from “le détroit” · the strait
The City of Detroit held a ribbon-cutting for The Hive on Russell, a new development bringing 78 affordable apartments to the Eastern Market and Lafayette Park corridor.
Eastern Market has a new neighbor, and it's one plenty of Detroiters can actually afford.
The City of Detroit celebrated a ribbon-cutting for The Hive on Russell, a new building bringing 78 affordable apartments to the corridor between Eastern Market and Lafayette Park. The city announced the opening on October 1, 2026.
The $23.9 million project sits at 2033 Russell Street. It holds 39 studios, 33 one-bedroom apartments and 6 two-bedroom apartments, and every unit is rent-restricted through the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. The homes serve households earning 30 to 60 percent of the area median income.
The developer is Develop Detroit, led by president and CEO Sonya Mays. The project started back in 2017, then had to survive a pandemic that upended the original plan for the site.
"The fact that this project started in 2017 and is now opening its doors speaks to the commitment of the people and organizations that stayed with it," Mays said.
The building came together with a mix of public and private money, including $4 million in City of Detroit American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, $445,000 from the city's Affordable Housing Development and Preservation Fund, Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity from PNC Bank and financing from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), along with developer and sponsor contributions.
The pieces were years in the making. The MSHDA board approved funding for the 78-unit project in December 2023. Detroit City Council signed off on a tax agreement for the development in July 2024.
Residents get real amenities, too: a fitness room, a business center, a community lounge with downtown views, a dog wash and turf dog walk, and bike repair with secured parking.
"Housing is foundational, and The Hive on Russell shows what that truly means," said Amy Hovey, MSHDA CEO. "These 78 new affordable apartment homes put Detroiters right in the heart of a neighborhood full of momentum and opportunity."
That neighborhood has deep roots. Eastern Market has anchored this part of Detroit as a food and gathering district since 1891, and The Hive puts 78 households within walking distance of it. For a corridor that has drawn heavy investment in recent years, the opening is a reminder that new development can keep room for people earning well below the median.
Anyone curious about the building can find it at 2033 Russell Street.
One dispatch a week. No tracking, no filler. Free, always.