Yesterday at the 2025 Detroit Policy Conference, I moderated a discussion with Jared Fleisher, Rock Family of Companies’ Vice President of Government Affairs, and David Massaron, GM’s Vice President of Infrastructure, on the Renaissance Center and the future of this pinnacle building in Detroit.
The conversation was focused on the process of rehabilitating this cultural icon, utilizing existing incentive programs tied to the success of the project, known as a brownfield tax credit.
We learned that while the renovation of the property initially drew questions from the public over using an estimated $250 million of public money, that money would go directly to the benefit of the public.
As Fleisher laid out in our conversation, this vision is equivalent to many other public projects across the country, such as Navy Pier or Millennium Park. The public space itself would have an estimated value of $137 million, and additional public money would go towards infrastructure developments and a more pedestrian-friendly intersection across Jefferson.
While it is easy to get tied up in a social media frenzy related to complicated processes, it is important to understand the needed development of this property to preserve the skyline and vitality of downtown Detroit. Rock and GM’s developed proposal would create multitudes of economic growth in the city and continue to get Detroit the recognition it deserves.