City issues RFP for 7.5 acres in Old Redford neighborhood

Plans call to renovate or demolish homes, with 20 percent for affordable housing

Project is part of larger neighborhoods revitalization effort across the city

The vacant Holcomb School and surrounding neighborhood in the Old Redford area in northwest Detroit are up next for revitalization.

The city on Friday issued a request for proposals seeking plans to give the 50,000-square-foot school new life, rehabilitate 43 vacant homes and demolish 23 blighted homes across 7.5 acres near Grand River Avenue and Lahser Road. About 6.5 acres of that area is vacant lots and the former school grounds, which could be used for residential or nonresidential buildings, or be transformed into community space, such as gardens, parks or fitness trails.

The goal is to retain and attract new residents with 20 percent of the renovated and developed homes reserved for households earning up to 80 percent of area median income. The school could be transformed into residential or nonresidential use, the request said. The structure was built in 1925 and has been vacant since it closed in 2010.

"This is our strategy to drive development into the neighborhoods and move our city forward, working with community leaders and residents every step of the way," Mayor Mike Duggan said in a statement. "There are over 650 families who have seen the highs and lows of this area. Now, we're going to create new public spaces, clean up the vacant lots and move new neighbors into renovated houses."

The Old Redford Neighborhood Revitalization project will focus on the area bounded by Grand River and McNichols to the south, Pierson Street to the east, Pickford Street to the north and Lasher to the west. The area features approximately 200 publicly-owned parcels of land, including 66 structures and 175 vacant lots.

The area's commercial district is home to businesses such as Sweet Potato Sensations, Motor City Java House and the Redford Theatre and is within walking distance of a Meijer on Grand River Avenue.

The RFP deadline is Dec. 15, with the winning proposal to be announced early next year. For more details, visit detroitmi.gov/holcomb.

The announcement about the Old Redford project comes days after the city broke ground on a new park and announced plans for a community center in the Fitzgerald neighborhood near the University of Detroit.

Similar planning efforts are underway in Rosa Parks/Clairmount, West Vernor/Southwest and The Villages/Islandview neighborhoods. Others are planned in Russell Woods/Nardin Park, Jefferson Chalmers and Campau/Banglatown.