What’s happening with the RenCen? Plans, funding explained
RenCen’s $2.24B makeover: What taxpayers need to know about the incentives
FOX 2’s Ronia Shamona talks with David Howell, senior vice president of real estate for the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, about the taxpayer impact and what Detroit gets in return
Plans for redeveloping the Renaissance Center and changing Detroit’s riverfront landscape are underway.
Here’s what to know about the proposed redevelopment, and the plans to pay for it:
What’s happening with the Renaissance Center?
Detroiters to weigh in on RenCen redevelopment
The future of the iconic Detroit buildings has been up in the air after General Motors said it was relocating its global headquarters. The automaker had been inside the towers since 1996, and relocated earlier this year to Hudson’s Detroit along Woodward Avenue.
Big picture view:
The vision for the Renaissance Center is to make the space more accessible to the public and more usable to the city, resembling Navy Pier in Chicago.
The backstory:
The future of the iconic Detroit buildings has been up in the air after General Motors said it was relocating its global headquarters. The automaker had been inside the towers since 1996, and relocated earlier this year to Hudson’s Detroit along Woodward Avenue.
Presently:
General Motors and Bedrock are overseeing the site’s redevelopment and are asking for community input on the riverfront’s future.
RELATED: Renaissance Center future: Redevelopment plan debuts
Is the Renaissance Center being demolished?
Detroit community wants to preserve Renaissance Center's future, some disagree
A redesigned riverfront, mixed-housing, and a "Navy Pier-like family-friendly entertainment destination: Bedrock and General Motors have big plans for the most iconic building of Detroit's skyline. Meanwhile the Detroit community is conflicted on the building's future.
Big picture view:
Some of the towers at the Renaissance Center will be demolished under the proposed redevelopment plan, but the tallest, center tower would remain.
Dig deeper:
The proposed project includes demolishing two of the river-facing towers to update the space.
Two of the towers located at the Renaissance Center would be knocked down as part of the plan to update the space. Rendering via Bedrock.
Under the plan:
- Towers 300 and 400 would be knocked down, creating public space on the riverfront
- The central tower would be converted into a hotel with 858 rooms and residential units
- Tower 100 would be converted to 384 residential units
- 934 residential units created, of which 21% would be affordable
- Mixed-used entertainment district in the 35 acres General Motors owns east of Beaubien
What they're saying:
"Our waterfront, after this is complete, will rival competing cities like Washington, D.C., Baltimore, San Francisco. This is going to totally change the face of Detroit’s waterfront," David Howell, Senior Vice President of Real Estate for the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), told FOX 2.
Who is paying for Renaissance Center redevelopment?
By the numbers:
A proposed $2.2 billion redevelopment of the RenCen is led by Bedrock and General Motors.
The majority of funding for the project, $1.7 billion (74%), is proposed to come directly from private developer equity. Developers are requesting about $473 million in incentives over a 30-year period.
Howell joined FOX 2 Detroit Live to explain their request. You can hear from him in the video player above.
What they're saying:
Howell broke it down to say that developers are requesting:
- $300 million in state funding, through the Transformational Brownfield Plan (TBP)
- $173 million in local tax abatements and a Renaissance Zone designation
Howell also said the redevelopment plan is expected to create:
- 2,700 full-time jobs
- 8,000 construction jobs
- $3 billion in broader economic activity
Dig deeper:
The state funding from a TBP would be reimbursed from already-appropriated state tax revenues ready to reimburse developers for eligible cleanup, demolition and site work. If the money doesn’t go to this Detroit project, it will go elsewhere in Michigan. For example, Southfield and Novi are contemplating large TBPs, Howell said.
Howell continued to explain that under Renaissance Zone designation, the developers could offset part of the local tax abatement by making voluntary PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) payments directly to the City of Detroit and Wayne County.
"(Without the incentives), it would be very unlikely the project would be able to move," Howell said.
What's next:
Construction is targeted to start in 2027. Meanwhile, several meetings are taking place with a neighborhood advisory council to negotiate a community benefits agreement with developers.
How tall is the Renaissance Center?
By the numbers:
The main, central tower of the Renaissance Center – which would not be demolished – is 727 feet tall and is not only the tallest building in the Detroit skyline, but also the tallest building in Michigan.
The new Hudson’s Detroit tower stands at approximately 685 feet tall, and is the second-tallest building.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from David Howell, Senior Vice President of Real Estate for the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), who spoke to FOX 2 on Sept. 16, 2026, about the plans for RenCen’s redevelopment and the proposals to pay for it. Background information was taken from Bedrock, General Motors and previous FOX 2 reporting.