Former Detroit Hudson site demo on schedule

Construction is on schedule for a $1 billion development of the former J.L. Hudson department store site, Bedrock officials said Monday. 

Work is expected to be completed after 2020.

The view through barriers surrounding the construction site at Woodward and Gratiot reveals that a large portion of the demolition has been completed on the former two-story deep underground parking lot. Workers later will prepare the foundation for what will become a 700-car underground parking deck. 

The 1-million-square-foot development will feature an 800-foot tower that will stand as the tallest building in the state.

Its $1 billion price tag, which was noted by Bedrock, is up roughly $100 million from previous projections.

By comparison, Little Caesars Arena, the sports and entertainment complex that debuted this fall, cost $863 million to build. The planned Gordie Howe International Bridge, which will connect Detroit and Windsor, has a $2.1 billion construction cost. If the permanent MGM Grand Detroit were built today, it would cost $1.2 billion, based on an inflation-adjusted estimate of its $800 million cost in 2007.

Bedrock is working with Detroit-based Hamilton Anderson and New York-based SHoP Architects. The project is partially funded through a $618 million tax-incentive plan that includes three other projects.