$15M urban-agriculture project announced for eastside

[MSUguy]

A $15 million urban-agriculture project announced Monday is expected to transform 22 blocks of blighted land on Detroit’s lower east side into a massive swath of greenhouses and hoop houses.

The project’s 60-acre footprint — south of Interstate 94, along Chene Street to Forest Avenue — includes 35 acres of vacant land the city wants to lease to RecoveryPark, a nonprofit whose mission is to help ex-offenders and recovering addicts find employment.

Mayor Mike Duggan said the project will transform lives by putting vacant land to use and employing ex-offenders. It will employ up to 128 people within three years with 60 percent to be Detroit residents.

The project, to be operated by RecoveryPark Farms, a for-profit entity, must be approved by the Detroit City Council, which is expected to consider the issue next week.

“One of the questions that we are facing as a city is, what do we do with the vacant land that’s left behind,” Duggan said. “Today is an example of what I hope becomes the basis for the development of this land.”

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/new...pace/74631038/

Sounds like an excellent project. Urban ag has been going on in this city for something, but we haven't seen anything like this in terms a lot of being able to employ significant numbers of people.

[SDCC]

Sounds like an excellent project. Urban ag has been going on in this city for something, but we haven't seen anything like this in terms a lot of being able to employ significant numbers of people.

Excellent, exciting, and fantastic are but a few words I would use to describe this project. I was just listening to this on the news, and locally grown products are all the rage these days.
Go Detroit

[Dbest]

Fixing up the Chene Ferry Market for their business, sweet!

[Richard]

Well,it is going to be leased to a non profit.
Run by a for profit company.
Which owns the non profit.

So they get the land tax free as a non profit so their left hand can show a profit.

This was brought up in another thread when Mr. Bing was mayor and it went nowhere,for good reason probably.

Employment of 160 with 60% being Detroiters,but the 160 employed will be the ones coming from prison and drug rehab.So how exactly are you employing Detroiters?Well okay maybe Detroit coming out of prison, which is good that they will be taught a skill and can become employed by a farm,seems kinda like instead of the rural farms we want to create the urban farms so residents can then move back to the rural farm.

The justification of recent large property demolitions was based on companies wanting to relocate and build new in the city, wanted cleared ready land.Now it is saying there is an abundance of land.

For those in the city that pushed for the new bridge this is your thanks for the support,while companies are lining up and building warehouses,hotels,tech towns and transit centers surrounding the new bridge,you are happy about table scraps and setting the bar to low.

While that is happening,the job base is being pushed out further for those with transit issues,maybe offer the land to GE or some of the other warehouse builders that will provide a actual tax base and employment base to the city? Without the residents having to travel 25 miles to work.It looks like prime land right on the highway.Easy access.

[Chicago48]

Well,it is going to be leased to a non profit.
Run by a for profit company.
Which owns the non profit.

So they get the land tax free as a non profit so their left hand can show a profit.

This was brought up in another thread when Mr. Bing was mayor and it went nowhere,for good reason probably.

Employment of 160 with 60% being Detroiters,but the 160 employed will be the ones coming from prison and drug rehab.So how exactly are you employing Detroiters?Well okay maybe Detroit coming out of prison, which is good that they will be taught a skill and can become employed by a farm,seems kinda like instead of the rural farms we want to create the urban farms so residents can then move back to the rural farm.

The justification of recent large property demolitions was based on companies wanting to relocate and build new in the city, wanted cleared ready land.Now it is saying there is an abundance of land.

For those in the city that pushed for the new bridge this is your thanks for the support,while companies are lining up and building warehouses,hotels,tech towns and transit centers surrounding the new bridge,you are happy about table scraps and setting the bar to low.

While that is happening,the job base is being pushed out further for those with transit issues,maybe offer the land to GE or some of the other warehouse builders that will provide a actual tax base and employment base to the city? Without the residents having to travel 25 miles to work.It looks like prime land right on the highway.Easy access.

I'm with you on this.
There are Detroiters who are not "ex-prisoners" or prisoners who need jobs. And what exactly will they grow? Will these be greenhouses populated through the acreage or open air gardens?
Ambitious but I wouldn't want to live near a site where there are 160 ex-prisoners working.

[mikeg19]

I'm with you on this.
Ambitious but I wouldn't want to live near a site where there are 160 ex-prisoners working.

You could live on the east side where there are 160 future prisoners out "working" right now!


Also, the argument that this acreage could be better put to use by a company who wants to build a warehouse or something else there is a bit off base. 22 blocks of land for greenhouses and farming is barely a blip of available land that companies have the opportunity to use in Detroit for other purposes.

[downtownguy]

Well,it is going to be leased to a non profit.
Run by a for profit company.
Which owns the non profit.

So they get the land tax free as a non profit so their left hand can show a profit.

Not true. Recovery Park, a non profit organization owns Recovery Park Farms, a for-profit enterprise. Recovery Park Farms will be liable for taxes on their profits, as is any for profit business. After tax profit will be overseen by the non-profit's board of directors, and will likely be directed to supporting more social benefit programs under its mission.

Not unlike a coffee shop within a museum. The non-profit museum ultimately has to pay Unrelated Business Income Tax on the profits of the coffee shop. In the case of Recovery Park, they have chosen to create a separate for-profit entity, thus providing even more transparency.

[Richard]

Not true. Recovery Park, a non profit organization owns Recovery Park Farms, a for-profit enterprise. Recovery Park Farms will be liable for taxes on their profits, as is any for profit business. After tax profit will be overseen by the non-profit's board of directors, and will likely be directed to supporting more social benefit programs under its mission.

Not unlike a coffee shop within a museum. The non-profit museum ultimately has to pay Unrelated Business Income Tax on the profits of the coffee shop. In the case of Recovery Park, they have chosen to create a separate for-profit entity, thus providing even more transparency.

The city is leasing the land to the non profit ie: Tax exempt.

Read their web sites it says non profit but their mission is for profit over and over,when this first came up awhile back they had raised "shy" of a million towards their goal of $15 million,a year later they still are at their original funding start.

They are saying that they have a $8 million commitment,if they had that they could go to investors and loan on that commitment.

If it were me I would get a deal from the city under a tax exempt statues to minimize carrying costs and have no taxes,have everything set up in place to put a pot farm,then when it is approved just change to tax statues.

It is a $6500 gamble.