Detroit Debates 982-Acre Belle Isle Tax Zone to Lure 50,000 Residents

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 29

Belle Isle has emerged as the flashpoint in Detroit’s debate over how to capture residents leaving high-tax coastal cities, with some advocates pushing to turn the island park into a special economic zone.
Rodney Lockwood of the Mackinac Center proposes selling the 982-acre island to private investors for a mixed-use “Freedom City” housing 50,000 people in 20,000 households without public tax dollars.
Supporters say high taxes, crime concerns, remote work and steep living costs are pushing taxpayers out of places like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, creating an opening for lower-cost Midwest and Southern cities.
Detroit residents are split: some call privatizing a major public park a “horrible idea,” while others say the project could help revive a city facing slow population growth and a looming post-COVID aid fiscal squeeze.