Would You Move To Midtown Detroit?

January 13, 2011 | 11:59 AM | By Micki Maynard
FILED UNDER: Communities, Innovation, Detroit

There’s an interesting new $1.2 million plan to entice people to move into Detroit’s neighborhoods north of downtown.

The “Live Midtown” incentive is being offered to 30,000 employees of the plan’s three participants — Wayne State University, the Detroit Medical Center and the Henry Ford Health System. Renters and home owners are eligible for incentives aimed at getting them to stay or move to the city.

Crain’s Detroit Business reports that the plan applies to residents of Virginia Park, Woodbridge, Midtown and the New Center area. For renters, the program involves incentives of up to $3,500, if they stay in Detroit two years. Home owners can receive loans of up to $25,000 a year.

Sarah Hulett of Michigan Radio reported on businesses in Midtown for Changing Gears last fall, as part of our Reinventing Pittsburgh series.

What do you think of the idea? Are incentives the next step in creating vibrant neighborhoods? Or, if businesses come, will residents naturally follow? Post your thoughts in comments below.

  • sylviakh

    This is an extremely innovative idea on the part of the private sector to make a serious investment in the revitalization of Detroit, but mostly geared toward bringing new people in. It parallels the City of Detroit’s strategic framework of providing incentives (essentially buying people’s houses) to get them to move to areas of the city where the City will invest. It will be interesting to see how the market will respond. I’ve heard that many people aren’t taking advantage of the City of Detroit’s generous incentive. It seems like you have a perfect storm building to price out poor people with the displacement affects of gentrification, speculation, abandonment, and now more market certainty in these specific neighborhoods. The City of Detroit and the private sector need to make sure they protect and expand affordable housing in these neighborhoods to ensure that the people who already live in Detroit can stay in the city after it shrinks.

  • dave

    I would move into Detroit If I could get that loan, even if I don’t work for those companies. Maybe just no property tax for 2 years if I stay at least 4.