Though General Motors Corp. bought the five-tower Renaissance Center and has moved thousands of employees into the landmark building, and three new casinos have taken up temporary residence, the city hasn't seen a large influx of new projects in many years. Most of the main businesses in the Detroit area are located north of the fabled "Eight Mile" in Oakland and Macomb County, or west of the city in Ann Arbor.

However, Kilpatrick said, that blemished track record will soon change. For example, he said last year that the Graimark neighborhood redevelopment project on the east side was dead, with $38 million spent and no shovels in the ground, no commitments for commercial projects and a developer who walked away.

"Tonight we have re-negotiated the development agreements for what is now known as Jefferson Village. We will see work begin this spring on the first of more than 300 market rate homes. And construction is already underway on what will be the largest Farmer Jack supermarket in the state of Michigan," he said Wednesday.

Kilpatrick also pointed out the successful negotiations with the three casinos to build permanent facilities, each with 400 hotel rooms, in the city; a $500 million redevelopment project along the Detroit River, and a $56 million NextEnergy center at Wayne State University, which will focus on the development of alternative energy sources to fuel cars and trucks.

The city has had problems, however. An original goal of demolishing 5,000 abandoned buildings last year fell far short, with not quite 2,000 torn down by the time the city ran out of money. Kilpatrick said he will look for ways to improve the demolition program. "I'm proud of what this administration has accomplished in our first year in office. But tonight I'm even prouder of the future I see unfolding before us in Detroit," Kilpatrick said.

He pointed at how 3,000 employees of Compuware will move into a new world headquarters in the Campus Martius area of the city by June, near the new city square. Another 1,500 employees from EDS Data Services are joining the GM employees at the RenCen, Kilpatrick said.

With the Super Bowl coming to the new Ford Field in 2006, the city needs hotel rooms. Kilpatrick reminded residents about new hotels committed to moving in, including a new Hilton Garden Inn under construction in Harmonie Park, and another group investing in the old Howard Johnson hotel on Washington Boulevard.

"The city also is working with established developers and the Growth Corporation to renovate and reopen the Book Cadillac and Pick Fort Shelby hotels with a combination of hotel rooms and condominiums," Kilpatrick said.

Finally, he addressed the expansion of the city's conference facility, the Cobo Center, a hot topic since the hotels and Super Bowl announcements.

"When Cobo was last expanded in the late 1980s, it was one of the largest convention centers in the United States—the third largest to be exact," Kilpatrick said. "Today, we have slipped well down in the pack. We're at number 12 and falling. I am committed to expanding Cobo Center and will have a plan to do that ready by the beginning of next year."