Dan Gilbert's Bedrock LLC real estate company is giving free rent for the next three months to its small-business retail and restaurant tenants.

The move in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic is geared toward reducing the financial strain on small business in Gilbert's expansive real estate portfolio in and around downtown given the widespread economic shutdown ordered by local and state governments to combat the disease's spread in the region, where at least 1,035 have been infected and nine have died.

Matt Cullen, CEO of Bedrock, said dozens of businesses will not pay rent, common area maintenance and security and parking fees in April, May and June, a cost that Bedrock will absorb to the tune of "millions."

He declined to say exactly how much it would cost. Crain's also asked for a precise number of businesses impacted.

"We wanted to give people the confidence that they could start working on the relaunch of their business rather than what they'll do over the course of the next 30 to 60 days relative to cash flow," he said in an interview Sunday, adding that "more than 40 percent" of downtown's retailers and restaurants are part of the Bedrock tenant roster and would therefore get rent relief.

Bedrock is using industry and governmental standards criteria to determine which businesses qualify. The Small Business Administration uses things like employee count and revenue in hundreds of classes to classify small businesses, and Bedrock said those would be among the determining factors.

Latricia Wilder, owner of the Vibe Ride fitness studio on Randolph Street, said Bedrock's move is saving her over $30,000.

"It's a lifesaver," she said. "Coronavirus started to dwindle the business and it started to cause (people to) watch out in places, but then on March 16, everything stopped."

That's when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive order that closed fitness studios, movie theaters, dine-in restaurants and bars.

Vibe Ride, which opened in July, had a peak of $20,000 in one month, Wilder said.

The Ilitch family's Olympia Development of Michigan real estate company said in a statement that it is being flexible with its retail tenants in the District Detroit area.

"We continue to monitor the impact that COVID-19 has on our tenants and we remain flexible as the situation evolves and new information arises," the company said Sunday. "We are in regular contact with our tenants, many of which are small businesses, and we are committed to addressing their specific needs."

Yahoo! Finance reported Wednesday that retail rent relief nationally is underway. Some national retailers have requested it through June 30, and many landlords have been flexible as their tenants have struggled with things like mandatory shutdowns and calls for social distancing and staying indoors.

To date, there are no rent relief programs in place for tenants in Bedrock's residential buildings.

Gilbert's Detroit-based Quicken Loans Inc. mortgage giant on March 16 announced a total of $500,000 in commitments from the Quicken Loans Community Fund and the Gilbert Family Foundation, made as part of a larger $1.2 million United Way-led community response fund commitment in support of local nonprofits amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Bedrock has a real estate portfolio of more than 18 million square feet in Detroit and Cleveland, which Gilbert began assembling a decade ago.

Forbes estimates his net worth at $6.4 billion.