The city's Planning and Development department (PDD) has been working for three years on a plan to rehabilitate existing housing and bring in more housing and retail/commercial facilities. The city controls about 75 percent of the area, most of which is vacant.

The PDD wants to incorporate new housing, a 30-acre park in the center of the land and commercial development along Jefferson and Kercheval Avenue. It would take 12 years to build according to city staff. Developers contacted about the plan indicated concerns on acquiring clean titles to properties, and adequate utilities.

One task force for the project is meeting weekly to create requests for proposals for the project and another is meeting monthly to work on the retail portion. George Dunbar, a PDD staff member, said the housing would bring back residents from adjacent Oakland County, including the cities of Hazel Park, Ferndale, Southfield and Warren.