DETROIT — Barton Malow-Hunt-White has been selected as the general contractor today for the new Detroit events center. The city of Detroit Downtown Development Authority Board approved the recommendation by Olympia Development of Michigan at their board meeting.
As part of the construction, Barton Malow-Hunt-White will implement the workforce and business participation plan. The comprehensive plan was created by Olympia, with input from the City of Detroit Ethics and Human Rights Office, Detroit Employment Solutions, and the local construction trade unions. Included in the plan are outreach, training, and apprentice programs to ready the current and future work force of Detroit for construction job opportunities.
The construction of the entire events center, residential, and commercial mixed-use district will create approximately 8,300 jobs and $290 million in job-related income. The building of the new events center alone is anticipated to create approximately 5,500 jobs with more than half of those construction jobs being filled by Detroit residents and over $100 million being paid to Detroit-resident workers
The new Detroit events center is the anchor of the $650 million public-private catalyst development project that includes a $200 million investment by Olympia to redevelop an underutilized area in downtown Detroit into a mixed-use development of residential, retail and office space. Of the project costs, Olympia will contribute $367 million or 56 percent and the State of Michigan and the DDA will contribute $283 million or 44 percent. It is expected that the project’s economic impact on Detroit, the region, and the State will be $1.8 billion.
