Going vertical in Detroit: 5 taller developments to watch

While Detroit is certainly experiencing a construction boom, we haven’t seen too many new construction projects going very high. That’s starting to change, of course, with the groundbreaking of the Hudson’s site and more plans in the works. We’ve rounded up five projects to watch—one under construction, one expected to break ground soon, one that could break ground later in the year, and two that are in the works.

We’ve certainly heard our fair share of talk over the past couple years—from more towers next to the Ren Center from Dan Gilbert to filling in that land at Warren and Woodward. We wouldn’t be surprised at all to hear more in the works soon. Where would you like to see new towers go up in Detroit?

We’re nowhere near the supertall buildings of Chicago or New York City, but it’s an exciting time to watch development in Detroit. Here are five to keep an eye on, and maybe in the near future, we’ll have enough for a map.

Hudson’s site

Dan Gilbert and Bedrock broke ground in December on the tallest of the tall buildings in the works here in Detroit. The former Hudson’s site will hold the tallest building in the city (and state), just a few feet taller than the Ren Center at 800 feet and 58 stories. The development will have it all: residential, office, underground parking, event space, a conference center, and an observation deck on top.

Monroe Blocks

Courtesy of Bedrock

Bedrock is expected to break ground soon on a new development on the Monroe Blocks. Expect a 35-story office tower, plus additional residential tower(s) in the $830 million development. Renderings were released late last summer, and we should have clearer details closer to the groundbreaking.

Rumored 20-story tower near Comerica Park

Crain’s reports that Olympia is planning a 20-story residential tower near Comerica Park. Olympia is not confirming yet, but according to Kirk Pinho, it would be located on the east side of Woodward, overlooking the ball park. We’ll share more when we know more.

Rumored 35-story tower in New Center

This tower in New Center has also been just talk for a while. Crain’s reported back in June that Philadelphia developer David Grasso was planning up to a 35-story tower near Woodward and West Grand Boulevard. We do know that Develop Michigan recently approved a $1 million pre-development loan for Grasso for the site, which is where the former Woolworth’s store stands.

8 to 10-story tower in Islandview

A development this size might not even make a blip on the radar in many cities, but in Detroit, this is a big deal for a neighborhood so far outside of the Central Business District. In December 2017, The Platform revealed their plans to build an 8 to 10-story building on the site of the now-demolished Big Boy restaurant, right at East Jefferson and East Grand Boulevard across from Belle Isle. The project would include 240 apartments, plus retail and parking components. We can expect a ground breaking in the fourth quarter of this year, with a mid-2020 completion date. Could this development be an indicator of more investment outside of the CBD?