$6M project to transform Catholic school into housing in Detroit's Banglatown

A $6.4 million plan to transform a vacant Catholic school into 23 affordable housing units in Detroit's growing Banglatown was unveiled Thursday by city officials and a local developer.

According to city officials, all of the units will be available at 60% of median income for the area – about $25,000, said Arthur Jemison, Detroit's director of housing and revitalization.

The apartment building is expected to offer one- and two-bedroom units and add a third level. Rent will likely be around $500 to $600 a month.

The former Transfiguration School at 13300 Syracuse near East McNichols is owned by the Archdiocese of Detroit. Built in 1925, the school has been vacant since 2005.

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"It is going to be really exiting to see a building that’s been long vacated become a vibrant part of a neighborhood coming back," said Mayor Mike Duggan at a news conference about the redevelopment. "They tell me within two years, we’re going to be able to come in here and see this place filled with residents."

Detroit-based developer Ethos Development Partners and Building Blocks Nonprofit Housing Corp. are overseeing the project. The building will be acquired from the Archdiocese later this year.

The project will be funded through tax credits, with low income tax credits with construction expected to begin by fall 2018.

Duggan said he and the Archdiocese began discussing ways to improve neighborhoods, which he said aligned with the Archdiocese's desire to strengthen its parish communities.

The project also includes a neighborhood stabilization plan that will focus on blight, with 18 of the worst vacant homes near the school being demolished.

A larger planning study will begin in Banglatown early next year, with the goal of replicating similar developments and renovations throughout the neighborhood.

The Banglatown neighborhood, which sits near the Detroit-Hamtramck border, boasts one of the more diverse populations in the city, according to Councilman Scott Benson, whose district includes the neighborhood which is also home to African-American, Yemeni, Polish, and Bosnian residents.

According to the city, almost two-thirds of Banglatown residents live at or below the poverty level."This brings great ... pride to be able to say we are bringing a housing development to District 3," Benson said. "It's been huge to have this kind of investment come to our neighborhoods. ...They're going to be clearing away a huge level of blight."

Victoria Griffin, who grew up in the neighborhood and attended the school years ago, said she's looking forward to seeing the vacant structure rehabbed.

"This really is awesome for the community," Griffin said.

Contact Katrease Stafford: kstafford@freepress.com or 313-223-4759.