For reasons beyond our knowledge, Olympia Development of Michigan has yet to develop the parcel of land immediately adjacent to the south side of Little Caesars Arena, leaving construction fencing and an empty lot sitting between LCA, Woodward Avenue and I-75. According to Crain’s Detroit Business’s Kirk Pinho, no news as to whether or if that parcel of land is developed is not good news:
The Ilitch family may have missed another deadline as part of its District Detroit project.
However, neither the family’s real estate company nor the Detroit Economic Growth Corp., the taxpayer-funded quasi-governmental city development agency, will say whether Olympia Development of Michigan has submitted a plan for the northwest corner of Woodward Avenue and I-75 as required.
“We are continuing to work with ODM to identify the next steps in the development of this parcel,” said Charlotte Fisher, spokeswoman for the DEGC, which staffs city economic development agencies like the Downtown Development Authority, Economic Development Corp., Brownfield Redevelopment Authority and others. The DEGC is taxpayer funded in part through a contract with the city.
Similarly, Olympia Development wouldn’t say whether a plan was submitted.
“We continue to be in discussions with the city on this matter,” the company said in an emailed statement.
Subsequent questions to both Olympia and the DEGC were not answered Friday and Monday.
A development plan was due on Friday. It’s not known what, if any, consequences there would be be for Olympia if it wasn’t submitted, but the company has been granted extensions to submit it in the past.
