Wyandotte passes downtown NEZ, spurs renovations

Let the renovations begin. Expect a lot of them in downtown Wyandotte now that the Downriver suburb has created a special Neighborhood Enterprise Zone for its central business district.

The City Council approved a second-story-and-above NEZ for the downtown. It creates a large tax break that city officials expect will encourage property owners to either turn vacant upper stories into residences or to add extra floors to smaller buildings.

"Projects are feasible that otherwise weren't," says Joe Voszatka, owner of Wyandotte-based SMOOTH Development, which helped city officials craft the new NEZ.

Normal property owners have to pay 48 mills of taxes. But those in the new NEZ will pay only 17 mills for improving existing upper floors. Plans for two such developments have already been announced and can be seen here and here.

Source: Joe Voszatka, owner of Wyandotte-based SMOOTH Development
Writer: Jon Zemke
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