New plaza shows retailers' interest in Detroit
Despite city's fiscal problems, development and interest continue
7/24/2013DETROIT — A $72 million shopping plaza that’s expected to bring 900 jobs is among new retail development in Detroit, which has asked a federal court for bankruptcy protection to clear away billions of dollars in debt.
The Gateway Marketplace officially opens for business at 6 a.m. Thursday when Grand Rapids-based Meijer Inc. unlocks the doors to its supercenter along Detroit’s northern city limits.
RELATED ARTICLE: Judge holding first hearing in Detroit bankruptcy
The project follows the opening of a Whole Foods store in Midtown. It also comes one week after the city’s state-appointed emergency manager — seeking to erase as much as $20 billion in debt — took Detroit into the largest municipal bankruptcy filing in U.S. history.
A developer also is planning to build apartments, town houses and small-scale retail along Detroit’s downtown riverfront. Groundbreaking could come next spring.