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commercial real-estate, generating massive profits for the Hantz Group at the expense of community cohesion as well as without any payoff for long-time residents. "e have concern about large amounts of land being amassed in the hands of single individuals," urban farmer Malik Yakini says. "art of the imbalance we see in the world today has to do with large amounts of wealth being amassed by wealthy white men." Some community members disliked the idea of a white businessman coming into a neighborhood that was not his own and forcing his own vision of how to improve the area onto the community. Black community members often viewed his actions as a way to diminish the strength of existing black power structures in
Detroit as well. Rather than allowing Hantz Farms to purchase the land, many opponents proposed creating a community trust.
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interest of themselves rather than the community, saying that "Overall, Hantz
Woodlands falls under our working definition of speculation given the quantity of property and their varying conditions." The project has denied these claims, citing their work in maintaining their "1,970 properties" in Detroit. Upon seeing some of the many properties contained under Hantz Woodlands in person, it is evident to viewers that these properties appear to be adding little curb appeal to the area. What may have once been decrepit buildings or over-grown lots has been replaced with scraggly trees and few signs of a concerted effort at beautification, possibly suggesting that Hantz Woodlands will not be a long-term enterprise.
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have been characterized by Data Driven
Detroit as blocks that are “least active, with less density, more abandonment, and a high concentration of vacant lots” or areas with high numbers of vacant lots and lower occupancy levels mixed with “quality housing stock." John Hantz was inspired to improve these areas and decrease the perception that vacant land detracts from the value of an area in order to improve neighborhood morale, safety, and value as well as improve the overall image that comes to mind when people think of Detroit.
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hurdles when they tried to buy these same properties, often due to, as they stated, their lack of political power and their lack of large quantities of money. In response to this, the
Detroit Planning and Development Agency offered neighbors the chance to purchase the land that Hantz was interested in. John Hantz also paid more for the vacant lots and those with abandoned housing structures on them than they were initially going for at auction in hopes of showing he was not unfairly benefiting from the proceedings.
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vacant land unavailable in the real estate market could raise property values. He also believed that buying up this land and creating an urban farm would create a platform for tourism, education, community development, and economic development while returning a portion of the city’s 40 square vacant miles to the city tax roll. “I thought, What could do that in a positive way? What’s a development that people would want to be associated with? And that’s when I came up with a farm,” Hantz says.
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84:.” John Hantz describes the Hantz Woodlands project as “definitely a land grab” in the documentary, and states, “you can’t farm without land.” John Hantz has also stated that his goals for the Hantz Woodlands project are not to generate economic gains for his company but rather to use agriculture as a tool for decreasing blight and reuniting the community through a common purpose of caring for the land.
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is not the way to grow a vibrant city. Just because we have vacant land doesn't mean we should turn
Detroit into a farm." Other members of the City Council, such as Saunteel Jenkins, argued that "Farming will be one of the many things that be part of Detroit's reinvention ... The auto industry used to be our bread and butter, but now we have to diversify."
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Despite contentious community meetings and a strong activist presence against the project, plans for Hantz
Woodlands were eventually approved 5-4 by the Detroit City Council in October 2013. Kwame Kenyatta, one of the most vocal opponents to the measure on the Detroit City Council, stated that "This
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Concerns also existed over the consolidation of land in one businessman’s hands, with many fearing what would happen if Hantz later sold the land to a developer. Opponents feared Hantz would only hold on to the land for his three year contract before selling the land to be developed into high-end and
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Critics of the Hantz
Woodlands project stated that Hantz Farms received an unfairly low price and streamlined purchasing procedure for the land, compared to urban farmers who struggled to purchase the land they farmed. Residents of the areas in which the Hantz Group purchased plots also faced endless
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John Hantz, twenty-year
Detroit native and CEO of Hantz Group, proposed Hantz Woodlands as a way to remedy blight, increase neighborhood safety, and stop the decline of Detroit property values. Blighted areas can have negative psychological impacts on community members and lead to higher crime rates.
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Hantz originally envisioned Hantz
Woodlands as a horticultural farm because he believed it could help generate economic activity as well as remedy the lack of healthy food options, known as a food desert, which many residents in Detroit currently face. However, concerns over competition with local
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In May 2018, Crain’s
Detroit reported that business cards at a real estate and development conference showed a map of the Hantz Woodlands land with the subtitle “Would you like to develop/own the next opportunity in Detroit?” This prompted speculation that Hantz Farms was interested in selling the
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During his daily drives through Detroit, Hantz noticed the countless empty lots and decaying houses, many of which were in foreclosure and/or were in city ownership, that he passed on his route. Many of the lots in the areas that would later become part of Hantz Woodlands are on blocks that
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Approximately 40 square miles of Detroit’s 139 square mile area were vacant before Hantz began his project. Hantz stated that this lack of scarcity in real estate and available properties caused a continual decline of Detroit’s property values, and he suggested that making a large amount of this
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In recent years, John Hantz and Hantz Woodlands have come under scrutiny for acting in ways similar to speculation, in which large tracts of land are bought and then left alone to accumulate value. In September 2018, Josh Akers of the Urban Praxis Workshop accused Hantz Farms of acting in the
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The project's 2013 agreement with the city of Detroit called for the demolition of 50 vacant city-owned structures, the planting of 15,000 trees, and the general maintenance and upkeep of the district properties. In December 2014, Detroit mayor
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trees were driven to Detroit from Michigan and New York, and planted at Hantz Woodlands. Keith Alexander, an Oxford-based tree broker, located sugar maples that were straight enough and tall enough to meet Hantz's
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urban farmers, worries about the use of pesticides, neighborhood distrust of Hantz’s motives, and Hantz's grievances with agricultural taxes led to the conversion of the project into a large-scale tree farm.
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tree farm, bounded by E. Jefferson Avenue, Mack Avenue, St. Jean Street and Van Dyke Avenue. Hantz Woodlands is a project of Hantz Farms, LLC, a division of
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presented the company with a certificate of completion for having fulfilled this agreement.
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In addition to hosting annual tree-planting events, Hantz Woodlands began the Timber Trot
481:"A growing dream of urban farming: Financier Hantz wants to plant $ 30M into vacant lots"
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537:"Hantz Woodlands proposal divides Detroit on eve of controversial City Council vote"
795:"Hantz Woodlands brings thousands of trees to hard-pressed Detroit neighborhoods"
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19:, also known as Hantz Farms, is an urban tree farm on the lower east side of
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781:"Hantz Woodlands to plant 5,000 more trees on once-blighted lots in Detroit"
287:"Why is a person cleaning up Detroit getting the runaround from the city?"
715:"Hantz Woodlands Fulfills Detroit Blight Removal Project, Adds 15K Trees"
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On May 7, 2016, Hantz Woodlands planted 3,150 six-foot-tall sugar maples.
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Detroit strikes land deal with Hantz Farms as part of FCA plant project
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561:"'Land Grab' doc about Detroit's Hantz Farms available on Amazon video"
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trees, with the intent to later transport some to a different location.
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192:"A 140-Acre Forest Is About to Materialize in the Middle of Detroit"
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Hantz Woodlands was featured in Sean O'Grady's 2016 documentary
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On May 6, 2017, volunteers planted approximately 3,000 trees.
269:"John R. Hantz: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg"
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255:"Hantz Woodlands Gets State OK For Biggest U.S. Urban Farm"
394:"CDAD Residential Typology Analysis | Data Driven Detroit"
666:"Instagram campaign shows effects of Detroit speculation"
639:"Documentary explores Hantz Farms 'Land Grab' in Detroit"
729:"Hantz Woodlands seeks volunteers for Saturday planting"
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property, which representatives for Hantz Farms denied.
509:"Detroit City Council OKs land sale to Hantz Woodlands"
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On May 17, 2014, over 1,000 volunteers planted 15,000
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690:"Is Hantz Farms property up for sale? Owner says no"
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315:"John Hantz Reimagines Detroit as Urban Farmland"
35:. It is the largest urban tree farm in the U.S.
753:"Detroit Residents Plant 15,000 Trees in a Day"
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378:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
836:— Crain’s Detroit Business, April 15, 2019
456:"Growing Pains for Detroit's Urban Farms"
349:O'Grady, Sean King, producer, director.,
135:On May 9, 2015, volunteers planted 5,000
112:in 2016 to benefit the Hantz Foundation.
454:Hester, Jessica Leigh (30 August 2016).
124:saplings on 20 acres at Hantz Woodlands.
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426:Macmillan, Leslie (10 December 2012).
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253:Davies, Lauren Ann (18 October 2013).
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206:"What We Have Done | Hantz Woodlands"
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586:"A Quick Primer on Hantz Woodlands"
190:Goodyear, Sarah (25 October 2013).
161:Planning and development in Detroit
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428:"Vast Land Deal Divides Detroit"
148:See images of tree planting 2017
127:On October 15, 2014, 150 mature
799:Building Design + Construction
767:"Planting A Walk In The Woods"
717:. dbusiness. 10 December 2014.
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313:Smith, Eleanor (2010-10-05).
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584:Koller, Jon (2012-11-30).
234:www.hantzfarmsdetroit.com
210:www.hantzfarmsdetroit.com
694:Crain's Detroit Business
513:Crain's Detroit Business
485:Crain's Detroit Business
614:Land Grab: The Movie
828:Hantz Farms Detroit
257:. Deadline Detroit.
733:Detroit Free Press
670:Detroit Free Press
515:. 11 December 2012
291:Detroit Free Press
194:. Atlantic Cities.
230:"Hantz Woodlands"
166:Urban agriculture
96:Planting projects
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129:sugar maple
103:Mike Duggan
60:Controversy
33:Hantz Group
804:2018-11-14
738:2018-11-14
700:2018-11-14
675:2018-11-16
648:2018-11-14
624:2018-11-14
595:2018-11-14
570:2018-11-15
546:2018-11-14
519:2018-11-14
491:2018-11-14
437:2018-11-16
432:Green Blog
399:2019-11-15
366:2019-11-15
324:2018-11-14
296:2018-11-15
239:2018-11-14
215:2018-11-14
177:References
39:Background
643:MLive.com
565:MLive.com
541:MLive.com
465:30 August
460:Bloomberg
361:953191490
352:Land grab
273:Bloomberg
82:land grab
78:Land Grab
844:Category
830:—Website
824:—Website
374:citation
155:See also
29:hardwood
25:blighted
21:Detroit
610:"Home"
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118:maple
467:2016
380:link
357:OCLC
120:and
122:oak
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