Haifa Fakhouri, president and CEO of the Arab American and Chaldean Council, has a vision for Detroit — specifically, one square mile of the city.

A nearly 20-year-old plan to redevelop an area on Seven Mile Road, now known as NorthTown and formerly called Chaldean Town, was stalled several years ago after the first phases were completed.

Now, Fakhouri and the ACC see opportunity coming from war-torn Syria, where millions have fled seeking asylum across the eurozone to realize the NorthTown project, including new multifamily Section 8 housing.

She believes as many 5,000 Syrian families seeking refugee status could call NorthTown home and revitalize the blighted neighborhood.

Fakhouri said the placement of refugees will jumpstart the local economy and create a vibrant district, much like Greektown or Mexicantown, but roadblocks remain.

"We've met with several organizations and leaders, but it's moving slowly," Fakhouri said. "We can turn the city around and repopulate that area as more and more Syrian refugees need a place to go. We believe in this revitalization project; it will add to the social mosaic of Detroit."

Tom Kelly, director of government affairs for law firmin Washington, D.C., and adviser to the ACC, said refugees can stabilize the neighborhood while offsetting population losses in the city.

"That stretch of Seven Mile could be used as an anchor to build up the neighborhood," Kelly said. "The wave of immigrants coming into the region stopped 30 years ago and these neighborhoods desperately need attention. This isn't reinventing the wheel but something other major cities have done and continue to do."