Situated next to the Ambassador Bridge and Corktown, close to the newly reopened
Michigan Central Station, Detroit’s Hubbard Richard neighborhood has been navigating industry and development for decades.
“We simultaneously face both gentrification and industrial encroachment, and that's a really unique situation,” says Sam Butler, president of the
Hubbard Richard Residents Association.
Hubbard Richard is a vibrant residential neighborhood that, “from its very beginnings, has been a racially diverse, income diverse neighborhood, and so we want to make sure that it remains that way,” Butler says. Decades ago, the neighborhood’s motto was established as “Diverse and United," he says.
Residents are roughly 40% Latinx/Hispanic, 30% Black, and 30% white. The neighborhood is also a mix of new residents and people who grew up there—some have lived in Hubbard Richard for 60 years, Butler says. The neighborhood stretches from 16th St. west to Grand Blvd., and from Toledo St. and the railroad tracks south to Fort St.; Mexicantown overlaps with it.
The neighborhood’s proximity to the
Ambassador Bridge has always been a concern. “The Detroit International Bridge Company has long desired to expand their customs plaza. We went through months and months of negotiation and signed a community benefits agreement with them,” Butler says.
As part of the agreement—reached last October between the Ambassador Bridge, the City of Detroit, and the Hubbard Richard Residents Association—the Ambassador Bridge is donating several properties to Hubbard Richard, including part of the former Greyhound building site, which is in the process of being demolished.
“Through the agreement, we're getting some significant property that is important to our neighborhood's future,” and the association hopes to use some of it for affordable housing, green space, or other uses that benefit the community, Butler explains.
This agreement came after a long, acrimonious history with the bridge company, Butler says. “You know, the Ambassador Bridge is not going anywhere. But we aren't either. We are going to be neighbors for a very, very long time, and we need to find ways to work productively together.”
The association continues to advocate for residents, push back against industrial encroachment, and voice concerns about development and gentrification. To make sure the association represents its residents, it holds monthly community meetings, surveys residents, and knocks on doors.
“I love this neighborhood, because I think it is one of the most walkable neighborhoods in the entire city,” and it includes a grocery store that’s been owned by the same family for decades,
Honey Bee Market, as well as the Basilica of Sainte Anne, the second-oldest Catholic parish in the country, Butler says. “There's some really incredible assets here that I can tell you make everyone proud and excited to live here.”
Ray Lozano grew up in the neighborhood, but his home was torn down when I-75 was built. “The diversity, to me, has always made it unique,” he says, adding that the proportion of Latino residents has remained fairly constant over the decades since he grew up there. “I think the commercial strip is still a draw, with the Mexican restaurants and the Mexican businesses.”
Lozano now lives in a different Detroit neighborhood, but he goes to work in Hubbard Richard every day as the executive director of the
Mexicantown Community Development Corporation. Mexicantown CDC serves as the fiduciary for the Hubbard Richard Residents Association.
Lozano is also a member of the residents association’s beautification committee. Over the years, the residents have led many beautification efforts, including maintaining Stanton Park, holding neighborhood cleanups, and planting trees with the
Greening of Detroit. But the beautification committee still has work to do—Lozano points out that some areas of the neighborhood need more greenery, and bus stops lack seating.
The massive new development at and around Michigan Central Station is changing Hubbard Richard. “The opening of Michigan Central Station has been great. I think it has spurred a lot of economic activity in our area,” Butler says. “But we also know that that has more than doubled property values in five years,” so making sure that residents can stay in the neighborhood is a priority.
Detroit’s
Community Benefits Ordinance requires developers to engage with the community to address potential negative effects, and Hubbard Richard was part of that process for the Michigan Central Station development. Through it, Ford has been providing home repair grants and mini grants for other projects in Hubbard Richard.
The Hubbard Richard Residents Association also worked with
JustAir to get air quality monitors installed, which allow residents to check air quality using an online dashboard.
Air quality has been a persistent issue in the neighborhood, Lozano says. For example, when the Greyhound building was torn down recently, “a lot of the residents were complaining that there was a lot of dust” in the air that should have been mitigated, and some had asthma flare-ups, he says.
Beyond Michigan Central Station, other ongoing development will also affect Hubbard Richard. The
Brooke on Bagley apartment building was built recently, the Detroit City Football Club stadium will be built nearby, and the Joe Louis Greenway will run along the edges of the neighborhood.
“Like so many Detroit neighborhoods, we had years of blight and vacant properties, so the economic activity is largely good. We just need to make sure that we grow in an inclusive way,” Butler says.
Resilient Neighborhoods is a reporting and engagement series examining how Detroit residents and community development organizations work together to strengthen local neighborhoods. It's made possible with funding from The Kresge Foundation.