Homeless and substance abuse center in Cass Corridor plans major expansion

As much of the Ilitch-owned property in the lower Cass Corridor is left dormant, a substance abuse treatment and homeless shelter is planning an expansion.

In documents submitted to the city’s Historic District Commission, the Mariners Inn at 445 Ledyard Street outlined plans for new three- and six-story mixed-use buildings with separate towers on Cass and Ledyard. The buildings would have 44 units of long-term housing and 40 units of recovery housing. The proposal also includes ground-floor retail, rooftop gardens, outdoor space with furniture, a basketball court, and a new surface lot south of the buildings.

Current designs call for the smaller structure to be made of red brick with glass storefronts on the ground floor. The taller tower will have gray brick on the lower stories and fiber cement siding on the upper stories.

None of the existing two-story buildings at the Mariners Inn, built in 1956, will need to be demolished.

Landon Bone Baker Architects

According to Crain’s Detroit Business, the plan was recently approved by the commission, though it won’t begin construction until financing has been secured. The documents were submitted by Cinnaire, a Lansing-based community development financial institution.

The Mariners Inn also applied for $1.3 million in low-income housing tax credits during the most recent round, where the project was dubbed the “Anchor at Mariners Inn.” The estimated project cost has not been released.

Currently, the expansion has a fall 2021 completion date.

The addition will allow the Mariners Inn to provide wraparound services, along with long-term housing and recreation, in close proximity to each other.