George Jackson has resigned from the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. after 12 years, Crain's Detroit reports. He will leave March 31 to form his own consulting firm.
From Crain's:
He will be focusing on a smooth transition from the DEGC, including shepherding the proposed $650 million Red Wings arena and entertainment district through the political process.The Detroit City Council is expected to vote next week on a series of public land transfers between the DEGC, the Downtown Development Authority and Olympia Development of Michigan, the real estate arm of the Ilitch family, so the project at I-75 and Woodward Avenue can move forward.
"I'm finishing that out," Jackson said. "I'm still working on that."
In his time at the DEGC, Jackson eliminated the cement silos from the Detroit River and helped broker deals that brought Whole Foods and Meijer stores into the city. Jackson was never one to mince words. At an economics forum at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial last spring, he said, “When I look at this city’s tax base, I say bring on more gentrification.”
