Major changes planned for the Renaissance Center go beyond Detroit’s skyline.
Why it matters: The changes would open up the notoriously difficult-to-navigate complex at street level, creating new walkways and public spaces where a five-story concrete structure now surrounds and connects the towers.
Catch up quick: GM and Bedrock’s $1.6 billion-plus RenCen redevelopment would preserve and remake three of the five original towers while removing the two closest to the Detroit River.
- One tower would be converted into about 380 apartments, while the central tower would retain 858 hotel rooms and add 200 apartments. Another tower would remain offices.
- New retail, restaurants and entertainment would face outward toward the waterfront.
Zoom out: The plans extend east across more than 35 acres along the east riverfront, now dominated by parking lots and underused property.
- All told, the broader plans call for more than 900 new housing units, along with public spaces, restaurants, shops, entertainment and water-based activities, although many details remain conceptual and are being shaped through public engagement.
What we’re watching: The size and structure of the project’s requested public incentives remain a major question…