We are interested in creating a healthy mix of incomes living in the same neighborhood and enhancing neighborhoods without displacing people.

FitzForward is a quarter square mile revitalization effort in the Fitzgerald neighborhood. It is led by the City of Detroit with Century Partners and the Platform as development partners. Inclusive of over 300 parcels of land, the project addresses every publicly owned vacant lot and house to create a sustainable model for transforming and maintaining these parcels. The removal of blighted structures, beautification of vacant lots, and creation of new homes is intended to stabilize the neighborhood, increase property values, and improve the quality of life for residents.

The City has created a three-part implementation strategy that includes the (1) creation of a neighborhood park and greenway; (2) development of economically self-sustaining, productive landscapes; and (3) rehabilitation of all salvageable, publicly-owned structures and implementation of low-maintenance landscape strategies. Our development efforts are focused on the renovation of about 100 homes and the demolition of over 24 structures. Vacant lot activation is also a focus with a portion of these lots reserved as “homestead properties” – a singular parcel with a house and adjacent land for residents to use to grow food. The project creates opportunities for first time home-buyers to single-family renters and with both market-rate and affordable options.