Stephen Ross has made his first hire in Detroit: Ryan Friedrichs, the city's chief development officer, who will join the billionaire's development company later this month.

Friedrichs joins New York City-based Related Cos. as vice president, the development firm announced Wednesday. The company said the 43-year-old will lead efforts related to the planned $750 million redevelopment of the former Wayne County Consolidated Jail site downtown, along with its $300 million anchor, the Detroit Center for Innovation.

"A Related presence in Detroit is the next milestone in realizing our vision for the Detroit Center for Innovation," Ross, chairman of Related, said in a statement. "Ryan's passion and commitment to advancing the city of Detroit and unwavering belief in DCI made him uniquely suited to grow our local team that will see the project to fruition."

Friedrichs told Crain's that he has been attempting to get Ross to invest in Detroit for a number of years and that discussions about joining Related locally began over the holidays.

Friedrichs will be tasked with building a roster of employees to work on that project and possibly others in the city. He said Related is searching for office space downtown.

"This is an exciting move for Ryan, Stephen Ross and our city," Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said in a statement. "Ryan and his team have done extraordinary work to build a professional development and grants office that has brought in more than $1 billion in outside funding over the past five years to support many of our most important initiatives. We are sad to see Ryan go but I understand this is the opportunity of a lifetime to help lead a project like the Detroit Center for Innovation and the many other great things we expect Stephen Ross and Related to do in Detroit."

Friedrichs is the husband of Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who previously headed up Stephen Ross' Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE).

Last year, Friedrichs was entwined in Duggan's Make Your Date scandal.

An investigation by Detroit's Office of Inspector General found that Friedrichs and his deputy, Sirene Abou-Chakra, were ordered by Chief of Staff Alexis Wiley to have a pair of their employees delete emails — which were later recovered and released — related to the city's involvement with the program headed up by Sonia Hassan, M.D. The OIG office found Duggan provided "preferential treatment" in "unilaterally" directing taxpayer resources to the Wayne State University prenatal care program.

Duggan's office disputed the OIG's conclusions. An investigation by the Michigan attorney general's office is ongoing, spokeswoman Courtney Covington confirmed.

Ross' team said Friedrichs and his department have brought more than $1 billion in public and private grant money and investment to the city for things like buses, parks and other things. He has also been heavily involved with the Strategic Neighborhood Fund program.

Ross announced last month that he is contributing $100 million to the Detroit Center for Innovation project, which is a joint effort with fellow billionaire Dan Gilbert and the University of Michigan at I-375 and Gratiot Avenue at the eastern edge of downtown.

The UM graduate school initiative is for students in things like mobility, AI, sustainability, cybersecurity, financial technology and other fields. The first phase of the project includes the 190,000-square-foot UM academic building, startup incubator, housing, hotel and conference center. The project is expected to break ground next year.