Bedrock is closer to bringing back the once-popular Monroe Street Midway in downtown Detroit and converting a vacant and nearby office tower into mixed-income housing.
A development firm representative told the Downtown Development Authority on Wednesday, Sept. 23, that they are "actively exploring" those two options to be Phase 2 of their Development at Cadillac Square, a project formerly known as the Monroe Blocks.
The development's Phase 1 includes the newly open COSM video dome. The second half of Phase 1 will be a market hall offering food, a beer garden and a small music venue, with construction set to begin in the third quarter of 2027.
Brian Watkins, Bedrock's government affairs director, unveiled the Phase 2 options Wednesday when asking
the DDA for an extension to a Oct. 1 deadline in Bedrock's development agreement for starting the phase.
The Monroe Street Midway was an outdoor games and family fun attraction that operated on the then-vacant downtown site from 2021 until its final 2023 season. Bedrock is looking to put the new midway near where it was before, but on the north end of the site closer to Greektown and Randolph Street.
“We’ve heard from Mayor (Mary) Sheffield and the members of City Council how important it is to deliver safe and fun spaces for Detroit youth and families, particularly during the summer months," Watkins said. “We believe there will be tremendous community benefit in bringing back the Monroe Midway."
Bedrock had previously planned to build a new 250-unit apartment building on the portion of the site it is now considering for the midway's comeback.
So the firm is exploring the possibility of putting those residences into the nearby 40-story Cadillac Tower, a vacant 1927 office building that Bedrock purchased in 2021. According to Watkins, 80 to 100 of those apartments could be set aside as affordable housing.
Members of the DDA board voted unanimously Wednesday to grant Bedrock's request to extend the Phase 2 construction start deadline to July 1 of next year.
Watkins said Bedrock intends to share more details of its Phase 2 plan later once they are finalized.
Contact JC Reindl: 313-378-5460 or jcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on X @JCReindl
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Bedrock closer to bringing back Monroe Midway in downtown Detroit
