The north end of Hamtramck's main street, Jos. Campau, is getting a major injection of development: the former Woody Pontiac, which closed in 2000, is being replaced with a 30,000-square-foot building that will house a $8.5-million state Department of Human Services building.
The new DHS building will accommodate up to 100 employees, as opposed to its current location at 2400 Denton, which houses only 50. Operations will shift to the new building when construction is complete early next year.
For Hamtramck, the best part is that this large-scale development will
encourage further investment in that part of town. "It obviously cleans
up a blighted part of our main commercial strip," says Jason Friedmann,
the city's community and economic development director. "I've been
getting tons of calls [from developers] interested in additional
buildings up there."
The DHS building will be located at 12140 Jos. Campau. The building is being constructed and managed by Boji Group, who will lease it to the state for 30 years for $540,000 per year.
Source: Jason Friedmann, city of Hamtramck
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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