The University of Michigan paid a Detroit casino $9.5 million to acquire and repurpose a downtown lot being used as an urban farm as part of its Center for Innovation campus.
The lot, owned by MGM Grand Detroit casino at 2201 W. Grand River Ave., will be used as part of the university’s campus for public and private UM graduate student programs. The site is under construction and expected to open in 2027. The lot adds to the 2.1 acres gifted to UM by the Ilitchs’ Olympia Development of Michigan – doubling the project’s footprint. The state contributed $100 million toward the $250 million project.
“The parcel, strategically located across the street from the U-M Center for Innovation, is expected to support the center’s future needs,” a Monday University of Michigan press release stated. “Part of the nearly 2.3-acre parcel will be used for a parking structure.”
Designs for the parking structure are in the preliminary stages and may include retail on the first floor, according to the press release.
The lot on Grand River is currently leased by Featherstone Garden, an urban farm that grows and sells tomatoes, greens, garlic, edible flowers and other products to local chefs and neighbors at the weekly farmstand at the downtown site. The garden has a second location on Detroit’s east side. Featherstone owner Annie Hakim said details are still being worked out about the farm’s transition out of the space, but she has secured a temporary agreement from UM that it will extend Featherstone’s lease.
“U of M has agreed to extend our lease by three months so that we can better manage the relocation of the resources on the site to our east side garden in Morningside,” said Hakim.
A U of M spokesperson confirmed the lease has been extended through June 20, granting Featherstone more time to move garden beds, soil, and other equipment off the lot and vacate the space.
“There’s a lot of logistics we need to figure out between now and then,” Hakim said.
DTE Energy, which is not formally involved, has been a “really wonderful community partner” over the last few months, Hakim said, offering to help Featherstone relocate.
After hearing the garden might have to relocate, Hakim said DTE employees toured, began frequenting the farmstand, and hosted Featherstone at DTE’s downtown building for food pop-ups.
“DTE has been a great partner in the sense that they’re not the owners of the site and they’re not the ones that are purchasing it, but they see value in urban agriculture and are dedicated to help make sure these resources continue to get used elsewhere in the city,” said Hakim.
MGM Grand Detroit was not immediately available for comment Monday on the lease terms and transition for Featherstone Gardens. The university’s Board of Regents voted unanimously in October to buy the parcel.
Olympia Development of Michigan plans to develop on the same block, according to the press release, as part of the larger $1.5 billion District Detroit project the real estate firm unveiled a decade ago that has stalled. Keith Bradford, president of Olympia Development, said in November that a 261-unit apartment building at 2205 Cass will be one of the first projects to break ground next year with hopes to finish it by 2027 to house students who will be studying at the innovation center.
“At a future date, Olympia Development of Michigan is planning to develop two additional buildings on the block where UMCI is being constructed by the university—an incubator space and a residential building,” the press release said.
If they’re doing container gardening already, why couldn’t UM let them continue in the same footprint on the roof of the parking structure?
Maybe with all the money UofM has they can assist Featherstone Garden purchase land for a permanent location?🤔🤔🤔
“The lot adds to the 2.1 acres gifted to UM by the Ilitch’s Olympia Development of Michigan”
Sigh. I really struggle to understand how even professional writers publish articles that so frequently display a common failure to grasp the difference between a plural and a possessive, something that should’ve been locked down in grade school.
“Ilitch’s” is a possessive, implying the ownership of an individual Ilitch, who was not named. Are we talking Chris? Marian? Deniece?
“Ilitches'” is the correct plural possessive to apply here, meaning it belongs to them, and should read, “The lot adds to the 2.1 acres gifted to UM by the Ilitches’ Olympia Development of Michigan.”
I REALLY hate to be pedantic, but to see such errors in articles where the writer should frankly know better, is completely distracting.