A long-vacant slice of Michigan Avenue in Corktown is on track to get a nine-story, 60-unit apartment building, along with a hefty public assist. The project at 1728 Michigan Avenue is poised to receive millions in tax-based incentives meant to plug cleanup and construction financing gaps. Led by Corktown Development Properties and tied to trucking magnate Andra Rush and her sons, the development would mix market-rate apartments with a block of units the team is marketing as “affordable” rentals.
According to Crain’s Detroit Business, plans call for roughly 2,500 square feet of ground-floor retail. Kraemer Design Group is listed as the architect, and Ronnisch Construction Group is listed as the construction manager. The development team is pursuing a Public Act 210 property-tax abatement together with brownfield tax-increment financing to close the funding gap.
Project Details From the Brownfield Plan
City brownfield filings with the DBRA put total investment at about $31.36 million. The documents describe a 60-unit building with roughly 1,125 square feet of retail space and note that one in five apartments, or 12 units, would be reserved for households earning 80% of the area median income. The plan seeks roughly $2.92 million in MSHDA housing-related TIF reimbursements and outlines about $5.13 million in brownfield-eligible costs, with DBRA-CAC review already clearing a key internal step. The filing anticipates construction starting in the first half of 2026 and wrapping up in the third quarter of 2027, and it lays out about 14 on-site parking spaces plus arrangements for roughly 44 additional off-site spots, according to the City of Detroit Brownfield Plan (PDF).
Why the City Is Pitching In, and Why Some Neighbors Pushed Back
Developers told officials the incentive package is necessary to cover environmental remediation and make an infill project on a tight site financially workable. Supporters argued the building would finally reactivate a dormant lot and restore the Michigan Avenue street wall. Downtown Detroit Partnership publicly backed the proposal and praised the ownership team’s commitment, according to Crain’s Detroit Business.
Public hearings and council committee discussions, however, surfaced questions about whether reserving 20% of units at 80% of the area median income achieves enough affordability, how limited on-site parking will be managed, and whether the project would rely on union labor. Those concerns contributed to delays in final council action, according to a report in Citizen Portal.
Where It Fits in Corktown’s Development Boom
The nine-story proposal lands in the middle of a broader wave of building activity around Michigan Central, Roosevelt Park and the Ford campus that is reshaping Corktown’s housing and retail pipeline. The city has previously used federal Choice Neighborhoods funding and other local tools to support affordable housing and streetscape upgrades in Corktown, investments that officials say help make infill projects like this feasible, according to a City of Detroit release…