District Detroit NAC holds signing ceremony for most extensive ever community benefits package, valued at $167M

The project Impact Area contains all of Census Tracts 5207, 5225, and 5173, as well as a portion of Census Tract 5172 in the City of Detroit. As shown on the map, this area is bounded by Martin Luther King Blvd. and Mack Ave. to the north, I-75 and I-375 to the east, Macomb St., Monroe St., and Michigan Ave. to the south, and M-10 to the west. The Impact Area includes parts or all of the following neighborhoods: Downtown, Midtown, Brush Park, Brewster Homes, and Douglass.

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The Neighborhood Advisory Council comprises nine members plus an alternate living in the project's impact area. Pictured for the benefits agreement (CBA) signing are Jonathan Kinlock, Chris Jackson, Rogelio Landin, Eddie Hall, III and Henry Williams. (Photo by HB Meeks/Tell Us Detroit)

District Detroit NAC holds signing ceremony for community benefits package, valued at $167M

DETROIT - The Neighborhood Advisory Council for the District Detroit project signed its support letter for the community benefits agreement (CBA).

This initiative is part of a package that delivers $167 million in benefits for the community that lives in the project's impact area and for the city of Detroit. The NAC has negotiated with the developers to get a commitment of nearly $12 million in additional spending to address identified impacts. The District Detroit development is expected to bring $1.5 billion in action to the downtown. The NAC voted 8-1 late last month to recommend that Detroit City Council approve the CBA.

The District Detroit CBA is the largest of the 13 projects to go through the Community Benefits Ordinance process since the ordinance took effect in 2017. Detroit is the largest city in the country, with a CBO process to guarantee residents will benefit from significant developments and be protected from potentially adverse effects. Any project in Detroit with a total value of $75 million or more, receiving more than $1 million in tax abatements or $1 million or more in value of a City land sale or transfer, is subject to the CBO process.

The Neighborhood Advisory Council comprises nine members plus an alternate living in the project's impact area. These residents are selected by their fellow impact-area residents, City Councilmembers, and the City of Detroit Planning & Development Department.

Through working with the District Detroit developers, the Neighborhood Advisory Council has secured a number of benefits for their fellow Detroiters, including:
1. Acceptance of tenants utilizing Section 8 Vouchers in all affordable-housing units.
2. Tenant's Right to Renew for all affordable-housing units.
3. Affordable parking spaces subsidized at 50% discount for all affordable-housing units.
4. Spending a minimum of $100 million of the development budget with disadvantaged businesses.
5. Commissioning a study to honor local culture and history, as well as a minimum spending commitment to purchase art from local Detroit artists for the projects.
6. A physical space to connect Detroiters to the developers for housing, job and internship, and business opportunities.
7. Hiring of an accessibility consultant to ensure all 10 projects meet and exceed ADA requirements.
8. Creation of a Tenant Improvement Fund for disadvantaged and emerging entrepreneurs renting space in District Detroit properties.
9. Commitment by the developer to partner with local, emerging developers on three new projects within District Detroit.

This event was hosted by the NAC, which negotiated the CBA as part of the process facilitated by the City's Planning & Development Department.

For more information on the City of Detroit's CBO process, go to https://detroitmi.gov/departments/planning-and-development-department/design-and-development-innovation/community-benefits-ordinance

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