LOCATION: Detroit, MI
YEAR: 2017-2022
As Executive Architect, MPA collaborated with Perkins + Will, Design and Landscape Architects, to design a mixed-use development, creating an intense concentration of urban vitality in one of Detroit’s most dynamic emerging districts. The Sugar Hill project transformed a vacant lot into 68 new mixed-income apartments and 11,000 square feet of commercial and retail space. Of the new apartments, 25% are designated as affordable housing for residents making up to 80% of the area median income, including 14 apartments for veterans.
The conceptual design builds upon and reinforces the concept of creating a highly walkable micro urban environment within the Sugar Hill Arts District featuring a tightly woven network of pedestrian streets, alleys and commercial spaces, utilizing state of the art green design and sustainable technology to include parking, housing, and retail. By maximizing efficiency and density within the confines of economical construction typologies, the development will be sustainable into the future. Through local nonprofit control, it will also be permanently dedicated to public benefit. Through close cooperation with the City of Detroit and initial and ongoing community engagement, the developers will ensure the Sugar Hill Arts District development benefits the inclusive, sustainable, creative growth of the district for decades.
