New details emerge for redevelopment of Herman Kiefer Complex

Hotel & skate park included

By Robin Runyan Apr 3, 2017, 2:20pm EDT

It’s been a while since we’ve heard updates on the redevelopment of the Herman Kiefer site, the sprawling 17.9 acre site with eight buildings covering 526,000 square feet. It’s located in the Virginia Park district, right off the Lodge between Taylor and Pingree.

Curbed visited the site in 2014, when the city and developers were deciding what to do with it. New York developer Ron Castellano is working with the city to develop a plan and timeline for the complex. The Detroit News reports on it extensively today. Here are a few of the details:

One of the pavilions will be redeveloped into a four-story hotel with 13 large rooms, a community kitchen, and conference space. This should have an end-of-year timeline.
A 10,000-square-foot skate park is planned inside the old Hutchins school with Detroit-based skateboarding group Community Push.
Castellano has bought 300 vacant lots and 100 abandoned homes in the area.

More details can be found in the Detroit News. The whole plan will take up to eight years. Castellano is holding neighborhood meetings to discuss the plans.

Curbed visited the Herman Kiefer Complex back in 2014. If you want to see over 60 photos inside and around the grounds, you can find those here.