While Detroit is bankrupt, another downtown housing devevelopment is announced

[Wesley Mouch]

Of course bad choices help keep poor people poor, but the idea that education can fix that is dubious. The big difference between the rich and the poor isn't that the rich don't make mistakes, but that they can recover from them. The poor have no margin for error.

I'm all in favor of educating people, trying to teach them to make good choices, etc. I just lack your faith in that efficacy of that approach in getting people out of poverty, particularly in the current economic environment.

I miss your point here. Why can't the poor recover from a mistake. There are poor worldwide who manage to succeed. Just heard a speech by a guy who grew up in HUD housing in the ghetto and now is a independent businessman clearing about $2m a year. He's super-motivated because of his experience. And he works hard. So I don't know why a 'margin of error' matters. I'm sure its easier if daddy hands you cash -- but it doesn't seem to stop people in poverty from succeeding.

[1953]

The developer specializes in creating and managing moderate income communities within more distressed urban centers, per their website.

Thus, I think this is just the kind of project we need - if the market cannot create the housing, this kind of developer can.

Notably, they list an apartment complex in Highland Park among their assets.

1953

[mwilbert]

I miss your point here. Why can't the poor recover from a mistake. There are poor worldwide who manage to succeed. Just heard a speech by a guy who grew up in HUD housing in the ghetto and now is a independent businessman clearing about $2m a year. He's super-motivated because of his experience. And he works hard. So I don't know why a 'margin of error' matters. I'm sure its easier if daddy hands you cash -- but it doesn't seem to stop people in poverty from succeeding.

I believe you are a person of good will, but I find it almost incredible that you don't understand this.

First, I didn't say people born into poverty couldn't succeed, although it is difficult there are many examples. I said they don't have a margin for error. Let me give you an example. Suppose two people are arrested for the same offense. Both are taken to jail. What happens?

Poor person: can't make bail, has bad representation, appears in court fresh from jail, looking disreputable.

Non-poor person: makes bail, has good representation, appears in court clean and well-dressed.

Which one of these is more likely to come out of the experience without a criminal record? With probation instead of prison time? Which one of these is more likely to be able to get the record expunged subsequently? Which one is still employable?

Poor person does badly in school. Most likely, he falls further and further behind until he drops out. Better-off person is less likely to do badly in school in the first place [[better school, better home environment), but if he does, the school he attends is more likely to have good support services, and there are the options of private school and of tutoring. Which one is going to graduate high school, or community college, or college?

Better-off people simply have better support systems. The margin for error matters because of probability--even if you assume everything else is equal, if you give one group of people gets three strikes and another only two, the first group is going to have a higher batting average, but that doesn't mean the second group will never get a hit.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

I really think you have to look at individual projects, rather than saying that the whole idea of subsidized projects is bad. The idea of brownfield credits, or of historic preservation credits, for example, make perfect sense to me.

What is bad is subsidizing projects in idiotic locations [[I will continue to harp upon the insanity of the redevelopment of Herman Gardens), and subsidizing projects that are massively uneconomic and/or destructive of the urban fabric. This project, assuming it actually does get funded, looks like a nicely scaled project in a completely viable location. There isn't any reason to think it won't be successful.

I totally agree that the scale and location would make this very viable. Just outside of downtown, close to the river and the Dequindre Cut, next to a renovated Globe building, this would be a great new community. Especially great to see it being proposed by a former Detroiter. Cautiously optimistic.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

Curbed posted renderings http://detroit.curbed.com/tags/renderings-revealed

[wolverine]

Great news!!! And good to hear rents will be affordable

[mikeg19]

One: the design kinda sucks. I get that the streets will have a walkable Birmingham feel to it, but the interior parking I'm not a fan of, as I'm sure a lot of you aren't. Seems like the space could have been utilized in a better fashion, although I'm sure the price tag would be a lot more than $60M if they included underground parking or a structure.

Two: Subsides are still needed to get projects like this greenlit in Detroit, even in the popular areas like midtown and downtown, so I don't understand why people still wanna question the financing. Many of you have noted that per foot pricing still is not up to par for many projects to be purely financed by private investment, although I read somewhere recently that it has climbed steadily and could be in that range in the next 5 years if things continue on this upward trajectory. All things aside, I think it's good to finally get something over in that area, and hopefully the barren area between the Ren Cen and this development will fill in soon with another development.

[royce]

Agreed, Mikeg19, the design sucks. The rendering that shows townhouses on both sides of the street show townhouses with one small front window. The rendering that appears to show townhouses facing the Dequindre Cut look a lot better. So why not continue that look on the side streets? Also, why all of the parking facing Woodbridge? That street looks like it could handle street parking, therefore residences should be built along Woodbridge and not parking and a fence.

I know the renderings are generic, but the apparent placement of the buildings could be done in a more efficient manner. I just hope that this development is a little more substantial than the townhouse developments just north of Jefferson from downtown to Mt. Elliot.

[Papasito]

Detroit used to be the richest city in the world.

Here's what the locals in Dubai say when they see someone from Detroit visit their city:



Remember: Keep America poor! The Saudis need the money more than we do. Don't support American coal mines, natural gas and oil!

[Papasito]

Re- Auto Makers

There is no such thing as an American car anymore. There are cars made, or sponsored/assembled by so-called "American Companies" ... but the cars are an assembly of parts made by the cheapest source in the world they could find, typically 3rd world countries. Shameful.

[Honky Tonk]

Detroit used to be the richest city in the world.

Here's what the locals in Dubai say when they see someone from Detroit visit their city:



Remember: Keep America poor! The Saudis need the money more than we do. Don't support American coal mines, natural gas and oil!

Good Post, let's not only screw up our economy, let's screw up our environment on top of it.