Midtown's developers have made the neighborhood one of the city's best; however, a new project is getting push back from the UCCA. Is preservation worth turning off an investor? It's an interesting dilemma for Midtown.
Excerpt from the
Detroit News:
Schaefer didn't anticipate a roadblock by the University Cultural Center Association, which has spearheaded the effort to have the area declared a historic district. The UCCA has helped create many historic districts in Midtown, including one to save the buildings that are now the Inn on Ferry Street, and proponents consider them a key part of the area's success.
The chances of Schaefer's housing complex coming to fruition are slim if the City Council approves the proposed Woodward-Palmer- Cass-Kirby Historic District.
"We've supported many new developments, and we will do so again in the future," UCCA President Susan Mosey said. "But one of the reasons people are attracted to the area is it doesn't look like everywhere else."
Schaefer said he's already spent more than $1 million trying to upgrade the apartment buildings, but he says the result of further spending will still be antiquated, small rental units with no parking. That's why he wants to start over and build the complex.
Read the entire article
here.
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