Jeep Plant Isn't Getting a Warm Reception From Detroit Residents

Fiat Chrysler’s plan for a new Jeep plant in Detroit is off to a rocky start.

1 minute read

March 23, 2019, 7:00 AM PDT

By Camille Fink


Detroit Skyline

Darren Brode / Shutterstock

Representatives from Fiat Chrysler and the city held the first public meeting related to a proposed Jeep plant that would bring billions of dollars in investment and thousands of jobs to Detroit. The meeting was part of the city's Community Benefit Ordinance, reports John Gallagher:

The ordinance requires that any major project must negotiate a package of benefits with the surrounding neighbors before City Council signs off on it. Typical benefits paid by the developer would include money for schools and recreation centers, limits on truck traffic and pollution, and other good stuff.

Gallagher says it was a "sometimes raucous meeting," with residents raising a host of concerns about the role of the neighborhood advisory committee, employment opportunities for neighborhood residents, and heavy truck traffic in the area. "Given the long history of corporations either abandoning Detroit or steamrolling residents with new projects like the General Motors Hamtramck Assembly plant in the 1980s, the skepticism was entirely reasonable."

New York's experience with Amazon—and a planning process that lacked transparency and community involvement—offers important lessons for Detroit, adds Gallagher. "Even projects that sound wonderful when announced carry burdens for the local host community. And the voices of the local community are too often ignored as the deals are being negotiated in secret."

Thursday, March 14, 2019 in Detroit Free Press

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight