Detroit businessman Dan Gilbert says he was in Toronto recently, and the view from his hotel featured numerous construction cranes.
He figures that will be a reality for Detroit, too - and soon.
Gilbert says there is almost no office space available in the growing downtown.
"There's been two buildings higher than twenty-five stories that have been constructed in downtown Detroit since the 1980s. Two!" Gilbert said at an event at the North American International Auto Show. " I think you'll see ten or fifteen of those in the next five to seven years that are built."
Gilbert says he hopes the revitalization of the downtown will create jobs "for anyone who wants one," for people who live in the impoverished neighborhoods surrounding the city's center.
Gilbert spoke at an event at the North American International Auto Show, where he said of President-elect Trump, "he should stop the Twitter thing," while adding he hopes Trump's experience as a real estate developer means Trump will limit the "silliness" of some federal regulations, especially those on the banking industry.
He says Congress "overreacted," after the recession caused by the banking industry's collapse, and now it's too difficult for bankers to help small and medium sized businesses grow.
Gilbert is founder of Quicken Loans and the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He is a major supporter of proposed legislation that would create tax breaks for developers building in Detroit.
The state legislature did not vote on the legislation last year.
