Detroit, State Officials Say New Fiat Chrysler Plant Shows City Has ‘Turned the Corner’
Officials from the public and private sector continue praising a deal with Fiat Chrysler that will bring thousands of jobs to Detroit. But some on Detroit’s City Council wonder how it will effect those in land parcels swapped as part of the deal.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says the city has “turned the corner” now that it is moving forward with Fiat Chrysler’s $2.5 billion proposal to expand an existing assembly plant in the city and modernize a nearby facility.
The Detroit City Council has approved a dozen elements necessary to assemble the land for the project, which Fiat Chrysler officials say should create about 5,000 new jobs.
Duggan predicts the new facility will attract additional jobs connected to suppliers as well.
The city and the state offered almost $300 million in incentives to get Fiat Chrysler to invest in facilities across Michigan as well as in Detroit.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says the Fiat project, which includes building the first new auto assembly plant in Detroit in decades, will have a “seeping ripple effect” on the state’s overall economy.
But some on Detroit’s City Council still have questions.
Council Member Raquel Castaneda-Lopez tells WDET’s Quinn Klinefelter she worries about how the deal will impact communities near land swapped with private owners to assemble the acreage Fiat Chrysler required.
