While my plans for a shipping container development on Ypsilanti’s Water Street never materialized, it looks as though a group in Detroit may be close to making something similar happen. The following clip comes by way of MLive.
A visionary project that will turn 93 reused shipping containers into housing units has achieved some important milestones.
The project, called Exceptional Green Living, will be located at the southeast corner of Rosa Parks and Warren in Woodbridge. The much buzzed about development is moving ahead, having just received unanimous approval to proceed from Detroit City Council and secured initial predevelopment funding.
Next up for The Power of Green Housing, the project developer, is to raise the remaining $200,000 in predevelopment funding, build a model home, prepare condo documents, pull permits, pour the foundation and purchase the shipping containers. If all goes well, partner Leslie Horn is aiming for a spring or summer 2010 grand opening.
Exceptional Green Living will consist of 17 units ranging from 850 to 1,900 square feet that will sell for approximately $140 to $145 per square foot. The “green living” moniker applies not just to the reuse of shipping containers, but to a myriad of green building techniques: tankless water heaters; exterior paint with an additive developed by NASA that increases insulation; radiant floor heating; and, possibly, a green roof…
[More on the project can be found at Model D.]
9 Comments
I find it amazing that people are willing to rally around this project when, only a few years ago, I was literally crucified by the Detroit City Council for my Dumpster City idea.
Literally?
I remember reading about this on Water St. on your site – I was really excited about that. It’s good know this is becoming a reality somewhere in MI :)
Yes, I was literally crucified. Sorry it took me so long to reply, but I have to type with my toes now, and it takes a while.
I like the idea of a Trash Can Village on Water Street, where people just pop out of dented metal trash cans like Oscar the Grouch.
This is Kurt’s mom. When we were in KY two weeks ago I noticed a similar development. People were taking the very old trailers – with the flat tops and making them into two story homes by stacking them on top of each other. They are also using 1/2 of the double wides as houses by putting plywood or whatever they can find on the back of what would be half of the double wide. Whatever, it seems to work and people have some place to stay out of the cold.
Alright, I’m not sold on this. At the price quoted, this means:
$119,000 – 275,500 per unit.
So, is this a part of yet another “affordable housing” initiative to push out the poor folks? Maybe those prices sound good to you, but I’m guessing if they had a say, long-time low-income Cass Corridor residents would be skeptical at best. Then again, at whom are these “green” dwellings aimed?
Correction: Woodbridge.
I have an idea. They should also put up a tall brick wall around the complex made entirely of used toilet paper and clay. That would help to round out the implicit image of this monstrosity.
Stephen Block is also LITERALLY communicating from beyond the grave. Dude is proof of life after queef.