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Highland Park details housing pipeline and aims to shrink city‑owned inventory by 20%
Summary
Community and Economic Development Director Carlton Clyburn outlined plans to sell city‑owned lots, reported recent lot and house sales, and described a $135 million housing investment pipeline totaling 744 units aimed at increasing tax revenue and reducing public inventory.
The city of Highland Park plans to reduce its inventory of publicly owned parcels and leverage new development to expand the tax base, Carlton Clyburn, director of Community and Economic Development, told residents at a town hall.
CED reported that the city owns roughly 1,450 parcels and that county and state ownership brings the total of publicly owned properties in the city to more than 2,000 — about one‑third of the city—s parcels. Clyburn said the city sold 19 vacant residential lots that brought in $9,500 and completed an auction that produced $58,850 from seven houses; 25 offers to purchase are in queue covering 52 parcels.
Development pipeline: Clyburn outlined a 744‑unit development pipeline representing about $135 million in investment: Manchester Place (200 units, $20 million, about 50% complete, target May completion), Highland Park housing community (eight buildings, 160 units, $35 million, about 85% complete), The Gabriels (336 units, $70 million), and Highland Manor (48 units, $10 million). The director said those projects include senior housing upgrades and broader housing capacity for the city.
Code enforcement and blight: Clyburn said the department is working on demolition and nuisance‑abatement, including a Phase 1 nuisance abatement program targeting 13 entities and 19 properties (concentrated on key corridors such as Woodward and Hamilton). He said the city adopted a new graffiti ordinance and is updating other ordinances and the zoning map to improve enforcement and support redevelopment.
Fiscal impact: The department—s goal is to decrease publicly owned inventory by 20% (about 400 parcels) and estimated that selling those parcels at an average of $2,500 per parcel could add roughly $1 million in operating revenue; Clyburn said that additional revenue would help fund services and jobs in public departments.
Next steps: Clyburn said the economic development strategy draft has been completed and will go to council; the department is completing a diagnostic of the zoning ordinance, finishing a capital improvement plan in February, and preparing to send contracts for park upgrades out to bid. He urged residents to sign up for city text and email alerts to participate in public hearings and planning commission meetings.
