SOUTHFIELD — On June 5, at Lear Corporation in Southfield, Mayor Ken Siver delivered his annual State of the City address.

The speech, titled “A Measurement of Southfield Success,” touched on many points, including the rezoning and repurposing of vacant buildings, investments in the city and an update on the city’s roads.

City working to rezone, repurpose vacant buildings and properties

During the speech, Siver talked about how the city’s planning department is “getting creative” with revisions to zoning codes that will allow for greater flexibility of property use, as well as how vacant buildings can be repurposed.

“We have a sad history in this country of a throw-away mentality … It’s not sustainable,” he said. “We can’t keep doing this. So we’re working to repurpose our infrastructure, the buildings that we have, and reverse this throw-away mentality.”

The city has been working to repurpose many vacant buildings already: The conversion of the former Michigan National Bank building into a showroom and production facility for Sun Outdoors, a high-end camping product company; and the conversion of the Northland Mall to a boutique hotel with a marketplace, dining, entertainment and retail on the first floor. The basement of the mall is also being converted into parking, Siver said.

One goal being accomplished through the repurposing of vacant buildings is to increase housing. The former John Grace Elementary School is being converted into senior housing and the former McKinley Place is being converted into 40 market-rate condos.

Additionally, Siver talked about the former Michigan Inn, which was purchased out of bankruptcy after being vacant. The building is being converted into a 180-unit mixed-use building for youth who have aged out of the foster care system.

The building will help people ages 18 to 29 with employment and career options, educational opportunities and personal effectiveness and wellbeing while also providing them a stable living situation.

“I know what happens to some kids in the foster care system, and you don’t want this pattern to repeat itself and repeat itself and repeat itself,” Siver said.

Siver also mentioned other housing projects, such as the Deer Brook Condos being made at Lahser and Duns Scotus roads by Kalabat Companies and the Northland City Center Apartments, which he said has been “slow but steady progress.”

Many of these projects are able to be done because of other companies investing in our community, he said, including Lucid Motors.

Lucid Motors — and other automotive companies — are drawn to the area due to Lawrence Tech being in the city and the proximity to other auto suppliers, he said.

In addition to companies moving to Southfield, the city received a $131.8 million Michigan Transformational Brownfield Grant, which Siver said has allowed the city to move forward with the Middlepointe development on Evergreen Road.

The project, Siver said, will be five buildings with a mix of affordable and market-rate housing, as well as retail and entertainment space.

“We want this project. This is part of our city center, we’re trying to build a downtown,” Silver said. “We need more people living in the city center.”

One of Southfield’s ‘biggest headaches’

Among other things, Siver also took time to report on the roads throughout the city, calling them one of the city’s “biggest headaches.”

“Roads are always a big issue, and I think for the council and myself, this is one of our biggest headaches, because roads, they’re not well-funded in Michigan,” Siver said.

Southfield has 246 miles of roads, according to Siver. In the last 10 years, 151 of those have been redone, through almost $330 million of work.

“Look at the magnitude of the problem. We spent almost $330 million and we still have 95 miles of road to do,” he said.

While he congratulated Governor Gretchen Whitmer on the work she’s done, most of the money goes to overpasses instead of neighborhood streets, Siver said.

“I congratulate the governor on all she’s done, but most of that money goes to overpasses. It goes to major roads and freeways. It doesn’t go to neighborhood streets,” he said.

While the address on June 5 was a ticketed event, Siver will be delivering the State of the City address again at 7 p.m. June 12 in the City Council chambers, 26000 Evergreen Road.

The address can also be seen on the city’s YouTube page.