Detroit — Final plans of what will be built on the former Hudson’s site downtown is expected to be revealed by the end of this year, according to a new set of deadlines approved the city’s Downtown Development Authority Wednesday.
Work is expected to start April 2016 and much of the grand project will be done by April 2018.
The block-long site on Woodward Avenue is where the former J.L. Hudson store once stood. The development rights for the land is controlled by an affiliate of Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock Real Estate Services. In an earlier press statement, Gilbert called the project a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Gilbert’s Bedrock is leading the charge to revive downtown and the Hudson’s site is one of Bedrock’s most ambitious plans. Gilbert has not yet released final plans of what will be built on the site. Recently, Bedrock released early designs of what could be built. Renderings showed a swooping glass structure.
On Thursday, some new details were made public. There will be 250 residential units, 225,000 square feet of mixed-use commercial or retail space, as well as a “programmed civic space,” according to a document provided the development authority. In addition, there will be 900 parking spaces.
By Dec. 31, a final development and financing plan for the site will be ready.
In the earlier press statement, Gilbert said: “Our vision is to develop an iconic building that will have some ties to Detroit’s past, but more importantly, represent Detroit’s rebirth into a creative and high-tech future.”
Gilbert is founder and chairman of Rock Ventures and Quicken Loans Inc.
