Over 50 supporters of the local Commercial Real Estate for Women (CREW) organization attended an interesting lunch and panel session entitled: “Where’s the Property” at St. Johns in Plymouth on Tuesday, May 14th.
The event was part of a continuing series of panel discussions to inform both members and guests on all of the development opportunities both within the City of Detroit and throughout the metropolitan Detroit area.
Jumana Judeh, President of the local CREW chapter as well as a sponsor of the organization, provided insight about the good work of the local organization and a list of the exciting programs and events scheduled throughout the balance of the year. Following was a spirited panel discussion moderated by Lisa Berden of the Miller Canfield Law Firm. Panelists included: Marja Winters from the City of Detroit Planning & Development Department, Jill Bryant from the City of Detroit General Services Department, Aundra Williams of the Detroit Land Bank Authority, Tammy Dean, responsible for real estate for the Detroit Public Schools, Mike Moran, in charge of disposing of excess properties for the Archdiocese of Detroit and Kimberly Williams Anderson from the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority.
All of the panel members were provided an opportunity to introduce their agencies, describe the types of properties available for sale, briefly describe the process of how such excess properties are being offered to the open market and the means and manner in which such properties are to be purchased. Due to the current economic situation in the City of Detroit, along with the population loss, each agency and the Archdiocese have a tremendous amount of real estate available for purchase, adaptive reuse and neighborhood rebuilding for those interested in such endeavors.
As had been mentioned by several panelists, there is a master plan to rebuild Detroit provided by the Detroit Works Project which most community stakeholders support. While the Detroit Works Project has not been voted on by any city legislative bodies or the public, it appears to have a general consensus and for now is the blueprint the city will use in making its decisions regarding development in the city. All of the panelists acknowledged their willingness to work with builders, developers and investors in turning these vacant buildings and parcels into productive anchors in the neighborhoods in which the properties are located.
Overall, the audience learned about site specific details and an overview on purchasing real estate from the city, state and Archdiocese while learning more about navigating the Detroit development process. As attendees found out, there are innumerable development opportunities from the areas largest property owners and learning more about the process to acquire land use permits, approvals and the properties themselves will only facilitate and expedite the revitalization of the city and regions’ aging building stock.
ROBERT E. MATTLER, Associate Broker, Attorney and LEED AP BD+C, is Director of GREEN Brokerage at Armada Real Estate Services in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Bob speaks, writes and advocates about emerging sustainable real estate issues in Michigan and elsewhere. Bob is a Senior Correspondent for www.greeningdetroit.com . For more information, contact Bob at Armada Real Estate (248) 855-1221; or by e-mail: bmattler@armadarealestate.com
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Author: Robert E. Mattler, Green Agent Man, Representing GreeningDetroit.com
