Southwest Detroit’s history remains a big part of what makes its future so bright. The nearby Ford Rouge Plant, with its revolutionary $5-a-day wage, attracted residents of Appalachian, African-American, Hungarian, Polish and other Eastern European descents to its neighborhoods, making them some of the densest in the city. And they remain that way today.
Currently, Southwest Detroit is the one of the only areas in the city that is growing in population thanks to a more recent influx of immigrants, primarily from Mexico but also from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the Middle East. This growth has inspired lots and lots of investment — $200 million over the last 15 years, according to Gateway Communities Development Collaborative, a nine-member association of Southwest Detroit non-profit developers.
Investments range from a self-funded mom-and-pop mercado, or market, to a 30,000-square-foot, $10 million retail development.
Major investments in recent years include:
- Taqueria Mi Pueblo restaurant opened in 1998 and has already tripled in size. Located on Dix next door to the Livernois-Junction Yard, an Intermodal freight terminal, the restaurant is one of nearly 15 taquerias that have opened or expanded in Southwest Detroit in the last several years.
- In 2001, Arvin Meritor (www.arvinmeritor.com) made a major industrial investment on West Fort Street with the development of their Light Vehicles Systems Detroit Technology Center. This brand-new 170,000-square-foot plant assembles sunroofs and suspension modules. Of the more than 250 employees, close to 80 percent live in the two neighboring Southwest Detroit ZIP codes.
- In 1999, E&L Meats opened a $4 million, 25,000-square-foot supermercado on West Vernor behind their original meat market.
- La Plaza Mercado, on West Vernor at Lansing Street, is a 30,000–square-foot, $10 million development that was completed in 2002. It includes Sam’s Mercado, several restaurants and a Foot Locker.
- Lawndale Station, adjacent to Oddfellows Hall, is a two-part, $15 million development that consists of five buildings for retail and residential use. Developed by Southwest Housing Nonprofit Corp., current commercial tenants include Casa de Unidad, a Housing Opportunity Center and the Campbell Branch of the Detroit Public Library.
The growing neighborhood has an enviable mix of privately and publicly funded development, rehabbed storefronts and new construction and thriving retail and industrial businesses. Southwest Detroit may just be the boomtown of the Motor City.
West Vernor
West Vernor, the “Main Street” of Southwest Detroit, is perhaps the most pedestrian-friendly commercial corridor in the entire region. With storefronts at 95 percent occupancy — a rate that puts many suburban malls to shame — crowds of shoppers line the street seven days a week.
The bustle is in large part because of the efforts of the Southwest Detroit Business Association (SDBA). Founded in 1957, the nonprofit focuses on leveraging private investment, strengthening the area’s economic assets and retaining Southwest Detroit money in Southwest Detroit.
Keeping these dollars in Southwest Detroit, despite impressive commercial activity, remains an issue. There is still demand for more retail than there is space for, at the moment, and the area could use another 250,000 square feet of retail space, says Kathleen Wendler, SDBA’s President. The figure is backed by a retail market analysis prepared by Gibb Planning Group in 2001. To begin to address this large gap, SDBA is currently developing the Oddfellows Hall at Vernor and Lawndale. “Along with adjacent retail space [being developed by Southwest Nonprofit Housing Corp.] the Oddfellows Hall project will absorb approximately 35,000 square feet of this need,” Wendler says.
Although SDBA’s Oddfellows project is intended to promote smart urban development by restoring an existing historic structure, Wendler often pronounces the organization “the developer of last resort.” SDBA expends much of its efforts on promoting private investment in the area.
One tool that SDBA uses to support its existing merchants and to attract new ones to West Vernor is a “Business Improvement District” (BID), which provides daily sidewalk maintenance, trash basket maintenance and snow removal. It also promotes public safety and marketing strategies for the retail corridor.
Currently, the West Vernor BID is voluntarily-funded by participating businesses, but SDBA is working to formalize it. Such districts have been successfully used to strengthen commercial corridors all over the country, and many are mandatory in the sense that they are funded through special assessments collected from the property owners within the district. Wendler is hopeful that the West Vernor BID will be formalized before the end of 2006, which will certainly add a great deal of strength to this already successful initiative.
Michigan Avenue
As West Vernor becomes a more attractive — and therefore, a more expensive — corridor in which to invest, commercial activity is spilling over to Michigan Avenue.
Joe Gappy, whose family owns Prince Valley Supermercado, is a true believer in the corridor’s future. His father bought the original Prince Valley, which was located directly across the street from its current location back in 1975. After a disastrous fire in 1999, the Gappys bought out the grocery store across the street and opened the bigger and better Prince Valley in 2001. “We gutted and completely remodeled, repaved the parking lot, everything,” says Gappy. They’re planning on some major façade work in the near future, as well as potentially developing the parcel they still own across the street.
Having been in the neighborhood for decades, Gappy has seen a change in clientele — and welcomes it. “Back in 1975, when I was 8 years old bagging groceries, we served a primarily Polish clientele. Over the years, that evolved to a mix of Polish and African-American to what it is today, a mix of Latino, Polish, and African-American.”
The Gappys challenged themselves to emulate a suburban corporate grocer while developing their store’s image. Prince Valley offers a key card reward program, which not only inspires customer loyalty but also has proved to be a successful branding technique. “We have friends who’ve seen our key cards way out in the ‘burbs,” he says, laughing. Prince Valley has no bars on its windows, has clean (and in-service!) bottle return machines and sells fresh produce and meat. Gappy might be most proud of their in-house products such as cheese empanadas and tortillas — employee shirts proclaim “Freshest Tortillas in Detroit!” across the back.
As far as their connection to the community, Gappy’s brother Jeff serves on the board of the Michigan Avenue Business Association, and they are also active in community policing efforts in the area. Business is definitely increasing — their 27 employees in 2001 have blossomed to 57 . Gappy’s optimistic about his business’ future, too: “Of course I have some faith. As a resident, business owner, and developer in this community — I must, right?”
The Michigan Avenue Business Association is working to retain businesses like Prince Valley while attracting new businesses to vacant building and lots. They have partnered with the Michigan Department of Transportation to enhance the two miles of Michigan Avenue between Wyoming and Livernois. The work, which is half-completed, includes new lighting, ornamental sidewalks and a complete repaving of the roadbed. At an estimated cost of $1.5 million, it’s obvious the State of Michigan has faith in the community as well.
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Directions to Southwest Detroit
From the East:
Take I-94 West, continue to exit 211B toward Cecil Ave/Central Ave then turn slight left onto Edsel Ford Fwy W. Turn left onto Central St. Either turn onto Michigan Ave or continue to Vernor Hwy.
From the North:
Take I-75 South to I-94 West via exit 53B toward Chicago. Continue to exit 221B toward Cecil Ave/Central Ave then turn slight left onto Edsel Ford Fwy W. Turn left onto Central St. Either turn onto Michigan Ave or continue to Vernor Hwy.
From the West:
Take I-96 East to I-94 West via exit 190A toward Chicago. Continue to exit 221B toward Cecil Ave/Central Ave then turn slight left onto Edsel Ford Fwy W. Turn left onto Central St. Either turn onto Michigan Ave or continue to Vernor Hwy.
From the South:
Take I-94 E toward Detroit and continue to exit 212A toward Livernois Ave. Stay straight to go onto Edsel Ford Fwy West and turn right onto Livernois Ave. Either turn onto Michigan Ave or continue to Vernor Hwy.
Take I-75 North toward Detroit to exit 46 toward Livernois Ave and stay straight to go onto Fisher Fwy West. Turn left onto Junctions St. Either turn onto Vernor Hwy or continue to Michigan Ave.
New Public Safety Center for the Police, Fire and EMS Departments
Arvin Meritor
Lawndale Station
Prince Valley Supermercado
New Lights and Signage on Michigan Avenue
All Photographs Copyright Dave Krieger