Detroit's future as a global logistics hub is a step closer than it was a year ago, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano said in a press conference Thursday at the Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference.
"Aerotropolis" is a plan to create a logistics and light manufacturing center on 60,000 acres of available land between Willow Run and Detroit Metro airports. Today, Ficano said, work crews are preparing land, sewers and roads around the airport for development.
And he announced a four-step plan that will allow the county to begin "aggressively" marketing the Detroit Region Aerotropolis next year.
The steps include working with the state to develop business incentives, forming an Aerotropolis Development Corp. with surrounding municipalities to makret and oversee development in the region, complete a business attraction plan targeting potential developers and businesses, and develop and marketing and communications plan that brands the Aerotropolis nationally and internationally.
And Picano said three warehouses that represent an investment around $35 million and more than 400 jobs have already been announced in the area.
Detroit Chamber officials, meanwhile, announced a new effort called TranslinkeD (the upper-case D represents the One D initiative) to tie together the region's assets in roads, rails, air transport and shipping. It also acknolwedges that Detroit is home to North America's busiest international border crossing.
More at translinkeddetroit.com or http://www.detroitregionaerotropolis.com.
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