Construction to begin soon on Woodbridge townhome development

Detroit’s Woodbridge neighborhood is filled with dozens of over 100-year-old Victorian homes.

Soon joining the mix will be new townhouses attempting to fit in with the neighborhood’s historic character. Woodbridge Crossing will eventually be 12 homes in six buildings on Lincoln Street between Canfield and Calumet streets, just outside the Woodbridge Historic District.

Construction will begin the first phase of six homes in the next thirty days. The developer, Scripps Park Associates, hopes to have the buildings done within 10 months. Scripps Park also recently completed the massive, 467-unit Woodbridge Estates, a mix of affordable and senior housing east of Gibson Street.

Developer Eric Gold says the first three homes were financed with equity, though they’re close to securing a loan from Chemical Bank that will likely be used for the second phase of construction.

Gold also says the homes were designed to share features with others in the neighborhood, like wraparound porches, dormer windows, brick exteriors, and similar heights and scales. They also come with a two-car garage separated by a breezeway.

Woodbridge Crossing will be for sale, market rate housing. The 3-bedroom townhomes, which have floor plans of 1,916 and 1,936 square feet, start at $460,000—around $240 per square foot.

That’s definitely on the high side—another Woodbridge home built in 1911 and around the same size just sold for $380,000—but selling agent Todd Craft with City Life Realty says the homes come with high-end finishes and appliances. He’s also encouraged by the neighborhood’s location and how similarly-priced developments, like The Corner at Tiger Stadium, have been selling fast. He sees Woodbridge Crossing as being a popular option for Wayne State University staff, medical professionals, and Ford employees working out of the renovated Michigan Central Station.

In a neighborhood like Woodbridge, which prides itself on preservation of character, it will be interesting to see how these townhomes are received by neighbors—and do on the market.