Industrial project for Detroit’s west side gains zoning, remediation approvals
The Detroit City Council has approved zoning changes and a brownfield redevelopment plan for the $62 million "Junction McGraw" industrial project on the city's west side. Developers have incorporated community feedback, leading to design revisions. Concerns from residents about the site potentially housing a data center were addressed by developers, who committed to disallowing such uses.
The Detroit City Council has approved significant steps for the $62 million "Junction McGraw" industrial project, located on the city's west side. The council authorized a proposal to rezone a large portion of the 30-acre site for industrial use and approved a brownfield redevelopment plan. The project is spearheaded by the Detroit-based Latimer Ashley Development Group LLC, a joint venture between Ashley Capital and the Latimer Group, which includes prominent local figures such as Real Times Media CEO Hiram Jackson.
Developers engaged in 15 community meetings since last September, incorporating resident feedback into the project's design. This led to a 20% reduction in the facility's proposed square footage, expanded vegetative buffers, and added landscaping. The plan also includes a pedestrian walkway honoring the former Kronk Gym site and improved pedestrian safety features. Critically, the development team has committed to addressing community concerns by allocating a three-acre site for future neighborhood-informed commercial or residential development and prohibiting uses like ICE detention centers or data centers in the development agreement, as explicitly stated by Derrick Headd, president of public policy and operations for the DEGC.
The industrial facility, which is expected to generate approximately 400 union-wage jobs, with a hiring priority for Detroit residents, is slated to begin construction in spring 2027 and be completed in early 2028. The project will utilize Act 381 Brownfield incentives and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to recoup remediation costs. Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero noted the voluntary agreements made with the community, expressing comfort with the project's concessions.