That's what this Crain's article says. The announcements of employee transfers and the hopefully rebounding GM are fueling demand.

"Now with 5,000 new jobs coming to Detroit in the next two years, residential real estate agents wish some of the residential projects had been built, because of the growing demand and shrinking supply of residential space. "

"Activity has picked up at the rental units at the DoubleTree Fort Shelby, said Scott Allen, Bingham Farms-based Fourmidable Group Inc., which handles leasing and management for the 56 units.

The apartments are 95 percent leased, but 60 percent of the leases are long-term leases.

“The positions at General Motors and other companies are having a positive effect for us,” he said. “Traffic has picked up in the last 90 days.”

The 360-unit Pavilion, a 62-year-old apartment building in Lafayette Park, has picked up activity recently and is now 100 percent occupied,"

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What about retail? Authority [and, hey, handball player too] Jim Bieri says...

Detroit's retail base stems from sporting events, conventions and entertainment, he said. Converting the event-based retail base to an everyday retail base will take a much larger downtown population.

“I don't know what the magic number is, but you're looking at something like 100,000 people downtown, and we're not there yet,” he said. “Before we see any kind of increase in boutique retail, there have to be more people living downtown.”

But Bieri is hopeful that the recent announcements are a start.

“We're gaining ground right now,” he said. “There's some good leadership, no wars with the suburbs. I hope we've hit our bottom.”
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Speramus meliora!