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Mayor Mike Duggan has brought a Texas urban development veteran to Detroit to lead the city’s planning department.
Antoine Bryant started as interim director of the planning and development department on Monday. Duggan’s office has nominated Bryant for the full-time position, according to Detroit City Council documents, highlighting his experience in community planning. In order to officially occupy it, the approval of the city council is required.
The appointment comes after former director Maurice Cox left for the top planning job in Chicago in the fall of 2019. The deputy director Katy Trudeau temporarily headed the planning department.
According to his résumé submitted to the council, Bryant spent 25 years in town planning and architecture. He comes from a role as Business Development Director for Moody Nolan’s Houston office in Ohio, the largest black-owned architectural firm in the United States.
“We are very excited that he is joining the team and getting to work to revitalize our neighborhoods and our city,” said spokesman Dan Austin in a message to Crain’s.
The city plans to introduce Bryant during an event on Wednesday and declines to say more until then, Austin said.
Bryant’s work to date has ranged from private to public and charitable. It includes public engagement services while running a firm called Bryant Design Group LLC, running a community development company in Houston, and providing direct disaster relief after Hurricane Ike, according to his résumé.
Bryant holds a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional science from Cornell University and the University of Texas Graduate School of Architecture. He is also a member of the Houston Planning Commission and the Board of Directors of the National Organization of Minority Architects.
“In his current position and throughout his career, Mr. Bryant has drawn attention to underserved urban neighborhoods and community engagement as a driving force in his design work from Atlanta to California …” Duggan said in a letter to the city council dated July 8th in which the nomination was sketched. “He is also well acquainted with and deeply respectful of Detroit and its people. Detroit has been a destination for business travel and study as well as for pleasure throughout his career.”
Duggan, who is running for a third term this year and has received criticism for a perceived lack of neighborhood focus and community engagement efforts, added in the letter that he believes Bryant is “a tremendous asset” to projects like the Strategic Neighborhood would fund and spend the city’s massive allotment of US dollar bailout plans.
When Cox first left, Duggan named chairman Arthur Jemison, who is responsible for planning in addition to serving as director of services and infrastructure. His title became Group Executive for Planning, Housing and Development.
Jemison left for a role in the administration of President Joe Biden in January and was replaced by Donald Rencher, who was promoted from the director of the city’s Housing and Revitalization Department. Trudeau was announced at the time as deputy head of the planning department.
Julie Schneider got Detroit City Council approval Tuesday to officially take over Rencher’s old job. Schneider was temporarily active in Rencher’s function and was previously deputy head of department.
The city council is due to consider Bryant’s nomination to the committee on Wednesday. From there it would have to go to a vote in the entire council.
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