Michigan State Housing Development Authority
“I look forward to hearing more about your project.”
Detroit-based hybrid owner-developer
Detroit roots.
Institutional discipline.
Housing that lasts.
Iron Oak is building a repeatable affordable and workforce housing platform—starting with a controlled, family-oriented duplex portfolio in Dexter–Linwood.
3Controlled Phase One properties
6Proposed family homes
2–3 BRIllustrative unit mix
2041Long-horizon platform plan
01
Our thesis
Neighborhood-scale development
Prove the block.
Build the platform.
Iron Oak exists to close the distance between neighborhood need and investable execution.
We combine local ownership, historically compatible design, family-oriented housing, disciplined phasing, and long-term stewardship. Growth is earned project by project—not announced ahead of performance.
02
Controlled start
Active predevelopment · Dexter–Linwood
Phase One is sized to be understood, financed, and delivered.
Three controlled Calvert properties make up Phase One: two historically compatible new duplexes and one existing duplex rehabilitation, creating six proposed homes.
ControlThree Phase One properties
ProgramTwo new duplexes + one rehabilitation
HomesSix proposed family-oriented residences
StageActive predevelopment
Proposed scope is subject to final design, zoning, underwriting, environmental review, and program approvals. Exact property numbers are intentionally omitted from this public site.
Phase One conceptNew construction + rehabilitation
Future pipeline · illustrative
A corridor vision with an honest line between controlled and conceptual.
After Phase One performs, Iron Oak can pursue additional Calvert and Collingwood clusters. The concept organizes homes, green space, alley access, and covered parking into a cohesive neighborhood pattern.
26Illustrative duplex buildings
52Potential homes across later phases
Future figures are planning concepts—not committed construction, controlled sites, or approved unit counts.
03
Execution
A visible path to construction
Every promise has a gate.
Capital partners and neighbors should be able to see what is complete, what is active, and what still has to be earned.
- 01Established
Site control
Three Phase One properties assembled for a focused first delivery.
- 02Active now
Predevelopment
Design, environmental diligence, pricing, approvals, and operating assumptions.
- 03Next gate
Capital alignment
Public, mission, subordinate, and conventional sources structured around a viable takeout.
- 04Future gate
Construction + lease-up
Measured delivery, resident-ready operations, and performance before expansion.
04
Market context
The Detroit housing case
Growth is returning. The housing work is not finished.
Iron Oak's strategy sits where population momentum, historic housing stock, affordability pressure, and neighborhood-scale infill meet.
649,095Detroit residents2025 population estimateCity of Detroit / U.S. Census ↗+5,060Residents in one yearThird consecutive year of growthCity of Detroit, May 2026 ↗50.3%Owner-occupied rateDetroit, 2020–2024U.S. Census QuickFacts ↗8,000+Affordable homes in PILOT pipelineMore than $1.2B in planned investmentCity of Detroit, Oct. 2025 ↗
Public data shown for market context. Sources reflect the dates stated and do not represent Iron Oak performance projections.
Detroit's next chapter
A growing city needs homes that let people stay.
Detroit's momentum is real. Iron Oak's role is specific: turn controlled and attainable neighborhood sites into stable, family-oriented homes without losing the architecture or local identity that makes the block worth investing in.
Watch the City of Detroit film ↗Video: “Stay. Return. Move.” · City of Detroit · April 202605
Early engagement
Organizations opening the conversation
Relationships are becoming a real part of the project.
Iron Oak has begun assembling the public, technical, and financing relationships required to move from a neighborhood concept to a fundable first phase.
Michigan State Housing Development Authority
Welcomed a call to learn about the initiative and offer insight into ways MSHDA may assist.
Michigan Economic Development Corporation
Helped connect Iron Oak to housing technical-assistance resources.
Detroit City Council · Office of the Council President
Invited a policy-team briefing to learn more and discuss follow-up questions.
Great Lakes Housing Technical Assistance
Advanced a working conversation around Iron Oak’s draft pro forma and project readiness.
Detroit City Council · District 5
The district office has been engaged on site-safety coordination affecting the Phase One block.
These references describe correspondence, meeting interest, introductions, or technical-assistance conversations. They do not represent endorsements, funding commitments, project approvals, or permission to use an agency seal or logo.
06
15-year direction
From local proof to durable platform
The ambition is large.
The sequence is disciplined.
Iron Oak's 2041 direction is a management framework, not a promise of scale before the work is ready.
2026–2030
Detroit proof
Complete a disciplined first portfolio, establish operating performance, and build a trusted Detroit track record.
2031–2035
Regional replication
Expand across Michigan and selected Midwest markets through repeatable systems and aligned partnerships.
2036–2041
Institutional platform
Operate as a multi-market housing platform with institutional capital and neighborhood-scale discipline.
07
Partnership mandate
What moves Phase One
A precise ask is the beginning of a credible partnership.
Predevelopment capital
Flexible funding for diligence, design, approvals, legal work, and lender-ready documentation.
Structured financing
A coordinated construction-to-permanent stack with subsidy, subordinate capital, and responsible leverage.
Delivery capacity
Architecture, engineering, environmental, cost control, construction, and local workforce relationships.
Public + neighborhood alignment
Resident input, technical assistance, and agency coordination that move responsible housing forward.
Best-fit conversations
Mission-aligned lendersPublic agenciesCommunity partnersDesign + construction teams
Founder perspective
Earn the right to grow.
“Iron Oak is not approaching Dexter–Linwood as a one-time project. We are here to prove that careful, locally rooted development can stabilize a block, expand family housing, and earn the right to grow.”
Lenders · public partners · community
Help build what comes next for Detroit.
Iron Oak is bringing together capital, public partnership, and community commitment to restore housing, strengthen blocks, and create a model for neighborhood-scale reinvestment that can grow across Detroit.