Top Detroit development projects to watch in 2025
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Major development projects continue to reshape how Detroiters from downtown to outlying neighborhoods will live in the next decade and beyond.
- Here are the massive projects on our radar this year:
Renaissance Center
The RenCen's time appears to be running out — at least in its current configuration.
General Motors, which owns the building, and developer Bedrock pitched a $1.6 billion makeover in November to demolish two of the structure's towers while converting the other three into a mix of hospitality and housing.
Yes, but: The plan calls for $250 million in public funding, a condition that some lawmakers have criticized.
What to watch for: How aggressively developers pursue an alternative to the makeover — complete demolition — if support for public funding doesn't materialize.
- If the community decides "this space is too big or the subsidy to make it work is too large, we'll clear it off and make it developable," David Massaron, GM's chief economic development officer, told the Wall Street Journal.
New Detroit City Football Club stadium
The beloved local soccer club announced its acquisition of the former Southwest Detroit Hospital on the edge of Corktown last year for a new stadium expected to open for the 2027 season.
State of play: The team's footprint in the area has grown since the announcement to about 16 acres, while expenditures on land and buildings for the project have topped $15 million, per Crain's.
What we're watching: The stadium project is expected to undergo the city's Community Benefits Ordinance process, Crain's reported.
- The proceedings typically involve a series of public meetings with developers and residents that culminates with a list of commitments intended to support communities impacted by large projects.
Henry Ford Future of Health
Construction is underway in New Center for the $3 billion megaproject from Henry Ford, Michigan State and the Pistons.
Why it matters: It includes a Henry Ford hospital expansion, housing and retail from the Pistons and research space for Michigan State. Construction is slated to run through 2029.
What we're watching: How drastically construction affects driving and parking in the booming area this year.
- Henry Ford is already providing updates on road closures and shifting traffic patterns.
Other projects to watch:
District Detroit: A plan to build or renovate 10 buildings in the area surrounding Little Caesars Arena experienced delays last March as developers Related Cos. and Olympia Development said market conditions made financing construction of an office building unattainable.
- Under the expansion's revised timeline, construction of a 261-unit residential building is anticipated to start this year.
- A 14-story, 290-room hotel next to LCA would be built next, although a date has not been set, the Free Press reports.
Cadillac Square, aka Monroe Blocks: Dan Gilbert's Bedrock firm was given an extension until May to start construction of its long-planned mixed-use development near Campus Martius, which broke ground in 2018.
- Bedrock announced in November that an immersive Cosm events and entertainment venue will be the anchor tenant.
- A groundbreaking is planned this year.
Michigan Central Station buildout: The historic train depot's nearly $1 billion restoration was completed and unveiled last summer in celebratory fashion.
- This year, we'll be monitoring potential plans for more restaurants, a hotel and possibly passenger rail service.
La Joya Gardens: A ribbon-cutting at the mixed-use residential and commercial building at 4000 W. Vernor Highway in Southwest is expected later this month, project spokesperson Craig Fahle says.
- The $24 million development includes nearly 50 one-bedroom apartments and six two-bedroom units. Most of the apartments will be marketed as affordable, with rents as low as about $500 a month.