Detroit residents ask city to reject demolition of two Renaissance Center towers tied to $550 million incentive request

Detroit residents urged the Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority on Tuesday evening to reject a plan that would demolish two of the five Renaissance Center towers and direct public support to a broader riverfront redevelopment backed by General Motors and Bedrock.

The proposed Renaissance Center and East Riverfront Projects plan calls for demolishing the 300 and 400 towers closest to the Detroit River to create 5 acres of riverfront park space. The 727-foot Marriott hotel tower would drop from roughly 1,300 rooms to 858. The 100 Tower would be converted to housing, and the 200 Tower would be renovated into office space.

The hearing took place at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, where the authority discussed the brownfield plan for the project. Two of the 13 people who spoke supported the developers, while the others opposed the plan. About 50 people attended the meeting.

Dwayne Hoffman, a member of the Save the RenCen Coalition, told officials the towers should be saved. He held a curled-up 6-foot poster protesting the project and called the demolition wasteful.

Developers have requested $550 million in public incentives for the overall project, up from an original request of $350 million. The total cost has grown from about $1.6 billion to more than $2.2 billion, primarily because of construction costs.

The incentive request includes $300 million through Michigan's Transformational Brownfield Program, $133.81 million through a 30-year Renaissance Zone and $39.12 million through a 12-year Commercial Rehabilitation Act incentive. Detroit's Downtown Development Authority has already agreed to reimburse developers up to $75 million for demolition, streetscape and pedestrian improvements.

City officials have said the project would generate a 30-year net fiscal benefit of $301.5 million for Detroit, 2,754 full-time equivalent jobs and 8,243 construction jobs. Developers are seeking approvals by the end of 2026, with the brownfield plan needing approval by March 31. Deconstruction of the two towers could begin after Detroit hosts the NCAA Men's Final Four in April.

Residents said the developers were moving too quickly and should give the public more time to weigh in. Demeeko Williams, a city activist, said the towers are not dilapidated or vacant and questioned why they should be removed.

Theo Pride, of Detroit People's Platform, said the Transformational Brownfield Plan should produce real benefits for Black Detroiters. Pride said residents should demand results for Detroiters, not tourists, suburbs or real estate investors.

Jake Chidester, Bedrock's vice president of urban strategy, told the audience that developers have held 16 public meetings and attended nine community meetings. He said 5,000 people have attended sessions across the city and challenged anyone to find a more open or inclusive development project.