Re: Packard Plant

Posted by packardsix1939 On 2023/12/7 16:08:17

I agree that it would have been nice for the Packard plant to have been largely saved and repurposed, perhaps with a portion of it set aside for a Packard museum. But it was not to be. There were just too many obstacles in the way for a project like this to be successful, the main one being that Detroit has been a dying city for decades. From what I have been told, the neighborhood around the former plant is such a high crime area that it is literally like a war zone. You would not be able to attract tourists to come here let alone viable businesses which could have occupied the renovated spaces. Sure, I have heard about the so-called "Detroit Renaissance", but from what I have heard, the impact has been greatly exaggerated as it has really only impacted a relatively small area in the Downtown district. It is a shame, but many formerly great industrial centers in our country are in the same boat. Industry has closed down or fled, jobs have relocated overseas, and the tax base has eroded. People with the means to leave moved out of the city long ago. Buildings and infrastructure are allowed to crumble, so all that is eventually left is an impoverished, crime ridden wasteland which used to be a great city. I don't have an answer for this and I don't think anyone does.