Hey all, Happy Thursday evening. Jer here.
There are a bunch of stories to talk about, so let's get right into it.
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š The ongoing saga of the Renaissance Center has an update. The Planning and Economic Development committee of Detroit City Council is recommending that a request for a study to create a historic district for the behemoth set of towers be denied. [Crain's Detroit]
Preservation Detroit had asked for saving all the towers, as well as in a press release they want a sensitive mothballing of the unused towers as they sit vacant. [Preservation Detroit]
Current plans call for the demolition of two towers, as developers Bedrock and General Motors say there isn't demand and it'd be cost prohibitive.
On today's Daily Detroit podcast, we talked about it from various angles.
- Affordable housing (the math is very tough to make it work vs. building new)
- The psychological impact to the region that there just isn't the need for as much of this signature building
- And how the instead of being additive, the RenCen emptied downtown's other buildings when completed. [Daily Detroit]
What to know
š” Speaking of affordable housing, we went to a ribbon-cutting for one of two new affordable developments and brought back details and video. [Daily Detroit]
šļø Steel is rising on Third Street as a new seven-story research center is under construction. [Daily Detroit]
š§āāļø Detroit is set to settle multiple blight lawsuits with Dennis Kefallinos, requiring him to bring 102 properties up to code by September 30th. Kefallinos has to fix his buildings, pay taxes on all properties during this period, and demolish one commercial building, while the city will drop pending blight violations if he complies with the terms. [Outlier Media]
7ļøā£ In the wake of the recent tragedy of two child deaths, the city of Detroit rolled out a new seven-point plan to respond faster to homelessness. [City of Detroit]
š° The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) board voted Wednesday to increase wholesale water and sewage rates. [Daily Detroit]
Two new recently closed spots are getting new chapters
š²š½ Carajillo is a new authentic Mexican restaurant opening Friday in downtown Ferndale at the spot where The Emory was. It'll have a diverse menu of traditional dishes and cocktails including vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. [Detroit News]
š» The former 8 Degrees Plato location in Detroit's Cass Corridor will be transformed into Meantime, a new beer shop and bar opening in April 2025. [Eater Detroit]
š± HopCat is coming to Southgate. Their 11th location in Michigan will be at 15231 Trenton Road (the former Old Chicago location) and will have 6,700 square feet of space with seating for 220 guests, an expanded patio, and 40+ craft beers on tap and a full-service bar with lots of TVs for sports.
They plan to employ approximately 100 people and are now hiring. [HopCat]
š± Michigan's fourth-largest city has released their first-ever Climate Action Plan. Sterling Heights wants to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 while increasing climate resilience across five key areas: Buildings, transportation, waste, natural resources, and public health. [Sterling Heights]
š Looking for clothing swaps? Ways to connect with other people around sustainable events? I had a chat with Sam Cerwin, co-founder of BeReworn on the podcast. Her Detroit-based startup is looking to bring people together over this shared passion. [Daily Detroit]
š§ The 2025 Rain Barrels on the Riverfront is coming in April. You'll get to build and paint your own rain barrel while learning about sustainable practices. Registering early gets you a pretty substantial discount on your rain barrel. [Detroit Riverfront Conservancy]
That's it for now. Thanks for reading, sharing, and being a part of this crazy thing we're doing together. Especially our members on Patreon. Remember that you are somebody ā and I'll see you around Detroit.
-Jer
p.s. - The track I wrote tonight's edition to isn't from Detroit. But it makes me think of a pleasant summer evening, dancing in your living room with the one you love. Seasons are really the best here. "Sweets" by isaintjames.
