Detroit launches 'Project 1,000' housing project

And as more and more people decide to call the city of Detroit home, Mayor Mary Sheffield has put a plan in motion to make sure that quality housing is available. So, how does she plan to do this? Fox News' Ingrid Kelly now live in Detroit with some answers. Ingrid. Well, hey, Charlie. You know, the mayor calls this initiative Project 1000, and it will help turn vacant lots into lots like this that have housing. You know, Project 1000 helps remove red tape. that often stalls or even prevents a project from becoming a reality. The initiative allows all city departments involved in new home construction, from zoning to design, to reduce barriers and make it faster to build homes under this plan. Now the goal is to build 1,000 new homes by 2031. For far too long, many developers who want to develop these types of housing options and new homes, they have to fight through every step by themselves. It can be very difficult to navigate bureaucracy. They have to find land. They have to seek zoning relief. They have to wait on and design permits. But under Project 1000, we put all of city government behind the developer to make it easier to develop housing options for our residents here in the city of Detroit. Builders should not have to guess what a lot allows or wait months for a permit. with as-of-right zoning a pre-approved design library and every department working from the same plan we are replacing red tape with a clear path yeah you know back out here live you know many residents they applaud this initiative because they say it will help create a vibrant neighborhood take a listen i like that the home ownership is coming back and a lot of the young peoples are coming back uh grandmother 10 grandchildren 28 great-grand and i want them the place. I don't want them to keep going to the suburbs. And back out here live, you know, the mayor says as these vacant lots disappear, so does the blight. And that is yet another way to achieve a vibrant communities. Back to you, Charlie. So, Ingrid, we did a little math over here. The cost of building is roughly $200 a square foot, even on a thousand square foot house. My math is about $200,000. In this plan, are there financing options available for the buyers of these new homes? You know what? There's definitely, how can I say this, home ownership opportunities and opportunities available that the city has been working on since this Rise Higher initiative came into play to help Detroiters and other people become homeowners. So that is definitely something that most people who live in Detroit, they have community managers. They should reach out to those community managers and find out more about those programs that are available to help people achieve home ownership. And also too, we spoke to a development company, a realtor and everything like that. And those are people that you can speak to as well to find out different programs and initiatives out there for first time home buyers and other people who are looking to move into the city of Detroit. We talked to the mayor, the mayor said that there are some available options for first time home owners. You are right, Ingrid. Thank you so much.