Ford says it plans to put housing in Detroit train station

JC Reindl | Detroit Free Press

Michigan Central Station could soon be Detroit's hottest residential address.

The automaker said Tuesday that it plans to open several floors of housing in the old depot as part of building's coming top-to-bottom redevelopment, set for completion in 2022.

These residential floors will be in addition to office floors and retail space. The total number of residences, as well as their target demographics and location in the building, has yet to be determined, said Ford spokesman Karl Henkel.

The 105-year-old train station has never before seen residential use. The station's tower, which rises 15 stories above ground level, was built to hold offices. However, there never were enough tenants to fill the tower, leaving many upper floors forever vacant.

Ford also unveiled details Tuesday for how it plans to expand the company's footprint in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood beyond the train station.

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The automaker said its Corktown campus will eventually encompass 1.2 million square feet spread across four buildings.

Three-quarters of that space is to be split equally between Ford and its partners. The remaining 300,000 square feet will be a mix of retail and residential, according to Ford.

About 2,500 Ford employees, most from the mobility team, will work in Corktown by 2022. The campus would have space for up to 2,500 more people in the future.

Ford officials did not release details of anticipated development incentives.

The four buildings are:

Michigan Central Station (600,000 square feet).

The Factory at 1907 Michigan Ave., which houses about 200 advanced car technology workers.

The vacant Detroit Public Schools Book Depository, adjacent to the depot at 2231 Dalzelle, known as the Roosevelt Warehouse.

A former brass factory at 2051 Rosa Parks, a building whose sale is expected to close later this year.

"A lot of the tech companies have really wonderful campuses, but none of them have anything like this," Executive Chairman Bill Ford told reporters in the soaring lobby of the train station Tuesday.

Additionally, Ford said it has bought 2 acres of vacant land adjacent to the Detroit Police Athletic League complex.

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Last fall, months before the Ford deal, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan speculated aloud that high-end lofts could be a good fit for the train depot tower — if it were ever redeveloped.

Contact JC Reindl: 313-222-6631 or jcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JCReindl.