DETROIT – The nonprofit Jefferson East Inc. and its development arm, Jefferson Development Corp., are asking residents of the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood what they want.
More than 100 residents went Tuesday night to a meeting where they were asked for input. The group is aiming to have an East Jefferson corridor master plan done shortly.
“What we really want is to hear from the residents,” Jefferson East Inc’s Joshua Ellington said. “What do they want to see in the vacant storefronts.”
The nonprofit has already gotten plenty of feedback from neighbors like Martha Davenport, who has lived in Jefferson Chalmers for 49 years.
“I want to see this be a destination,” Davenport said.
Residents want restaurants, retail shops and affordable housing.
“A lot of folks have been here for 20, 30, 40 years and a lot of them want to see the vibrant Main Street corridor they once knew to be here,” Jefferson Development Corp, CEO Derric Scott said.
Already, it’s seen the restaurant Norma G’s open, with Alma Kitchen set to open this fall, plus construction of affordable housing is underway and there has been investment in stabilizing some classic buildings.