Opening in July 2022, the five-story Woodward West development will bring 204 apartments and nearly 25,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space to Woodward Avenue and Stimson Street, just south of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Twenty percent of the apartments will be offered below market rate as affordable housing for those with qualifying incomes at 80 percent of the area median income (AMI).
“Woodward West is filling a need in the market for quality affordable housing,” says Christopher Jackson, co-principal and managing partner of Queen Lillian in Detroit. “We’re proud to provide housing that is inclusive of the diverse, mixed-income character of the community.”
To transform one of the last large vacant parcels along Woodward in Midtown into a thriving development, Queen Lillian and The Platform assembled a Detroit-based team to build, design and manage Woodward West.
Core project team members include Hamilton Anderson Associates as architect and interior designer; Sachse Construction as general contractor; Skidmore Studio and Zoyes Creative as brand strategists; Center City Properties as property manager; and Honigman as tax incentive consultant.
Michigan-based companies working on the development include OHM Advisors as civil engineer; Jaffe as legal counsel; SME for environmental services; and Strategic Energy Solutions as mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineer.
“Our first project team has kept Woodward West’s development on time and on budget which is quite an accomplishment in light of global supply disruptions this past year,” says Peter Cummings, executive chair and CEO of The Platform in Detroit. “The team did solid upfront planning and continuously monitored product availability in order to quickly respond and keep the project on track.”
Situated on 1.85 acres, Woodward West offers an outdoor recreational roof deck with expansive views of the Detroit skyline, hot tub, and grills. Residents at Woodward West will also enjoy a lounge with TV, pool table and kitchenette; a theater with surround sound; and a fitness center with sauna.
Amenities such as the mailroom, package room and bike storage have been conveniently located off the main entries for quick access. Other amenities include a business center, pet wash station, bike storage, electric car charging ports, and offices for those who want to work on-site, but not in their home.
The primary corner is emphasized at Woodward West with a two-color urban palette, texture, and dramatic balconies. The unit types range from studios to two-bedrooms and have been programmed to maximize natural sunlight, space efficiency and storage.
The kitchens are designed with a high-contrast modern aesthetic, quartz countertops and Energy Star stainless steel appliances. The bathrooms have spacious showers and tubs with black finish fixtures. All apartments include washers and dryers.
As part of their commitment to inclusive development, the developers are offering a portion of the first-floor commercial space as “entrepreneur space” for up-and-coming businesses. In addition, Woodward West is partnering with the N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art to curate local art for the common spaces throughout the building.
The transit-oriented development offers connectivity to the city for its residents. There will be space for 140 bikes and electric vehicle charging stations. It will feature 84 on-site surface parking spaces with additional off-site parking available at nearby parking structures.
The site is located near Wayne State University, Detroit Medical Center and Children’s Hospital, Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, Orchestra Hall, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Public Library, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, and the city’s major sports arenas.
“Hundreds of people have contacted us about residential leasing since construction started,” says Michael Martorelli, president of Center City Properties. “We’re excited to start pre-leasing and offering tours of the development.”
For more information, visit www.ThePlatform.city.
