Vacant Farmington school, training center to be turned into affordable townhomes

FARMINGTON, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) — A former school and training center in Oakland County that has been vacant for nearly 12 years will soon be transformed into a multi-million-dollar townhome community.

"We have to create opportunities for people to get started and also to find a great place to live. You should live in a great place, and it should be something that doesn't break your budget," said Farmington Mayor Joe LaRussa.

The building off Thomas Street was a school dating back to 1880. It eventually became the Maxfield Training Center but has sat empty for a decade.

What now looks like rubble will become Hillside Townes , a $16-million project creating 53 affordable townhomes in the heart of Farmington. The homes are anticipated to cost in the mid-$300,000 range.

"The whole country is experiencing what a lot call a housing crisis, and it's really a crisis of the type of housing that folks want and need. We have a lot of folks, especially in this missing middle, who need access to housing units that are affordable for them, and there just aren't units available on the market for them right now," said Michigan's Chief Growth Officer Hilary Doe.

Housing that's attainable like this offers opportunities for people of all incomes which typically leads to growth. This is a goal not just the city is committed to, but the state.

"The governor is really committed to continuing other projects like this. She's actually increased the housing goal from 75,000 units to 115,000 units to make sure that we have enough housing across our state to fill that missing middle and ensure there's affordable units for everyone and so folks will see more and more units like this across the state," Doe said.

Townhomes digging up solutions while also transforming the city of Farmington's future.

"This is just the beginning. Farmington is on its way. We've got this development, we have another project waiting in the wings, and we have several properties in our master plan that are also targeted for redevelopment," said LaRussa.

Construction is expected to start later this year. The first units are anticipated to be finished by 2025.