Hello everyone,

Many projects in the city receive tax breaks. We regularly report on the most important ones, such as Michigan Central Station or Hudson’s Detroit.

But what about the smaller projects? For example, the Danish Brotherhood Hall in Woodbridge received $383,158 in state tax revenue, and Jefferson Holcomb secured nearly $800,000 in city tax breaks. We looked at six such projects announced in recent years to assess their progress.

There wasn’t much spectacular construction news last week, but we did find some under-the-radar gems. Detroit has launched a tree removal program, but it’s underfunded. A retired Detroit fire chief plans to turn a former fire station into a community venue and short-term rentals. Virginia Park Street residents are working with the city to restore brick pavers. And we enjoyed a profile on the owners of private parks that provide public amenities.

And finally, we’ll take Labor Day week off to rest and re-equip, and we’ll be back the second week of September.

As always, thanks for reading.

Dig the

Where do these six developments stand now?

by Patrick Dunn

Smaller projects often get less attention than their larger, flashier counterparts. But many of them seek and receive taxpayer dollars. We reviewed six such projects in Detroit and found varying levels of progress.

The dirt

Bunk in a former fire station? A retired Detroit fire chief plans to renovate a former firehouse in the Hope Village neighborhood near Davison and Lodge freeways. The plan calls for converting the historic early 1900s building into a community space and short-term rental facility offering accommodations ranging from bunk beds to a full 740-square-foot structure. Darnell Stewart, who said he bought the building nearly 30 years ago, uses it as storage space. A spokesperson for the project, dubbed The Firehouse Detroit, says a website with records of the renovation will be created soon. (Facebook)

This country is your country: The city has recently made significant investments in its public parks. Residents and nonprofits are also investing in private parks.

Residents in Northwest Goldberg, Banglatown and Virginia Park have spent their own money – supplemented by donations and grants – to build private parks that provide significant public benefits in areas lacking green space. In addition to the usual park amenities such as playground equipment and walking paths, these parks also host public programs and camps. (Model D)

Money doesn’t grow on trees: Detroit is working to trim or remove dead, dangerous or diseased trees on private property, but that will take time and cost more money.

The Detroit City Council allocated $10.8 million to the tree-cutting program when it was launched last year. The city received 7,500 applications during the three-month application period, but funds are only enough to cut down 3,500 trees. So far, 1,124 trees have been cut down – but if the pace continues, it would take about a decade to complete the program. The city aims to complete the first phase by the end of 2025, with priority given to the elderly and people with disabilities.

The 4,000 remaining applicants will remain on a waiting list and their trees will be examined when more money becomes available. (BridgeDetroit)

Development News Quick-Hitter

A condo in the historic Ransom Gillis home hit the market for $2.5 million – less than two years after its current owner bought it for $1.75 million (paywall). HGTV star Nicole Curtis restored the historic Brush Park mansion in 2015 and divided it into two condos. (Erica Collica, Crain’s Detroit Business)

The city is planning a $5.3 million project to restore the 131-year-old brick pavers on Virginia Park Street. The bricks still bear the marks of the tanks that rolled through them during the 1967 uprising. Construction could begin in spring 2025 and be completed later that year. (BridgeDetroit)

Last week we reported that Bedrock Detroit is close to demolishing some of the buildings it acquired from Wayne County after the new Criminal Justice Center is completed. One detail we missed: The 2018 agreement calls for Bedrock to spend at least $250 million (paywall) on a mixed-use development on the site. (Outlier Media, Crain’s)