Now, Control Terminals Inc. is in negotiations with a major tenant who would take over a significant portion of the building, says Mickey Blashfield, director of governmental relations for the company.
He says the company, a subsidiary of the Warren, MI-based CenTra Inc., is looking to put a tenant in that will be a major key to restarting the depot as a major hub in the international trade process.
Incoming tenants will include international trade regulators, consultants, financiers, economic developers and others, along with video conferencing and modern technology. He could not name the new possible anchor, or when the deal may be completed.
"It will be a tenant that fulfills the idea of a trade processing center," Blashfield tells GlobeSt.com. "We hope the depot will become a one-stop information center to help with getting products overseas. We're at the No. 1 border crossing, and have a strong sea port, there's great potential in Detroit."
He adds light retail, such as entertainment, restaurants, convenience stores and catering would go in the first floor, approximately 100,000 sf in size. The 16-story tower, about 400,000 sf, would hold offices. The new anchor has to take at least four or five floors in the tower, Blashfield says, to make the idea work.
The Detroit city council has been given verbal updates on the project, Blashfield says, and will be given a presentation soon on the new project plans.
Control Terminals bought the depot, for years home to squatters and drug users, in 1996.
His company is cleaning out the depot. It recently removed about 1 million gallons of water from the basement area, Blashfield says.
"We got the water out, and now we're fixing the roof, so we'll never have to remove the water again," he says.
Nearby, the company is removing a former Michigan National Light Guard Armory building.
"I think it most recently was a trade school," Blashfield says. "It will be demolished very soon, as well as a school book warehouse. We're removing both structures to make room for parking. That's been one of the biggest challenges with this project. It's from a different era, when they didn't have as many cars, so there's not a plethora of parking.
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