Detroit Revival
A revival of Detroit's blighted suburbs
Contrary to the latest movement to the center city of Detroit, which is the hot spot for regentrification and city redevelopment, Detroit's suburbs are being neglected. With the Covid's impact on our 'home- to- work' culture, the suburb's -work at home- has now become a viable option for locating your home.
Why the suburbs? Well, numerous small vacant lots (8,000) are potential redevelopment opportunities that are golden opportunities for young or first time buyers, investors, and downsizing retirees.
However, the market trends and property assessments have affected the property values of existing homes, which hinders new construction in the suburbs of Detroit. This due to the regentrification that occurs in most cities with a demographic profile similar to Detroit's.
This article considers the option of developing in the suburbs of Detroit. There are several obstacles and challenges to recognize and overcome—for example, property value assessments, financial metrics, lot size, and existing blighted locations. First, we will consider the lot size. We will explore the problems and solutions for property assessments and financial metrics in our next article. Both are being addressed by local governments and banking institutions.
The challenge here is to develop an affordable house on a problematic narrow lot-30'x100' feet. This can be done on a 20'x52' building area after all the setbacks are considered. How? Let's try a modular option that consists of assembled components. One suggested unit configuration (Architect's Parti), envisions the ability to assemble a modular unit into a 2BD-2BA or 3BD-2BA configurations. The modular option has several benefits:
The Modular Option could be delivered quickly.
It would be a "quality solution" in most cases exceeding the specifications of traditional construction.
And, concerning expenses, Modular could match, or potentially improve on, the cost of conventional construction.
Additionally, assuming the typical buyer will be a first-time buyer, investor, or downsizing retiree, the unit's flexibility in accommodating each buyer's profile makes it a golden opportunity. Finally, the modular option is one solution to Detroit's blighted suburban neighborhood that is peppered with many narrow infill lots. Most important, the land is cheaper than the center city lots.