18 things: What to know & where to go in Metro Detroit

Hey friends, Jer here.

As promised, from time to time I'm sharing my notebook of stories I'm watching. Not every item fits the podcast format — but each is something I think is valuable, interesting, or neat.

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Let's get to it.

What to know

🏡 More homes, less red tape. That’s what Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield is promising with “Project 1,000,” a plan to help builders put 1,000 new homes on vacant lots in Detroit neighborhoods by 2031. [City of Detroit]

The idea is to get the city departments handling land, zoning, permits and infrastructure working together, rather than making builders navigate each step separately.

Proposed zoning changes would make it easier to build on smaller lots, while a library of pre-approved home designs would help speed up permitting. The city also plans to coordinate infrastructure work and blight removal around new housing. The zoning changes still need City Council approval, and the first designs are expected in early to mid-2027.

The plan also calls for “gentle density.” That means more neighbors on a block, without necessarily building a big apartment complex.

Through its “One-to-Four” program, the city plans to bundle Land Bank lots with subsidies for builders in targeted areas to create a mix of single-family homes, townhomes, condos, duplexes, triplexes and quadplexes. It’s about filling gaps in existing neighborhoods with more housing options, not just detached houses.

🎧 For more on why building a new house here can be so difficult, revisit my conversation with Greatwater Homes co-founder Matt Temkin. We got into construction costs, permits, water connections and inspections — and what it takes to build homes that fit Detroit neighborhoods.

You can also check out our conversation with Steve Watson on the math of why Detroit needs growth.

🏙️ The RenCen redevelopment’s community benefits package took a step forward Tuesday, with a neighborhood advisory council voting 8–1 to recommend it to City Council. [BridgeDetroit / Detroit Free Press]

The $133.3 million package includes $43.5 million in direct community spending by developers Bedrock and General Motors, plus nearly $90 million in payments to the city in lieu of taxes. It’s being called Detroit’s largest community benefits deal, but still needs City Council approval.

🏠 The Detroit Housing Commission’s plan to sell single-family homes to its tenants is on hold indefinitely after officials said lenders rejected more than half the prospective buyers. Some tenants also say commission errors have kept them from qualifying. [Outlier Media]

🏀 Detroit is one of seven finalists to host an NCAA Women’s Final Four between 2032 and 2036. It would be the city’s first time hosting the event, but nothing’s booked yet: The NCAA expects to announce its selections in July 2027. [Detroit News]

🍕 Perry’s Pizza in Clawson is saying goodbye after 46 years. The shop’s last day will be November 8, according to a farewell announcement a listener sent my way. [FOX 2]

The announcement points to rising food, utility and other operating costs. If Perry’s has been part of your pizza rotation, you’ve got about a week and a half to order one last pie at 665 S. Main Street in Clawson.

New stuff

🧱 Construction is underway on Artisan Market, a nearly $9 million project at 7326 W. McNichols in the Bagley neighborhood. [Invest Detroit] [WXYZ]

Tribe Development is leading the project. Developers Brandon Hodges, Chase Cantrell and Damon Dickerson are creating space for 20 to 25 small businesses to try brick-and-mortar retail, with offices and event space upstairs. Invest Detroit says the market is set to open in late 2027.

💰 One of downtown Detroit’s surviving 19th-century commercial buildings has been sold. Jarbou Ronnisch Construction bought the 1897 Capitol Square Building at Griswold and Grand River from Bedrock and plans to make it the company’s new Detroit office. [Crain’s Detroit Business]

The building was renovated in 2014 for the Detroit Institute of Music Education, which closed in 2020. Architecture and design firm Gensler is now a tenant. [Historic Detroit]

🔭 The Michigan Science Center is planning $5.5 million in new and expanded exhibits, including an indoor treehouse, a children’s planetarium and a gaming area with everything from giant Uno cards to virtual reality. [Crain’s Detroit Business]

🍴 Host is opening its third restaurant, this time in Detroit, with plans to open at the Chroma building, 2937 E. Grand Blvd., in 2027. I've put some renderings here in the newsletter for you.

We talked about it on the Daily Detroit podcast, and the announcement has more details: At about 4,000 square feet, this will be Host’s largest location, following Utica and Romeo. [Host]

The plan is for all-day service, with morning coffee and brunch followed by lunch, dinner and cocktails. An in-house team will develop the seasonal brunch menu, while rotating dinner residencies will give different chefs and restaurant groups a place to showcase their cooking.

🥯 Bev’s Bagels has opened at 283 Hamilton Row in downtown Birmingham, and apparently they’re going to need a bigger bake. According to the shop’s social media, they’re planning to double their batch size to meet demand for their organic sourdough bagels.

Birmingham By Design says there was a line on opening day.

For now, hours are Wednesday–Friday from 7 a.m. until sold out, and Saturday–Sunday from 8 a.m. until sold out.

What I’m reading

🐝 Detroit Hives is turning 10. Timothy Jackson and Nicole Lindsey got started with $1,600 from Detroit Soup and no beekeeping experience. The nonprofit now operates at 38 locations across Michigan and beyond, turning vacant land into pollinator habitats and teaching people about bees along the way. [Planet Detroit]

P.S. Who remembers the Detroit Soup crowdfunding dinners?

🗳️ Abdul El-Sayed’s pick for Detroit-style pizza? Sicily’s. The Senate candidate talks restaurant favorites, grocery affordability and his Egyptian American upbringing. [Bon Appétit]

He’s consistent — he mentioned Sicily’s in our primary interview, too.

Where to go

🎃 A Halloween plan for your group chat: Clue’d Up’s Motor City Scavenger Hunt returns Friday, October 30, sending teams across Detroit by vehicle to solve clues, tackle challenges and discover local businesses and landmarks. The 21-and-up hunt runs from 6–9 p.m., with check-in starting at 5 p.m. Costumes are encouraged. [Tickets and details]

🇲🇽 Valade Park’s free Día de los Muertos celebration is this Sunday, November 1. Check it out from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 2670 Atwater Street, with food, live music, ballet folklórico, vendors and children’s activities.

The schedule:

• 11 a.m. to noon — Children’s storytelling
• 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Food, shopping with local vendors, and arts and crafts
• Noon to 1 p.m. — Live music by Luna
• 1 to 2 p.m. — Dance performance by Ballet Folklórico Moyocoyani Izel
• 2 to 3 p.m. — Mariachi Mexico de Detroit

You can also leave a loved one’s name or a message at the community ofrenda. [Detroit Riverfront]

🚢 Looking ahead: The Dossin Great Lakes Museum will remember the Edmund Fitzgerald and its 29 crew members with events November 7–10, including free admission November 8 and 10.

This year’s Lost Mariners Remembrance Ceremony takes place November 8 from 3–4 p.m., with a memorial wreath placed near the ship’s anchor, an Honor Flotilla and bells rung in remembrance. [WXYZ]

Where I've been

With the election just a few days away and early voting underway, here are three things I took part in over the last week.

🎙️ I was a guest on a podcast! I joined MIRS Monday for a pre-election roundtable hosted by the talented journalist Samantha Shriber. Also on the panel: Detroit-based communications strategist Alexis Wiley and George Chapp, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party’s 10th Congressional District caucus. [MIRS Monday]

🎥 I was in the crowd as Jemele Hill interviewed Abdul El-Sayed at the Detroit Public Theatre. The event was put on by MoveOn and Detroit Action, and the conversation for her Spolitics podcast mostly focused on issues facing Black voters.

📚 And finally, historian Heather Cox Richardson spoke at a packed Red Wine & Blue event in Walled Lake. I made the drive because I find her thoughtful and appreciate how she puts today’s moment in historical context.

Thanks so much for reading and sharing your inbox with me. Until next time... Remember that you are somebody, and I'll see you around Detroit.

-Jer