Detroit City Council approves $3B Henry Ford Health expansion partnership with MSU, Pistons
New Henry Ford Health campus coming to Detroit
Henry Ford Health announced Wednesday that the health system will be building a campus that will include a new hospital, research center, housing, and retail in Detroit's New Center. The project will be a partnership between Henry Ford, the Pistons, and Michigan State University.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - The Detroit City Council approved a massive development deal worth $3 billion with a partnership between Henry Ford Health, Michigan State University, and the Detroit Pistons.
Councilmembers voted 6-3 to approve the development, which included re-zoning several parcels of land and a new community benefits package. Members Angela Whitfield-Calloway, Gabriela Santiago-Romero, and Mary Waters all voted against the plan.
The approval followed weeks of debate between councilmembers as well as myriad public comments from residents.
Those that supported the Future of Health project like council President Mary Sheffield, said expanding the health care footprint in Detroit would go a long way toward improving the livelihoods of the city's populace.
"This is a hospital and is for patients, it's for the well-being of our city and when we talk about the health of Detroit and the future of our city, the health of our residents has to be a priority as well," she said Tuesday.
But opponents of the expansion said the community benefits agreement didn't go far enough. Calloway said she was a "no" vote because the proposal didn't give the city council the means to enforce the plan.
She mentioned delays to previous land development plans like Little Caesars Arena and District Detroit.
Once complete, the campus will alter part of the Detroit landscape, adding new patient space, residential buildings, parking garages, and a research center.
A statement from the joint partnership called the investment important to the revitalization of Detroit and its citizens.
"Long-standing Michigan community stewards Henry Ford Health, Tom Gores and the Detroit Pistons, and Michigan State University have brought the Future of Health development forward as part of a historic partnership to turn Detroit’s New Center neighborhood into a vibrant, walkable community delivering the future of healthcare with an expanded state-of-the-art hospital and cutting-edge medical research combined with mixed-income residential, commercial, retail and recreational components," the statement read.