City announces $77 million project to create new Midtown West neighborhood

Mayor Mike Duggan announced a project worth $77 million to transform seven acres in Detroit and create a new neighborhood.

Hundreds of new apartments and a park will replace the Old Wigle Recreation Center.

"You've got a 7-acre parcel next door that's been abandoned for a decade," Duggan said.

Next year, a pair of developers will break ground and create a neighborhood called Midtown West.

It'll include 325 new homes, such as apartments, condos and free-standing houses, coupled with retail.

Six of the seven acres will be used for retail and housing, but the one acre left will be kept as green space for the public.

"Midtown West is not just going to be a wondferful place to live but it's going to add to the rich fabric of the Midtown community," said Roderick Hardamon, a developer and native Detroiter.

This development will be taking place in a community rich with its own character and culture -- something council member Raquel Castaneda-Lopez says she is determined to maintain.

"There was a little hesitency when I got the inviation to come down and speak at today's press conference because as many of you know I am a staunch advocate of community benefits," she said.

She promises the developers and mayor will make good on promises they make in this endeavor. 

"The redevelopment of the City of Detroit doesn't mean moving people out. It means taking care of the people who are here and bringing people in to join them," Duggan said.

The surrounding neighbors and anyone else who wants to learn more about the project can attend a public meeting on May 23 at the Delta Prep Academy.