Detroit – City Council on Tuesday approved a series of approvals that will allow Ford Motor Co. to obtain $ 103.5 million in tax relief on its Corktown campus.

The council also approved Ford's plans to invest millions of dollars in affordable housing, training, education and workforce development, as well as efforts to ensure that businesses located in proximity are not displaced.

Members voted 8-0 on most of the proposals and benefits to the community. But Pro Tem President Mary Sheffield and City Councilor Raquel Castaneda-Lopez voted against the creation of a renaissance zone in Corktown. Councilman Scott Benson was absent.

Sheffield said after the meeting that she had high hopes in the Ford project and that she thought it would bring new residents and job opportunities.

"This is a catalyst project that will truly create the emblem of the city of Detroit," she said. "People will come here, the mobility options that will be presented, the jobs that will be presented, I think it's a win for Detroit, that's no question."

The council set up Tuesday rehabilitation districts that will allow Ford to benefit from future tax breaks.

These include an obsolete exemption for the rehabilitation of properties at Michigan Central Station and its depot, which would reduce the mileage rate for 12 years, and an exemption from commercial rehabilitation for the brass plant and reducing car parks. the mileage rate for 10 years.

The committee also approved the Renaissance Zone, a 30-year reduction with a postponement of up to five years.

The zone will exempt taxes on real and personal property, with the exception of credit plants, municipal corporate income taxes and utility users. Income tax revenue from personal cities would be generated and collected from the project.

Sheffield stated that she had voted against this element of the plans because it was "too excessive".

In addition, Ford has called for a neighborhood business zone that would reduce the processing rate of 40 potential condo units in Michigan Central Station. This should return to a board subcommittee next month due to a 60-day waiting period, officials said.

The automaker's request is part of the $ 239 million in tax relief it is seeking for its $ 740 million project, which will create a 1.2 million square foot campus in the Southwest Detroit community .

"Today, Ford marks a milestone in its long-term commitment to Detroit and Corktown, and we are very pleased that this project can continue to advance with the support of the Detroit City Council and the Corktown Community." ", said Ford in a statement released Tuesday. after the vote.

"From the beginning, we have been working diligently to work with everyone involved, developing a set of benefits for the community that will generate millions of dollars of positive impact on the region, including programs aimed at to support economic growth, affordability of housing, development of the workforce, preservation of parks., neighborhood safety and preservation of Corktown culture. "

One of the most pressing issues for Ford is its desire for designation under Michigan's Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Act. The automaker said it was hoping to get approval by the Oct. 31 deadline so it could begin winter work on the Michigan Central Station.

Before the votes, several residents and community groups expressed their support and concern for the proposals.

Debra Walker, a resident of Corktown, told board members that her company was an "excellent partner" in the affected area.

"I urge you to support the negotiated reductions and community benefits," she said. "We must also understand that what Ford is doing is monumental. It's not just developers who come in, grow and go, they are neighbors. "

But others, like Linda Campbell of the Equitable Detroit Coalition, have said that the benefits obtained so far are not enough.

On Tuesday, Campbell called the investment project "high stakes" for the community and called on the council to find a better deal before finalizing the tax breaks. According to her, many of the recommendations proposed by the community "have been ignored".

Board Chair Brenda Jones highlighted the work being done as part of the community benefits plan. Despite some criticism, she said support it.

"Overall, I will support it because the city will receive money from this project that would otherwise not have been received because the building was still vacant," she said.

Under state law, work on the Corktown Project can not commence until the State Tax Commission has granted Ford a property designation under the Rehabilitation Act, according to the Detroit Economic Growth Corp.

Ford's benefits plan was unveiled last month and was designed in response to a "wish list" of residents.

Sheila Cockrel chaired the neighborhood advisory council that negotiated community benefits for Ford's development.

She added that the proposal had been met after many meetings and was "totally transparent". Cockrel added that she was proud of the result, which equates to about $ 22.5 million in benefits from scholarships for the development of the workforce and its other components.

"The benefits to the community add to the quality of life of the people in the impact zone as well as the entire city," she said at Tuesday's meeting.

Ford has proposed a $ 2.5 million investment in the city's affordable housing leveraged fund to preserve or create about 200 units in the project footprint. An additional $ 2.5 million would be allocated to the Strategic Neighborhood Fund for Large Cities for the modernization of parks, streets and streetscapes, as well as financial support for grants for home repair of the elderly and the elderly.

The company also wants to devote $ 5 million to training for the workforce and specialized jobs.

The company has announced plans to bring 2,500 workers from its autonomous technology and electrification departments to its new campus. Another 2,500 employees are expected to come from startups and other partner companies.

The city said the station earned about $ 200,000 in taxes in Detroit.

Once the project is complete, the city expects to collect $ 10 million in tax revenue each year, mainly from tax revenues, officials said.

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