Hubbard-Vernor Project to Bring Affordable Housing, Retail Space to Southwest Detroit

Detroit’s Hubbard-Vernor Project, which will offer affordable housing, market-rate residential units, and retail and community spaces in southwest Detroit, is moving to secure financing necessary for a 2020 ground breaking. The project is expected to cost about $12 million and already has been approved by two city of Detroit review panels.
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Hubbard-Vernor Project
The Hubbard-Vernor Project in Detroit will offer housing, retail, and community space. // Rendering courtesy of SITIO

Detroit’s Hubbard-Vernor Project, which will offer affordable housing, market-rate residential units, and retail and community spaces in southwest Detroit, is moving to secure financing necessary for a 2020 ground breaking. The project is expected to cost about $12 million and already has been approved by two city of Detroit review panels.

The project is located at 4000-4060 W. Vernor Hwy. between Hubbard and Palms streets and has 53 units. The Southwest Detroit Business Association is one of three nonprofit partners engaged in the project, along with Cinnaire, an affordable housing developer, and Invest Detroit, a local community development financial institution.

“This project makes a bold statement that Southwest Detroit is ready to embrace the wave of investment in Detroit neighborhoods that we’ve been waiting to see for a long time,” says Rob Dewaelsche, president of the Southwest Detroit Business Association.

“It’s gratifying to see that our community has been able to put our own stamp on that development by working with the community to ensure that the development that is ultimately built will serve the needs of people from all walks of life.”

Detroit’s Historic District Commission approved the project on Feb. 13, and the Board of Zoning Appeals approved it Feb. 26. It was first introduced to community stakeholders in August after nearly a dozen open community input meetings and focus groups. More than 200 surveys were completed during planning, and 91 percent of those surveyed lived in the project impact area.

The design team is made up of Detroit’s 511 Design and SITIO, a national architectural firm out of Philadelphia.

The project is expected to bring 62 temporary construction jobs, 10-12 permanent jobs, 29 affordable housing units for those with household incomes of less than $38,340 for a family of three, 24 market-rate units, 6,000 square feet of commercial space with below-market rents to ensure affordability for local entrepreneurs, 1,700 square feet of community space, 2,500 square feet of amenity space for tenants including a fitness center, green storm-water infrastructure to help prevent runoff, and water conserving fixtures and energy start appliances to reduce utility costs.

About 10 percent of the units will also be Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant.

The project is accepting suggested names from residents living in ZIP codes 48209 and 48216. Suggestions will be accepted through Friday, March 22. For more information or to submit an entry, call (313) 914-5315. The winner will get $500.

For updates on the project, visit southwestdetroit.com or call (313) 842-0986 ext. 1006.