Olympia Development and Related Companies Continue Community Engagement Activities With Tours of The District Detroit

Olympia Development and Related continue to actively engage stakeholders from the Detroit community to gather feedback on existing and potential future development. As part of these efforts, residents from Detroit City Council Districts 7 and 3 recently participated in special guided tours of The District Detroit. Community members, selected by Councilman Fred Durhal and Councilman Scott Benson, were shuttled to The District Detroit and visited new construction and historic renovation developments encompassing affordable and market-rate housing, higher education, office and entertainment venues.

“These tours are one way we engage with the community so that we are building cooperatively with Detroit residents and bringing the kind of inclusive development that meets community needs,” said Rian Barnhill, Vice President of Government and Community Relations at Olympia Development of Michigan.

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Each of the two tours included time for attendees to ask questions and speak their minds about what is important to them regarding future real estate development in Detroit. This important dialogue is a critical element of Olympia Development and Related’s inclusive development strategy.

“Talking with community leaders and residents helped identify affordable housing, education, employment, economic inclusion, environmental justice, and engagement as core values for our development,” said Ryan Friedrichs, Vice President of Development for Related. “These tours focus on the actions in those areas that will build the strongest bridges into Detroit’s neighborhoods.”

The tours of The District Detroit included stops at:

• The Mike Ilitch School of Business at Wayne State University
• Eddystone residences
• Little Caesars Arena
• Little Caesars world headquarters campus
• The historic Fox Theatre

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At each stop, tour members engaged in two-way communication with experts from the development, as well as other senior leaders from both Olympia and Related. Additional tours are planned to reach more community members across Detroit.

By seeking and incorporating feedback from the community through tours and other methods, Olympia Development and Related will ensure the vision for The District Detroit reflects and supports local priorities that will influence how and when the development takes shape. Community conversations are exploring the core values and priorities of the purpose-driven development, including education, engagement, employment, economic inclusion and environmental justice.

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