson-Chalmers resident, I’m very proud to contribute to the vibrancy of our great neighborhood and do meaningful work in my backyard,” Brandon Hodges, founder and principal of Tribe Development, said in a news release. “Our partnership with CHN demonstrates the potential of intentional, mission-aligned collaboration, and we look forward to continuing to invest along the Jefferson corridor.”

Hodges’ firm has been behind a handful of other neighborhood developments in the city in recent years, including the $4 million rehabilitation of a two-story commercial building along East Warren Avenue with ground-floor retail and six apartments.

Slated for completion in early 2027, the Jefferson Avenue Apartments project received a competitive $1.65 million federal low income housing tax credit allocation in 2024. Financial partners in the project include equity partner Enterprise Community Partners, Independent Bank, Citizens Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estat...on-chalmers-affordable-housing-20260326/