Saint Rita Apartments

Renovation of Saint Rita Apartments

A Physical and Psychological Lift to the Neighborhood

By Trevor W. Coleman

Lost in all the hoopla last Tuesday over the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announcement of a $1.6 billion investment in the repurposing the current Mack Avenue Engine Complex into a vehicle assembly plant was an equally joyous announcement the next day by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, even if it didn’t quite carry the cache of a billion dollar investment project.

No doubt about it, the FCA announcement with its potential for 5,000 jobs was another huge win for the city. But Mayor Duggan’s standing on the steps of the Saint Rita Apartments with various local officials celebrating the opening of the newly renovated apartments as an affordable housing unit should not be underestimated in its value to the community as well.

You see, the $7.2M development project and 31,467 square-foot, six-story building, was once vacant and uninhabitable for many years. And the building itself, located just north of Midtown off of Woodward Ave. at 35 Owen St. in

Detroit was elegantly reconstructed featuring 26 one-bedroom, state-ofthe-art, 750-square-foot units. Its hallways were impeccably restored with detailed tile work and imported marble from Greece.

Other amenities include a community room, computer lab, library, and a common laundry room. And the century-old, six-story Georgian Revival red brick apartment is even listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The historic rehabilitation project will provide housing and support services for Detroiters experiencing homelessness, with a preference for homeless veterans and individuals and Detroit residents with special needs. And the owner of the building; Central City Integrated Health will provide on-site supportive services and assistance for apartment residents to not only maintain their housing status but also to help them positively contribute to the community.

“After 100 years from its creation, the historic Saint Rita Apartments are being brought back to life, not for the wealthy, but for those most in need,” said CCIH President and CEO Ryan Lepper. “We have diligently worked to ensure that these individuals can live

with the dignity and respect that they deserve as they continue to rebuild their lives.”

In a city where the cost of leasing or buying property for downtown and Midtown buildings like this have skyrocketed over the past decade, CCIH could have probably leased it out for quadruple the rent they will be getting from its low-income tenants.

While it may not compare to a $1.6 billion corporate investment in good paying jobs in Detroit, this was a very important development for the city and its resident for several reasons.

Among them is that it is yet another example of city leadership working collaboratively with corporate and non-profit partners and neighborhoods to identify areas for improvement that will have a maximum impact where city residents actually live, not just where they shop, eat, or do business.

And significantly, the apartment structure itself is tasteful, well crafted, unobtrusive and fits well into the neighborhood. The fact the city was thoughtful enough to essentially engage a developer who practiced a form of “reverse gentrification,” by fixing up neighborhood property and leasing it back to residents at an affordable price is significant.

While only an incremental step in a city with neighborhoods with huge needs, it does send a very positive message to its long-suffering poor, working class and middle-class residents who have hung in there with Detroit through thick

and thin. Projects such as this send a message that even as the city celebrates large mega projects that draw national and international praise from investors all over the globe; from Lansing to Wall Street, from Italy to London, it has not forgotten the people in its neighborhoods.

And not just the hard working lower and middle-class families who make up the bulk of its residents, but also those who are marginalized but are making an effort to improve their lives.

“As Detroit neighborhoods improve, we have to make sure there is room for everyone, including our most vulnerable residents,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “Thanks to the redevelopment of the Saint Rita and support services provided by CCIH, residents struggling with homelessness, especially our veterans, will have the support they need to transition into a more stable life, employment and eventually permanent housing.”

The renovation of the once-blighted out Saint Rita Apartments is just a few hundred years from Woodward Ave. Its renovation was both a physical and psychological uplift to the neighborhood. By cleaning up the building and making it inhabitable again and ensuring its upkeep with the partnership with CCIH, city leaders have overnight increased the value of that neighborhood property and others on that street. And that is something that could have taken years for homeowners to do.

Most importantly, they have also increased the value of their word with Detroit’s most important investors - its residents.