DETROIT (AP) \u2014 Ford Motor Co. revealed plans Tuesday to transform a long-vacant book warehouse into a hub for automobile innovation in Detroit\u2019s oldest neighborhood.<\/p>\n
Corktown, long known for its wood-framed houses, restaurants and taverns, is the site of the automaker’s planned $740 million project to create a place where new transportation and mobility ideas are nurtured and developed.<\/p>\n
The Dearborn, Michigan-based company’s foray into Corktown started with its 2018 acquisition of the massive Michigan Central train station and other buildings in the neighborhood just west of downtown.<\/p>\n
When work is completed, the 30-acre (12.1 hectare) site will have more than 1 million square feet (304,800 meters) of commercial space.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a really, authentically beautiful neighborhood. It\u2019s really important that we maintain its integrity,\u201d said Mary Culler, Ford\u2019s Detroit development director and president of the Ford Foundation.<\/p>\n
For decades, Corktown stood in the long shadow of the hulking 17-story train station. After being vacated in 1988, the building epitomized Detroit\u2019s blight and economic despair amid the city\u2019s steadily shrinking manufacturing base and exodus of people.<\/p>\n
Between the 1950s and 2010, Detroit lost more than 1 million residents. Stable, middle- and blue-collar neighborhoods were emptied of families. Houses became vacant, stripped of metal and anything else of value before collapsing or razed into mounds of wood and other debris.<\/p>\n
Through it all, the train station remained standing \u2014 too costly to demolish, too large for other uses, and a contradiction to its once-ornate grandeur.<\/p>\n
The depot opened in late 1913 and was designed by the same architects who created New York\u2019s Grand Central Terminal. Like other train stations across the U.S., Detroit’s became seemingly obsolete as interest in traveling by rail waned.<\/p>\n
Businessman Manuel \u201cMatty\u201d Moroun bought the building in the mid-1990s after a previous owner defaulted on a loan, but an anchor tenant could not be found.<\/p>\n
Two years ago, Ford stepped in, bought the building and started fixing up 500,000-square-foot (46,000-square-meter) structure. Work should be completed by the end of 2022.<\/p>\n
Ford expects to have about 2,500 of its own people and 2,500 partner employees working on the campus that will focus on autonomous vehicles. About 250 workers in Ford\u2019s autonomous vehicle business unit already work out of The Factory, another building near the train station.<\/p>\n
The former Detroit school’s Book Depository was designed by famed architect Albert Kahn. It has been vacant following a 1987 fire. The Detroit office of global architecture firm Gensler is working with Ford to renovate the building. Construction will start early next year. Move-in is expected in early 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Book Depository is going to be the heart of the innovation district … a mixed-use maker space for partners to come in and solve problems,” Culler said. “We think that this project is really pivotal for Ford and the city.\u201d<\/p>\n
A greenway will connect 7 acres behind the train station to the city\u2019s west riverfront, while the train platform and tracks will be repurposed as a technology testing and showcase area. It also is expected to feature pedestrian and bike paths.<\/p>\n
Ford’s plans fit into what Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. have envisioned for Corktown, according to Katy Trudeau, the city\u2019s deputy director for planning and development.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were people nervous about the significant impact the project would have on residents and housing prices,\u201d Trudeau said. \u201cPeople were concerned that their neighbors who were renters might be displaced due to rising prices.\u201d<\/p>\n
In some cases, rents have doubled \u2014 something residents worried about after Ford\u2019s 2018 announcement, said Debra Walker, who moved into Corktown about 20 years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody is seeing dollar signs, so rents are going up,\u201d said Walker, 67, who is retired. \u201cYou can still make your money, this is America. But what can we do to keep the neighborhood diverse?\u201d<\/p>\n
The city is seeking a competitive federal grant that would help fund up to 800 new affordable housing units in Corktown.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith all of the economic development happening in Corktown, it is critical that there is affordable housing developed alongside it,\u201d said Donald Rencher, Detroit Housing & Revitalization director. \u201cGiven the tremendous investment and trends that we are seeing, we are at an important time to ensure Corktown remains a place where Detroiters of all walks of life are welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some Ford employees at The Factory already live in the neighborhood, Culler said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is more than just the train station. We want to be a good neighbor there,” she said.<\/p>\n