DETROIT (WWJ) – Detroit city officials on Monday celebrated their latest efforts to bring more affordable housing to the city.
An official groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday afternoon in Detroit’s North End Neighborhood, marking the start of construction on the $7 million project known as The Beauton.
Located at the corner of Beaubien and Horton – hence the name – the mixed-use development will feature 29 brand new apartments, more than half of which will be guaranteed at affordable rates for the next decade.
Officials say units will have rents based on 50-120% of area median income (AMI), with over half of the units at or below 80% AMI.
Construction on the building is expected to last only about a year, with the first residents expected to move in next summer.
Mayor Mike Duggan said at Monday’s ceremony the start of construction on The Beauton is a sign of progress for a city that has seen a large amount of blight over the years.
“Six or eight years ago we started to see people take the abandoned houses and fix them up. And that was progress,” Duggan said. “But the real definition of progress was when was the city gonna come back far enough that developers could afford to take vacant land and build new homes?”
That’s exactly what’s happening in North End, a neighborhood Duggan says has been seeing a lot of new investment. But with that new investment also comes “rent pressures for existing residents,” he said.
The Beauton will “help make sure residents of all income levels are able to live in a growing and thriving neighborhood,” according to Duggan.
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Since 2018, the city has already constructed nearly 1,000 new affordable housing units, with another 800 still under construction, according to officials.
Detroit developer Charles Dickerson III said The Beauton project is near and dear to him.
“To be able to allow people to live in a brand new development that maybe otherwise they could not be in, I consider it my philanthropic venture,” Dickerson said.
The Beauton will provide 10 micro-studio units, 15 studio units, two one-bedroom units, and two two-bedroom units.
More information on The Beauton and other affordable housing projects can be found on the city’s website.
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