New Detroit Core housing keeps filling up as the demand for rentals grows

An article in today's Free Press by JC Reindl provides an excellent and rosy summary of new residential rental projects in the Downtown to New Center core.

Projects continue to fill up as the doubling of mortgage interest rates has the luster of buying fading. Some snips...

So what is likely driving the demand for housing in greater downtown, according to developers, is former or would-be suburbanites opting for a more urban lifestyle.

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The latest high-profile development to open is Platform's 204-unit Woodward West, 3439 Woodward Ave. in Midtown, just north of Little Caesars Arena.

“I don't know how to put in context how extraordinary that is, because I've developed in a lot of different markets, growth markets in Florida and North Carolina, and the performance of this project really outstrips them all,” Cummings [Platform developer] said.

Summary of projects. Who remembers the days when this forum would get excited if just one such of the following would happen. Now it is difficult to keep up on them all. And this list excludes the brewing former Fisher 21 and Studebaker site projects that are also mentioned in the article.

• Book Tower, 1916 Washington Blvd. in downtown, 229 apartments, could be done late this year.
• Brush Watson, 444 Watson St. in Brush Park, nearly 300 apartments when fully done, leasing to start in January.
• The Louis, located at site of demolished Joe Louis Arena, 500 apartments, construction underway could finish in spring 2024.
• Lafayette West, 1401 Rivard St., 318 condos and apartments, construction underway.
• Perennial Corktown Apartments, 1611 Michigan Ave., 188 apartments, construction could finish in late 2023.
• The Exchange, 338 Gratiot in Greektown, 165 apartments and condos, construction could finish in spring 2023.
• The Residences @ 150 Bagley, 150 Bagley St. in downtown, 148 apartments, construction underway.
• City Club Apartments Midtown, corner of Mack and Woodward, 350 apartments plus a Target store, construction could begin next year.

I’d love to see some statistics showing from where the residents of these new developments relocated. How many are from outside of Detroit v. were already Detroit residents.

This has been the case for at least the last 8 years now.

An important asset may be the present of an efficient, rapid and cost free
street car line linking downtown to the New Center area. In many
metropolises, new developments are locate along light rail or heavy
rail lines. There are new residential developments begin constructed
and older buildings converted for residential use along Michigan south
west of downtown. That would probably speed up were street car
service reestablished along Michigan.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by renf

An important asset may be the present of an efficient, rapid and cost free
street car line linking downtown to the New Center area. In many
metropolises, new developments are locate along light rail or heavy
rail lines. There are new residential developments begin constructed
and older buildings converted for residential use along Michigan south
west of downtown. That would probably speed up were street car
service reestablished along Michigan.

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Huh? The QLine is "efficient" and "rapid"? Lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by casscorridor

Huh? The QLine is "efficient" and "rapid"? Lol

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Depends on the day.

QLine has greatly improved service since it opened. I guess the operators needed to live and learn, rather than just learning from the collective century of streetcar experience.

If it ran far enough north for me to jump on I'd have no qualms about it now.