LOCATION: Detroit, MI
YEAR: 2021 - 2025
Brainard Flats is a new mixed-use development in Midtown Detroit, representing a $14 million investment aimed at enhancing the neighborhood’s housing options and commercial vitality. Developer Greatwater Opportunity Capital has acquired a fire-damaged 45-unit apartment building along with three adjacent vacant parcels at 3740 2nd Avenue to facilitate this project. The plan is to construct a four-story building that will feature 57 affordable apartments and approximately 3,500 square feet of on-site retail space, serving residents and the surrounding community.
Midtown is recognized as one of Detroit’s most walkable and vibrant districts, and Greatwater’s co-founder Jed Howbert emphasizes that their goal extends beyond mere construction—it's about fostering thriving neighborhoods for generations. The design respects the neighborhood’s architectural heritage by creating a contemporary yet contextual building, incorporating ground-floor retail at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Brainard Street. The narrow, deep lots posed a challenge, but the team’s solution was a compact design with energy-efficient materials, including brick, EIFS, and wood accents.
The interior emphasizes affordability and functionality, with small units—33 studios of 370 sq ft and 24 one-bedrooms of 550 sq ft—targeted at lower-income tenants. About 20% of units are below-market rent for applicants earning less than 80% of the area median income. The project aims to bolster Midtown’s housing stock and retail employment.
