The Dirt: New commission looks to protect Detroit renters

A new commission created by Detroit City Council will craft policies that reduce evictions and hold landlords accountable. A developer built five single-family homes for sale on the eastside and plans to build dozens more. And notorious speculator Dennis Kefallinos unloaded one of his many dilapidated properties — for $6.5 million.

Renters rights recommendations

City Council unanimously passed a resolution last week to create a Tenants’ Rights Commission tasked with developing policy recommendations to reduce eviction rates, protect renters’ rights and enforce landlord compliance.

The commission will consist of nine members, four of whom will be renters who represent a range of perspectives, including older adults, people with disabilities and students. One member will be a landlord who owns no more than 10 properties, all of which must be code-compliant. Nominations to the commission will be split evenly between the council and mayor, with one jointly nominated. (BridgeDetroit)

Demand for new single-family houses?

A developer is testing Detroit’s real estate market for a product that isn’t seen much: newly constructed single-family homes . Greatwater Homes is finishing construction on its first batch of five houses in the East Village neighborhood, with prices ranging from $339,000 for a two-bedroom ranch to $459,000 for a two-story, three-bedroom house.

The private equity-backed developer says it already owns 23 lots on Fisher Street (paywalled) — all of which were purchased from Hantz Woodlands — and plans to build homes on all of them over the next year and a half. It could ultimately build as many as 200 homes in the area, depending on demand.

The houses are built on spec and can be customized. The base model costs about $285,000. All come with a 15-year Neighborhood Enterprise Zone property tax abatement. (Detroit Free Press, Crain’s Detroit Business, Outlier Media)

Hub of activity

The city opened its newest transit center over the weekend at the former Michigan State Fairgrounds. The Jason Hargrove Transit Center is named after a Detroit bus driver who died from COVID-19 in April 2020. The facility cost $31 million to build.

It replaces an outdoor transit center that had little public amenities, despite being a major hub for Detroit Department of Transportation and SMART riders. The new facility, built in the Fairgrounds’ repurposed dairy cattle barn, provides cover from the elements and new amenities like restrooms, a ticket counter and a taxi pickup area. The city is also hoping to lease space in the building to retail businesses. (Detroit News, BridgeDetroit)

Development news quick-hitters

The city says it still hasn’t gotten proof of financing for the Perfecting Church cathedral on Woodward Avenue at 7 Mile Road. The city and church reached a deal on the $50 million megachurch last year. Perfecting Church had a groundbreaking in March but has missed deadlines along the way. (Axios Detroit)

Dennis Kefallinos has sold the old Southwest Detroit Hospital (paywalled) to the former owner of a downtown coffee shop for $6.5 million. Kefallinos bought the abandoned hospital out of foreclosure in 2016 for just $7,779. (Crain’s)

A judge recently dismissed a class-action case against the City of Hamtramck — 56 years after it was filed. The judgment ordered Hamtramck to build 350 units of housing, which the city finally finished in December, for intentionally displacing Black residents in the construction of I-75. Many of the plaintiffs have already died or moved away, the city said in its announcement, and the judge who originally presided over the case died in 2019. The city said that the case may have been the oldest of its kind in the federal court system. (Hamtramck Review, City of Hamtramck)

The Dirt: New commission looks to protect Detroit renters · Outlier Media