FCA Wanted to Buy D-Ham from GM

[313WX]

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-e...roit-expansion

[Wesley Mouch]

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-e...roit-expansion

Wonder what didn't come together. As a Hamtramckant, would have been a good outcome. Sure, I know that labor contracts are tough to break, but was still surprised by Barra's comment that the plant 'comes with our unionized workforce'. Would be unfortunate if Tesla might have been interested but for legacy labor rules.

So if auto-making is unlikely now, what is the future? Who owns the land? Did GM get title in the 1980s deal? Or do the cities involved have some say? Could the land be used for 'clean sheet', rural type use like Amazon distribution, or are there too many legacy rules strewn about. A piece of land that large, inside a currently-popular city seems like a big opportunity? Has Detroit learned the lesson that success will probably come from not hog-tying potential job creators? Or is the model still the NYC/Amazon model of seduce till you can extort?

The other day, I was looking at an aerial photo of the area. Hamtramck glows. The 'other side of the tracks' in Detroit from Hamtramck to the airport has really turned to farmland, mostly. I hope something on this 'Poletown' land can help keep Hamtramck vibrant.

[stasu1213]

I think that the reason was Nissan is not unionized and that would had went against the general rule that also run Detroit; the Union. Many of the empty plants could had been taken over by Toyota, Honda, and Nissan years ago but the former occupants would rather see the plants sit empty for decades than to let the foreign competitors take over the buildings and beat the local yokels at their own games by producing better cars. This is probably the reason why many of the decisions made in Detroit had been ass backwards and not benefitting the city nor the residents of it