OUR COMMUNITY

continued from page 11

12 | AUGUST 31 • 2023 

ON THE COVER

The renaissance of Detroit is 
an exciting story to Nachman, 
and one that he and Joy want-
ed members and friends of 
their Congregation Shaarey 
Zedek (CSZ) in Southfield to 
see for themselves. Already 
the underwriters of Coffee 
House, a CSZ program open 
to older adults (see page XX), 
the Nachmans sponsored a 
bus trip in July. A group of 
57, including tour leadership, 
were brought face-to-face with 
several of the key real estate 
developers, planners and man-
agers remaking Detroit. 

CREATING NEW SPACES 
IN CORKTOWN
The representatives, most of 
them Jewish, pointed out and 
shared in great detail the many 
multi-million-dollar develop-
ments their organizations and 
companies have brought to fru-
ition; they also previewed their 
upcoming projects in or around 
Downtown Detroit.
Leading the tour was George 
Roberts, a real estate develop-
er headquartered in Detroit 
and an active member of the 
Jewish community. Roberts, the 
managing principal, and Adam 
Kessler in 2019 co-founded 
Civic Companies, an organi-
zation Roberts described as 
“dedicated to building beautiful, 
sustainable and equitable com-

munities.
” 
The Coffee House plan-
ners knew Roberts from his 
appearance as a panelist at their 
November program, “Return & 
Rebuild: The Renaissance of a 
New Detroit.
” They were happy 
to invite Roberts back to share 
his insider knowledge.
Roberts said Civic 
Companies’ commitment is to 
“build walkable neighborhoods 
with zero displacement, creating 
spaces that preserve the past 
with function for modern use 
and adding to our city’s history 
of great design and public art. 
“My company’s biggest proj-

ect is developing the portfolio 
of properties owned by the 
late Joel Landy,
” an early Cass 
Corridor preservationist and 
real estate developer, Roberts 
said. “We also have neighbor-
hood projects taking place in 
(the Detroit neighborhoods of) 
Woodbridge, Corktown and 
North Corktown.
” 
Roberts said he is in the 
process of developing post-
COVID office space in the 
historic Kaul Glove District 
in Corktown. Attainably 
priced townhomes in 
Woodbridge will rise on the 
site of a demolished gilded-age 

mansion and sustainable, 
high-quality apartments on 
vacant land. 
At the first stop in Detroit, 
Roberts pointed out the site 
where Roxbury Group is build-
ing a hotel on the east side of 
Woodward. The space is next 
to the former WSU Bonstelle 
Theater, which will be repur-
posed. The building was an 
early home for Temple Beth El. 

MIDTOWN DETROIT
During her talk, the aforemen-
tioned Mosey pointed out 14 
environmentally low-impact 
“eco homes” that MDI devel-

 RHONDA GINSBURG

George Roberts explains some history to those on the tour.