On today's Daily Detroit, Jer and Norris talk about three big changes in the city: a loved restaurant closing, a historic building maybe turning into a hotel, and a new business district along the river.
First, Kuzzo's Chicken & Waffles is closing after more than a decade on the Avenue of Fashion. Norris shares memories of hosting events there and why Kuzzo's helped make Livernois feel like a place where the whole city could come together.
Jer and Norris talk about how costs have gone up for restaurants since COVID and how other favorites like New Center Eatery and Parks' have also closed, even while some nearby spots are still doing well.
Next, they move downtown to the Park Avenue Building by Grand Circus Park. Developer Rino Soave now wants to turn it into a hotel with more than 100 rooms, a restaurant, and other amenities instead of apartments.
We get into why more projects are choosing hotels, what the coming renovation at the Renaissance Center Marriott could mean, and why Norris still wants more full‑time residents downtown, not just weekend visitors and staycations.
Finally, the show heads to the riverfront to talk about Rivertown's new Business Improvement Zone.
The new BIZ will cover nearly 300 commercial properties and could raise about $850,000 a year — almost 10 million over 10 years — for extra trash pickup, cleaning, and other services, working with the Downtown Detroit Partnership.
Norris explains why these public‑private partnerships can help neighborhoods grow, and how tools like BIZ-es might free up the city to fix up more parks and blocks across Detroit. Plus, Norris called it with his prediction that you'd see more of these in the city.
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