Construction on an affordable, modern loft apartment development that would rise in place of a shuttered movie theater and unused plot of land in downtown Lincoln Park could begin this summer.
The developer, Louis Piszker, a Lincoln Park resident and CEO of the
Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, told the city council earlier this month that tax credits and other financing were in place and that the Lincoln Park Lofts must be completed by December 2013. The agency is a nonprofit heading up the redevelopment in an effort to provide affordable housing and stimulate downtown Lincoln Park.
Lincoln Park Lofts would replace the Park Theatre, which went dark years ago, with 12 residential lofts and two 1,200-square-foot retail spaces. The Art Deco theater marquis and facade will be restored and incorporated into the design. Across the street 24 additional residential lofts will be built, and some will be designated for low-income residents.
Wyandotte-based
Sarnacki & Associates is the architect on the project.
There is disagreement whether the project could be more helpful or harmful to the city. But it is mostly viewed as positive as other efforts to revitalize downtown -- a nearly $1 million streetscape update, several Downtown Development Authority projects and plans to redevelop the old Sears store -- gather steam.
Source: Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, city of Lincoln Park and Lincoln Park Preservation Alliance
Writer: Kim North Shine
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