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Ford has begun lining up additional businesses to help fill the gargantuan old train station it's rehabbing in Corktown, while the state has come up with a way to devote the project even more taxpayer resources.
The Detroit News has the update on the mobility campus at and around Michigan Central. Google is reportedly the first company to sign on, with plans to provide workforce development for high schoolers and job seekers.
The California-based company also will provide cloud technology for Michigan Central's mobility projects.
Google will open a new Code Next Lab at Michigan Central to teach computer science to high school students. The company also is partnering with local nonprofits — including M.A.D.E. Institute, Dress for Success Michigan and Streetwise Partners — to offer a career certification it says is designed to equip participants with skills for in-demand fields within three to six months.
Ford has agreed to recognize the certificate and consider program graduates for jobs.
The company also has a 300,000-square-foot office at Little Caesars Arena, where about 100 people worked before the pandemic. The buildout of that space helped the Ilitches meet a development benchmark that unlocked more taxpayer funding for their arena zone, in the form of a $74 million reimbursement.
And speaking of taxpayer funding — there's more where that came from for Ford, which initially got a $240-million subsidy package for the development reportedly now pegged at $950 million.
The state plans to "align" more than $126 million in new and existing programs and resources to support Michigan Central, according to a news release. That commitment includes new resources from the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
In a statement, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the state is "proud to partner with Ford and other founding members at Michigan Central to shape the next century of transportation solutions while reducing emissions and accelerating electrification."
"By embracing a whole-of-government approach in our collaboration with Michigan Central and the city of Detroit, we are writing the playbook for a new kind of partnership that keeps Michigan at the forefront of mobility for generations to come."
Detroit will meanwhile clear some red tape for the campus, allowing for the piloting of technologies without currently required approvals.
Ford plans to relocate 2,500 of its staff there and expects to draw another 2,500 from other companies.
