Detroit-based developer Bedrock has secured additional funding for its contentious proposal to redevelop the John Portman-designed Renaissance Center. The company has also released updated renderings of the project.

Bedrock revealed that Detroit’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has pledged $75 million towards the initiative, which involves demolishing two of the complex’s seven original skyscrapers from the 1970s.

The plan calls for the removal of the two towers nearest the waterfront and a reduction of the expansive ground-level podium that currently connects the skyscrapers.

According to Bedrock, the redevelopment aims to revitalize what it describes as an underused part of the city, drawing comparisons to successful waterfront transformations in cities like Chicago and New York.

“Bedrock and General Motors’ vision will transform the Renaissance Center from a largely vacant, outdated complex into a lively, mixed-use destination—featuring new housing, a modernized hotel and conference center, activated public spaces, and a new observation deck open to the public,” stated the developer.

“The current expanse of empty surface lots will be replaced with an ambition to create the nation’s premier family-friendly waterfront district—Detroit’s answer to Chicago’s Navy Pier or New York City’s Chelsea Piers.”

When it was completed, the Renaissance Center ranked among the world’s largest private developments, anchored by a central tower that stands 727 feet (221.5 meters) tall.

Since 1996, the complex has served as the headquarters for General Motors. Recently, however, GM announced plans to move its operations to the Hudson’s skyscraper in downtown Detroit.

At that time, GM warned that the entire Renaissance Center could be demolished without public funding for redevelopment, a proposal that drew significant backlash from the community. Such a move would have constituted one of the most significant skyscraper demolitions ever undertaken.

Last year, Craig Wilkins, an associate professor of architecture at the University of Michigan, told Dezeen that the Renaissance Center holds mostly “symbolic” value for the city.

“It’s a structure that people recognize as part of Detroit, to a certain degree,” he said, noting that the building isn’t fully utilized. “R