Packard Plant redevelopment aims to honor legacy while creating jobs in Detroit

DETROIT – After decades of neglect and promises that never materialized, the ruins of the Packard Plant have been removed from 37 acres of the property.

The city of Detroit and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation are looking for a developer for the site.

An RFP just went out looking for a” High-quality industrial/manufacturing facility”  for the parcel.

“Ideally, we would want automotive use, advanced manufacturing use, uses that will really create high-paying jobs for Detroiters,” DEGC COO Kenyatta Hairston-Brudges said.

Both the DEGC and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan point out that the parcel’s location complements GM’s Factory Zero and Stellantis operations in the city.

The RFP makes clear this must be a developer with a proven track record, and it has a very specific ask.

A portion of the Albert Kahn-designed plant will be left standing, and the expectation is that the new development will integrate a piece of the old with the new.

“We really want to honor the legacy,” Hairston-Brudges said.

The Packard Plant was state-of-the-art in its heyday and employed some 40,000 people. Decades of neglectful ownership turned it into a hulking ruin.

–> Packard Plant demolition progress signals new beginning for surrounding area