DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

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Developer nixes affordable housing project near Detroit rec center after neighborhood opposition

After nearly a year of pre-development work, a first-time developer in Detroit is seeking a new location for an affordable housing project planned on a site adjacent to a city recreation center.

Zach Kilgore, executive director of Arrive Community Development, announced Friday that the Islandview neighborhood mixed-use project with housing units targeted for some of the city’s poorest residents — one he and principals with Detroit-based Ethos Development Partners had been pitching and working on for a year — won’t move forward. At least not on the city-owned parking lot along Kercheval Avenue on the city’s east side that he had targeted. “Following conversations with community members, city officials, and other partners, we have decided to advance this project at a different location,” Kilgore said in a statement, noting that a new location has yet to be determined.

“We appreciate the residents and community leaders who took the time to share their perspectives throughout this process. Thoughtful community engagement is an essential part of responsible development, and we respect the passion people have for the places they call home.”

Kilgore’s statement did not provide a specific reason for pulling the plug on the project at the Kercheval site and he declined further comment Friday. But at a handful of public hearings earlier this year, residents of the neighborhood spoke in varying degrees of opposition.

The project was planned to be built on a parking lot adjacent to the Butzel Family Recreation Center. Opposition included the loss of the parking lot, added traffic, loss of access to a nearby playground and concerns over gentrification in the neighborhood.

Several proponents of the project also spoke to the benefits of such a development, saying it would bring new affordable housing and retail to the neighborhood.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estat...els-affordable-housing-project-20260724/