2023 is Shelborne Developments owner, Kathy Makno-Leipstiz, 40th year committed to the City of Detroit rehabilitating vacant historic multi-family and mixed-use buildings in the City. Winning several local and national awards for historic rehabilitation, Shelborne is broadly recognized for quality workmanship. Our dedication to neighborhood revitalization has been demonstrated through the numerous projects we have developed and continues to expand as we cultivate relationships with local nonprofit organizations to provide a comprehensive solution to the ever-growing need for affordable housing.

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Shelborne’s founder, Kathy Makino-Leipsitz, began her professional career in 1979 when she made her first rental real estate acquisition and 4 years later in 1983 her first purchase of a 30 unit apartment building in the City of Detroit.  By age 25, armed with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Michigan and a love of real estate, she had grown her portfolio to over 250 units across the Metropolitan Detroit Market. Over the next 10 years, her passion for real estate grew, culminating in the development of her first Low Income Housing Tax Credit (“LIHTC”) project in 1995. The project, a 60-unit new construction development located in Westland, MI, was the first of what now totals 22 LIHTC projects and over 1,300 units across Michigan.

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Ms. Makino-Leipsitz is considered an expert in Michigan affordable housing, serving on numerous panels and boards. In 2000, she formed Shelborne Development Corporation, carrying forward her mission of developing and operating high quality affordable housing projects using LIHTC and other tax credit vehicles. Shelborne continues to be a leader in community-based mixed use and affordable housing development, with a pipeline of projects and development efforts that consistently result in the receipt of highly competitive awards.