A local developer hopes his project not only puts a new face on Inkster's portion of Michigan Avenue, but also brings about a resurgence.
Boji Group president Ron Boji is wrapping up work on the first phase of the Michigan Avenue development, a Department of Human Services Wayne County office building he began constructing
two years ago. That will be ready for occupancy Oct. 1, and workers will physically be in the building by Dec. 1.
Two other portions of the project are set to begin in the next few weeks -- a new YWCA building and retail center, which will include a Secretary of State office and a restaurant. A house and laundromat have been demolished to make way for the construction, which should start in about three weeks with a planned wrap-up by May, Boji says.
Then, with the construction of the new YWCA, the old building will be retrofitted for a justice center, with an Inkster police station and 22nd District Court. He expects the retrofit to start next June and be ready by February 2012.
Boji credits the success of the project so far to the collaboration between the county, city, state, and his company: "It was a team effort," he says. "It was a concerted effort among everybody to make it happen."
The location of the project, at Michigan Avenue and John Daly Street, had previously been an abandoned automotive dealership. All four parts include 100,000 square feet of office and retail space, and the whole price tag comes to about $25 million. Its brownfield designation earned it $1.2 million in Michigan Business Tax credits. The county also awarded $850,000 in neighborhood stabilization funding from the county. The YWCA property was also awarded $750,000 in neighborhood stabilization funding. Another $8.5 million came from Recovery Zone bonds.
Boji says that as a developer, sure, he's excited about building and making a few bucks to do it, "but this is different. We're actually putting a face on Michigan Avenue for the next 50-plus years. We're reshaping how it will look."
Source: Ron Boji, president of The Boji Group
Writer: Kristin Lukowski
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.