Northville Downs redevelopment breaks ground on plan for 400-plus residential units, large green space

A large mix of developers is moving forward on a wholesale makeover of the site of the Northville Downs racetrack, totaling well into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Officials broke ground Monday on a mix of rental and for-sale residential properties totaling 443 housing units, retail and commercial space, as well as 15 acres of publicly accessible green space and parks that include “daylighting” 1,100 feet of the Rouge River, long covered as part of the development of the now defunct racetrack.

The Downs, as the project is being called, is situated on 48 acres. Fort Washington, Pa.-based homebuilder Toll Brothers Inc. will build 192 condos and single-family homes on the southern portion of the site while Hunter Pasteur and its development partners — Southfield-based The Forbes Co. and Soave Enterprises in Detroit — will collaborate on the rental component on the north end of the site.

Hunter Pasteur and Forbes have collaborated on previous and still under-development projects, including in Ann Arbor and Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood.

The opportunity to take on such a project in Northville, however, makes for a unique opportunity, according to Hunter Pasteur CEO Randy Wertheimer, noting the variety of housing types planned at the site.

“We are providing (a variety of) housing types … to live in downtown Northville, which has always been a highly sought-after place to live,” he said. “But there’s a huge barrier to entry because there’s never homes available.”

Representatives from Toll Brothers were not available for comment on their role in the development.

Wertheimer said the for-rental component of the project will be a “highly-amenitized” apartment development targeted at those who have wanted to rent in the western metro Detroit suburb but have struggled to find the right product. Rents are expected to be market-rate but amounts remain to be determined based on conditions once completed, expected for summer 2026.

The developers received a brownfield tax increment financing deal valued at approximately $17.8 million, Wertheimer said.

The two developments will be separated by a central park that’s roughly “the size of a football field,” according to Wertheimer.

“It’s a generational opportunity,” Wertheimer said of the planned park and green space. “So aside from our real estate development, we’re really creating placemaking and a regional destination that is going to be a huge draw for people of all ages for recreational activity.”

All told, the planned green space totals nearly 10.5 acres.

“The opportunity to restore this section of the Rouge River really excited us,” Forbes President Nate Forbes said in a statement. “Natural environments and greenspace are vital to any successful development these days, but we wanted to make sure everyone has an opportunity to use and enjoy the space.”

The development has been in the works for years, first floated in 2018.

The racetrack’s land near Sheldon Road and Hines Drive has long been sought by developers. It was first envisioned as 500-600 apartments and for-sale townhouses and single-family homes with some commercial uses, Crain’s previously reported. But those plans have been trimmed down during the planning and approval process.

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