Detroiters elect residents to scrutinize Renaissance Center redevelopment

As Bedrock and General Motors move forward with plans to redevelop the Renaissance Center, the group of residents who will help scrutinize the plans is coming together.

"When you see these renderings, please remind yourself that these are conversation starters. This is not a final design," said Bedrock's Senior Vice President Steve Ogden.

Residents elected two members of the nine-member Neighborhood Advisory Committee this week.

Three more will be selected by city council members and four by the Planning and Development department.

"We want to make sure we have a well-represented group. We don't want everybody from one area of the impact area," said Dara O'Byrne, interim director at the Detroit Planning and Development department.

O'Byrne says the city will consider where people live, as well as demographics such as age and race, as it fills the remaining seats.

That committee will bring resident concerns to the developers and negotiate community benefits.

The question of how much Detroiters can actually influence the planning is now coming into focus.

Bedrock says residents can help shape what happens on 35 acres east of the Renaissance Center and how nearly 10 new acres of civic and green space would be used.

"The only thing that I think that I would hold true as a starting point is we would like to move forward with the concept of three versus five towers, and everything else is up for negotiation," said Ogden.

All nine members must be seated by Sept. 15, which is when the city says more project details and financials will be presented and deliberations begin.

"We want to make sure that at the end of the day, that the project will move forward, and that community voice and community priorities are lifted up," said O'Byrne.