Highland Park plans redevelopment of 1,000 abandoned properties

HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. (WJBK) - The start of the new year bringing a big announcement from Highland Park as the city plans plan to redevelop nearly a thousand abandoned properties.

The city of Highland Park is searching for developers for one thousand properties. Officials are working closely with the state and county land banks for a project that will fuel the city's future.

"We're excited, very excited. It's really that time in Highland Park to get things redeveloped," said Highland Park Director of Community and Economic Development Yvette Robinson. "Some key neighborhoods (are) that historic district with beautiful homes that we really want to focus on those."

Highland park is working with the Michigan Land Bank and the Wayne County Land Bank. All of the properties are currently city owned and the funding for this project will come from developers.

"We have some that we've talked to and we have some proposals on the table," said Mayor Hubert Yopp. "We got commercial and residential property of course. The proposals, we'll look at them."

The plan is still in the early stages and the city is stopping short of divulging many details but say they're learning from previous mistakes.

"We had a development up in Northpoint - 6 Mile east of Woodward - and it failed. So we're looking closely at the proposal to make sure in our infant stages, that we come up and be consistent," Yopp said.

The ultamite goal is to attract more people to the area and to get these city-owned properties back on the tax rolls.

"We have to get Highland Park moving again, it's a beautiful city and wonderful community with wonderful people and we really just need to bring those things back to the city that will the quality of life and economics of the city and to give people the ability to live, work and play in the city of Highland Park," Robinson said.

The city would not offer a timeline of the proposed redevelopment project.