Detroit Housing Commission to redevelop, modernize Villages of Parkside public housing

• Crews will break ground this fall on redeveloping the first two phases of the deteriorating Parkside units.
• The number of units will nearly quadruple from 125 to 480 units once completed.
• The first two phases are supported by tax credits.

The city plans to reconstruct, modernize and add units to the 52-acre Villages of Parkside public housing community on Detroit's east side, Mayor Mike Duggan and state and city housing officials announced Thursday.

The current housing community, located near Connor and Warren, just south of Chandler Park — where officials invested $14 million in federal funding to build a sports air dome — has been deteriorating for years. It will be completely redeveloped into modern housing in six phases through the Detroit Housing Commission. The first two phases will break ground this fall with the help of $73 million from state-awarded Low Housing Income Tax Credits. The current development holds 274 units, however, only 125 are occupied due to poor conditions. The new development, when completed, will comprise 480 units.

"In 2013, I kicked off my mayor's campaign at the Samaritan Center across the street, and residents of Parkside, somehow through the blizzard, came out anyway and said to me, 'You got to do something about the conditions in Parkside.' This is the first federally funded, low-income housing project in the city of Detroit," built in the 1930s, Duggan said. "Conditions aren't what they should be...so I went down to Massachusetts and I recruited a new housing director, his name is Arthur Jemison."

In 2014, Duggan told Jemison, executive director of the Detroit Housing Commission, that he needed to renovate Parkside. But Jemison, who led planning, housing and development for the mayor at the time, told him it was a project for the Housing Commission. Jemison held various leadership roles overlooking housing and development in the Duggan administration, Boston and in former President Joe Biden's administration before returning to Detroit to run the housing commission.

"The original development was in the 1930s, and then in the late 80s, they began the redevelopment that you see today. They completed it probably in the early 1990s, so it's probably a little over 30 years old," Jemison said from the Villages of Parkside Community Building Thursday afternoon. "I think the leadership in that time; I can't speak for them; but for whatever reason, they didn't reinvest in it."

Jemison added that the redeveloped site will be denser, with more units and the expectation of higher occupancy.

Work is expected to begin on the first two phases of the six-phase project this fall, and be completed within two years. Current residents will be able to move into their new units at that time. Construction for the entire project is expected to be completed in the next five to six years, reaching a total investment of about $180 million, officials said. The Detroit Housing Commission still is seeking funding and tax credits for the remaining four phases. In the meantime, the entity is partnering with developer Amin Irving's Ginosko Development Company on the first two phases.

"With this project, Detroit is well over $1.2 billion in new affordable housing in six years. We are building like nowhere else in America because the mayor and (city) council are together," Duggan said.

Parkside is among other affordable housing developments receiving tax credits this year, including Gesu Senior Housing and a building at 725 Amsterdam. The two will bring 76 new affordable housing units.

"It's not just about these new buildings. It's about really creating opportunity, and preserving community, and ensuring that these long-time residents have the opportunity to remain in the neighborhoods that they call home for generations," said Chad Benson, director of rental development for the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.

Joyletha Goodwin, a Parkside resident and president of the tenant council, said several conditions — such as flooding, roofing and general repairs — have gone unaddressed in the 12 years since she moved in. She specifically dealt with flooding and went without basic needs replacements, such as a new faucet.

"It was management. Now that we are back up on the Detroit Housing (Commission), they are doing better. They're making an effort to do better, but you can always do more," Goodwin said, adding that she is looking forward to having new affordable, clean, safe and higher-quality homes for the residents, especially seniors.

Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@freepress.com. Follow her: @DanaAfana.