City officials and stakeholders broke ground on an ambitious new development in Midtown last week.
Construction of the mixed-use development, dubbed Midtown West, is planned to roll out in phases. Once complete, the development could result in more than 300 residential units, more than 10,000 square feet of retail space, a coworking space, new city roads, a new one-acre city park, and more — should all go as announced.
Midtown West is centered around the old Wigle Recreation Center site at Third Avenue and Selden Street. The property will be transformed with the construction of several new mixed-use buildings, as well as a restoration of the street grid with the extensions of Fourth Avenue and Tuscola Street.
The adjacent Jefferson School will be redeveloped as a coworking and innovation hub.
"This is the largest publicly held, contiguously assembled new construction development site in Midtown," says Donald Rencher, director of the City’s Housing and Revitalization Department.
"For that reason, it was crucial that we pick a developer who had not only a winning plan but also a commitment to creating a project that will be inclusive and lasting. We strongly believe we have that partner in Mario Procida and his team."
Mario Procida, CEO of the Procida Development Group, was on hand for the Friday, Nov. 15, groundbreaking, where he presented a $50,000 check to the Cass Corridor Neighborhood Development Corp.
Friday’s groundbreaking was for Fourth & Selden, a 26-unit condominium development with 4,200 square feet of retail space. The development is estimated to open by spring 2021.
Groundbreaking for the second development of the first phase is planned for spring 2020. That development, Midtown West’s largest, will feature 177 rental apartments, approximately 5,000 square of retail and a host of amenities.
A community benefits agreement stipulates that a minimum of 10 percent of the development’s housing must be considered affordable housing. Porcida has committed 36 units, nearly 18 percent, to tenants making 40 to 80 percent of the Wayne County average median income.
Details for the second phase of the development will be released at a later date.
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