Mixed-Use Development, The Ribbon Ready for Takeoff
The Ribbon will be a mixed-use development located on East Warren and Kensington. Image courtesy of Flux City
I am thrilled to announce that we have secured our construction loan for The Ribbon at East English Village! Construction will officially begin this spring and is scheduled for completion by the summer of 2024.
This project will transform the vacant, one-story "Old Charter One" building at 16530 East Warren Avenue into a mixed-use development featuring a restaurant on the first level, with 18 residential units situated above. We are particularly proud that 10 of these residential units will be designated as affordable housing, fostering a diverse and inclusive community.
The Ribbon's compact mixed-use development design, which includes both housing and retail, is a first for the East English Village community. However, such developments have proven throughout the City to effectively increase density without causing stress on the existing community population, making the East Warren Commercial Corridor more walkable and vibrant.
In February 2020, Invest Detroit, in partnership with the City of Detroit and their Strategic Neighborhood Fund (SNF) initiative, sought proposals to rehabilitate the "Old Charter One bank" in East English Village, located at 16530 East Warren Avenue. Invest Detroit's request for proposals (RFP) centered on identifying diverse developers for the project. The selected developer was also required to maintain transparency and an open dialogue with the residents of surrounding communities and stakeholders throughout the development timeline. After submitting our proposal, we had the opportunity to present to representatives from the Morningside, East English Village, and Cornerstone communities, and The Ribbon was chosen as the top project.
From the outset, our strategy has been to ensure the community's voice is heard as we design The Ribbon with a ground-up approach that primarily focuses on enhancing the streetscape and providing retail options that local residents frequently engage with. To achieve this, we held a number of community engagement events to gather input from residents who walk, bike, and drive East Warren daily.
Despite the pandemic, we were able to engage with the community in various ways over the past three years. We started our engagement process virtually via Zoom, which included numerous Zoom community meetings in partnership with the East Warren Development Corp.
These virtual meetings allowed us to regularly introduce our project to the community and gather detailed feedback through a rolling survey on aspects like building design, retail desires, and more. Survey respondents were even rewarded with gift cards to The Detroit Pepper Co.
One of our most successful community engagement strategies involved partnering with the East Warren Development Corporation and playing a small role in helping to jumpstart the East Warren Farmer's Market initiative in the summer of 2020. This collaboration allowed us to connect and strengthen ties with local residents. Our team worked with EWDC and Invest Detroit to host the Farmers Markets at the development site, enabling us to interact directly and consistently with the local community on a weekly basis.
Jasmine Haskins, owner of Gajiza. Image courtesy of Edward Carrington
During our ongoing engagement sessions, the community expressed a high demand for amenities they could directly engage with, particularly a sit-down restaurant. The community emphasized the need for spaces where neighbors could gather and collaborate. To address these requests, we have identified a retail tenant with a unique and integrated vision that promotes retail diversity and stimulates street-level activity.
From the very beginning, our primary focus has been on enhancing the East Warren streetscape to cater directly to the needs of local residents. With this in mind, we are excited to officially introduce Gajiza, owned and operated by Jasmine Haskins of East English Village, as the anchor tenant of The Ribbon! Specializing in Asian-inspired street food, Gajiza offers a wide range of delicious dishes and handmade prepackaged dumplings. After four years of serving over 40,000 customers through pop-ups in and around Detroit, we are thrilled to provide Gajiza with their first official location.
Reaching this milestone would not have been possible without the direct support of the local East English Village, Cornerstone, and Morningside communities.
I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your invaluable feedback and patience as we worked toward this goal. Your input over the last three years has played a crucial role in shaping the vision for The Ribbon.
I look forward to keeping you informed of our milestones and successes throughout the construction phase, and I eagerly anticipate the day of the official "Ribbon" cutting. Once again, thank you for your support and for being an exceptional partner in this journey.