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From WXYZ Facebook video
Fernando Palazuelo, who bought the vacant Packard Plant on Detroit's east side in 2013 for $405,000 at a tax foreclosure auction, told a crowd at a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday that he has plenty of naysayers who remind him of daunting task ahead.
But he explained his faith in the project: "This is a story of determination."
He quoted a reply attributed to Napoleon when told that something was impossible: "Le mot impossible n'est pas Français." He translated those words: "The word impossible is not French."
Fernando Palazuelo (WXYZ image)
After speeches by Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, Palazuelo and others, a ceremonial groundbreaking took place with the usual shovels and hard hats.
WXYZ posts the video below.
This starts phase one of the project -- removing debris and grinding floors at the 121,000-square-foot administration building, reports the Associated Press.
The entire 3.5 million-square-foot site is expected to take up to 15 years to completely develop.
