University of Michigan board OKs construction of $250M Detroit satellite campus
We shall see if construction actually starts before the end of the year...
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During its meeting on Thursday, which was held at the UM Flint campus, the board took key steps needed for the University of Michigan Center for Innovation to become reality. The approval was not on the board's agenda. There had been no indication during the meeting that a vote or discussion had been planned until it started around 5 p.m., an hour after the meeting began.The regents signed off on the construction of the UMCI, as well as accepting a $100 million donation from developer Stephen M. Ross and accepting a land donation from the Ilitch family. In addition, the board signed off on the university paying the Ilitches north of $1 million for a chunk of land on which a student parking structure would be built.
Groundbreaking is still expected by the end of the year.
"Making the most transformative projects a reality is never easy," Ross said in a statement. "We've traveled a long road together to arrive at this important moment. Bringing the UMCI to life has taken the hard work of so many—elected officials, the leadership at the University of Michigan, and the people of Detroit, especially the mayor. I look forward to our continued collaboration and Detroit's role in Michigan's bright future." The proposed $250 million graduate school satellite campus is years in the making. It first became public in May 2019 with a proposal pitched at a site best known as the former home of the half-built Wayne County Consolidated Jail project.
It was formally announced in October 2019 as a collaboration between Ross, mortgage and real estate billionaire Dan Gilbert and the university. The vision shifted over the years, including to a new spot in the District Detroit area to serve as sort of a second anchor for the area largely controlled by the Ilitch family.When the Ilitches brought in Ross, they also pitched 10 new and redeveloped buildings as part of a $1.53 billion series of development proposals, the first of which was to start this year but has not yet broken ground. The Ilitches and the Detroit Wayne County Stadium Authority continue to negotiate over the purchase of key properties that are meant to house some of the new buildings, the Detroit Free Press reported last month. One appraisal for the properties ordered by the county came in at $35.3 million, while an Ilitch family-commissioned appraisal came in at $25.5 million, a nearly $10 million gulf, the Freep reported.
UM took over development duties for the University of Michigan Center for Innovation — previously called the Detroit Center for Innovation — earlier this year.
"The University of Michigan Center for Innovation will produce lasting, inclusive economic impact for the city and state, especially attracting and retaining a new generation of top talent and global companies in Detroit," Related and Olympia said in a statement. "As a world-class institution delivering talent to leading companies across the U.S., we believe the University of Michigan is uniquely positioned to lead a talent revolution in Michigan and we are thrilled to have the university in The District Detroit."
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