New four-story apartment complex for seniors planned for Detroit's Cass Corridor

JC Reindl, Detroit Free Press
·1 min read

A nonprofit Detroit neighborhood development corporation is looking to build a four-story, 49-unit apartment complex in the Cass Corridor for low-income seniors.

The building would be situated on what is now vacant land between 440 and 460 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., next door to the King's Arms Hotel rooming house.

This architectural rendering of a proposed four-story, 49-unit apartment building was presented Wednesday by the Cass Corridor Neighborhood Development Corp. at a special hearing before Detroit's Building, Safety, Engineering and Environmental Department.
This architectural rendering of a proposed four-story, 49-unit apartment building was presented Wednesday by the Cass Corridor Neighborhood Development Corp. at a special hearing before Detroit's Building, Safety, Engineering and Environmental Department.

The developer, the Cass Corridor Neighborhood Development Corp., first proposed the project about three years ago, but recently resubmitted revised plans to city planners.

Patrick Dorn, the development corporation's executive director, said at a special land use hearing Wednesday morning that they wish to construct the building to house residents of their existing properties who have grown older and are having mobility issues, such as difficulty climbing numerous flights of stairs.

“We have 350 units of low-income housing in the Cass Corridor, and some of these people have been in there long enough that they are aging out and don’t have anywhere to go," Dorn said.

The vacant land where a proposed apartment complex in Detroit's Cass Corridor would be built. To the left is the King's Arms Hotel.
The vacant land where a proposed apartment complex in Detroit's Cass Corridor would be built. To the left is the King's Arms Hotel.

Dorn did not respond to messages seeking comment after the meeting and fuller details of the project plan, such as financing sources and the construction timeline, were not available.

More: Rare development in Detroit of new single-family houses now underway

The project is still subject to various approvals before it can move forward, including a necessary variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals concerning rear setback requirements.

The neighboring King's Arms Hotel is one of the last large and cheap rooming houses in the Cass Corridor and popped up for sale in summer 2022 with a $1.75 million asking price. A for-sale sign was still outside the property Wednesday afternoon.

Contact JC Reindl: 313-378-5460 or jcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on X @jcreindl.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: New apartment complex for seniors planned for Detroit's Cass Corridor