On October 3, 2011 the Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance [[DCPA) broke ground on a new 25,000 square foot mixed-use commercial/residential building located at 8900 Gratiot in the Gratiot Woods Neighborhood on the eastside of Detroit, between Holcomb and Rohns, three blocks south of the intersection of Gratiot and I-94. Eleven [[11) affordable residential apartments will occupy the second floor of the building. The first floor will offer 11,000 square feet of commercial space.
DCPA is a nonprofit community development organization implementing a comprehensive community development plan for the Gratiot Woods Community, a twenty block neighborhood on the eastside of Detroit. The site is located at the gateway to Gratiot Woods where DCPA has constructed or rehabilitated over [[130) housing units and 12,000 square feet of commercial space since 1997. DCPA has also implemented numerous neighborhood beautification, community organizing, and public safety initiatives in Gratiot Woods.
The new mixed-use building is a vital component of the Gratiot Avenue Redevelopment Initiative, a strategic plan being implemented by DCPA to comprehensively redevelop the Gratiot Corridor adjacent to the Gratiot Woods Community. Phases One and Two of the Gratiot Avenue Redevelopment Initiative entailed the $2.2 million redevelopment of [[3) existing buildings by DCPA located on Gratiot at McClellan, two blocks northeast of the project site. These buildings are now vibrant mixed-use facilities with a total of [[6) loft apartments and 10,000 square feet of commercial space occupied by the Capuchin Monks' "On the Rise Bakery", an Early Childhood Head Start Program, the DCPA Office Headquarters, the Michigan Coalition for Human Rights, and the International After School Program.
The general contractor for the $4.3 Million project at 8900 Gratiot is O'Brien Construction; the architect is Shelter Design Studio. The sources of funding for the project are: City of Detroit HOME Program, City of Detroit Community Development Block Grant [[CDBG) Program, State of Michigan [[MEDC) Brownfield Tax Credits, Opportunity Resource Fund, Invest Detroit Foundation, and Development Corporation of Wayne County.
For more information on the project, call Christopher Bray, DCPA Director of Housing and Development at [[313) 922-1435, ext. 22 or email at
dcpal@sbcglobal.net