6 major Detroit projects are coming sooner than you think

John Gallagher | Detroit Free Press

Some of Detroit’s biggest development projects have been in the works so long that it’s hard to believe that they’ll finally get done.

But absent some shocking setback, six of Detroit’s most significant projects will open in quick succession in a few years' time. These projects, including Ford's remake of the Michigan Central Station and Dan Gilbert's Hudson's site project, will redefine the face that Detroit shows the world.

It's just coincidence that all of these are planned to open in back-to-back fashion. But it also illustrates that decades of efforts to revitalize the city have begun to pay off, at least in terms of producing the biggest development projects.

The experience of adding so many iconic new landmarks to the city in short order is likely to open a new chapter in Detroit's story.

For one thing, many of these projects, including Ford's Michigan Central Station and Gilbert's Hudson's site, will feature major retail and community gathering places. It's likely Detroiters will visit these attractions in large numbers, creating common experiences and shared memories.

Then, too, the iconic architectural designs of the Gordie Howe Bridge, the west riverfront park, the Hudson's site and the others are likely to create new postcard images for the city, giving the world a new way to see and think about Detroit.

And the jobs and residential units created by these projects will boost the city's economy in important ways.

As Rich Bardelli, construction manager for Ford's remake of the train station, told me the other day, “As a Detroiter, growing up here, seeing the rebirth of our city, outstanding."

Tax incentives an issue

Will they all really happen? There's always a chance that a sharp recession or other calamity could delay one or more of the projects. Even ordinary construction snags could set back the timing on some of them. But it's hard to see how any could be canceled outright at this point.

A blend of modernist design and attractive community spaces, these projects represent a huge investment in the city's future. They will draw thousands of users and visitors daily and create a new common experience for those living in or visiting the Motor City.

And while they may raise anew issues that already dog Detroit, like the use of tax incentives for development, their back-to-back-to-back ribbon cuttings in 2023 and 2024 will focus attention on Detroit in new and useful ways.

The Big 6

Here's where these six big projects stand:

1. The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park: This park will remake the 22-acre site on the west riverfront that now is just a big grassy open field. Currently in final design, the park is slated to open in the fall of 2022, although it wouldn't surprise me if that slips into 2023.

2. Michigan Central Station: Ford's remake of the station as its center of mobility research should finish construction by the end of 2022. Once tenant spaces are finished, the depot will open for use by mid-2023.

3. The University of Michigan's Center for Detroit Innovation: This recently announced project should be ready to welcome grad students on the former "fail jail" site downtown by 2023.

4. Dan Gilbert's Hudson's site project: Now under construction, this new skyscraper should be ready to open about that same time.

5. Wayne County Criminal Justice complex: This project in Midtown that Gilbert's Bedrock real estate arm is building in exchange for getting the "fail jail" site should be ready about the same time as the Hudson's site.

6. The Gordie Howe International Bridge. The last scheduled to open is the new bridge across the Detroit River. It is scheduled to open to traffic by the end of 2024.

Collectively, these six projects represent billions of dollars in new investment and many thousands of construction and permanent jobs.

Are there any negative implications of all these projects coming online in close order? Perhaps a few.

The down side to mass openings

Since many are in downtown or Midtown, their openings may exacerbate our already fractious debate over "two Detroits," which pits a vibrant downtown against the still struggling neighborhoods.

Then, too, most of these major projects will be government or nonprofit owned, so they won't be paying property taxes. And some, like the Hudson's site project, also got a break on other types of taxes. So the growing backlash over using tax breaks to spur development may heat up even more as these projects open back to back.

And given the growing worries over the U.S. economy, some of these projects may be opening in the middle of the next recession. If so, that could dampen any celebratory mood.

But at long last ...

Against those potential negatives we must weigh the impact of finally completing deals that in some cases have been decades in the making.

Don't forget that the old Hudson's store closed in 1983 and was imploded in 1998. If Gilbert's project opens in 2023 or so, that will be 40 years since the store's closing first led to efforts to replace it.

Then, too, Michigan and Canadian officials have been talking about a new bridge to Canada since at least the 1990s. The Michigan Central Station has defied efforts to reuse it since Amtrak stopped running trains there some 30 years ago. Wayne County has been struggling to build a new jail for at least a decade.

Development takes time. The process is fraught with delays and setbacks. But occasionally the stars align and a lot of stuff happens in a flurry of activity.

It was like that in Detroit during the golden age of skyscrapers in the 1920s. It was like that again during the post-World War II boom years.

And a few years from now, Detroit is likely to see another string of game-changing openings. That should be something to see.

Contact John Gallagher at 313-222-5173 or gallagher@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @jgallagherfreep. Read more on business and sign up for our business newsletter.