DEARBORN, MICH. — Ford Land Development Corp., the real estate arm of Ford Motor Co., has begun transformation of the Dearborn campus with the groundbreaking of Wagner Place, a development featuring office and retail space. The $60 million Ford investment will provide Ford employees and nearby residents with new retail and restaurant options, complemented by green space, outdoor seating and enhanced walkability. Ford is transforming about two blocks of largely vacant buildings into the 150,000-square-foot development. Wagner Place will feature two floors of workspace and a rooftop patio in addition to first-floor retail and restaurant space. Approximately 600 Ford global data insights and analytics employees will occupy the property. The development is part of the 10-year transformation of the company’s more than 60-year-old Dearborn facilities, which will relocate 30,000 employees from 70 buildings into primarily two sites: a product campus and a world headquarters campus. Wagner Place is scheduled for completion in mid-2018.
With $3 million in support from the Michigan Strategic Fund, the city of Dearborn will construct a 373-spot public parking structure near the development at West Village Drive and Monroe Street for consumer and Ford employee parking. Dearborn is overseeing an $18 million investment for the west downtown area including Brownfield Redevelopment Authority funds and other financing. The city will make significant utility improvements and add streetscaping elements to enhance the project and the area. Ford Land has selected Mid-America Real Estate to oversee retail leasing for the project.