Jer here, sending this one from the Dessert Oasis coffee shop in Detroit’s Capitol Park. As always, my thoughts are in italics.
If you want to support what I’m doing, buy us a coffee or two!
» The new Joe Louis Greenway trailhead on Warren at the border of Dearborn and Detroit is now open.
The $6 million project — funded by the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and city bonds— changed abandoned railroad tracks into a recreational trail.
The entire greenway, when completed, will be a 27.5-mile loop connecting 23 Detroit neighborhoods and some nearby cities to Detroit's waterfront.
It includes a 4-acre park with a playscape, community space, fitness equipment, and parking. And that playscape is, in one word, stunning. It makes a strong visual impression from any angle.
The Joe Louis Greenway is part of Mayor Mike Duggan’s “Blight to Beauty” initiative. The goal is to provide better chances for economic development and improved connectivity between neighborhoods and nearby cities.
So how could a greenway create economic development? Officials pointed to a couple of examples in other cities, as greenways tend to make the areas near them more attractive for investment.
- The Atlanta Beltline in Atlanta, Georgia, reportedly helped generate more than $4 billion in economic impact, 15,000 new jobs, and 2,600 new affordable housing units.
- The San Antonio River Walk helped create over $3 billion in economic impact, including 21,000 jobs and 2.2 million local visitors annually.
If you want a little bit of a video tour of the Warren Avenue Trailhead, here’s what I put up on our Instagram.
And we talked about it on Friday’s podcast.
» A mural by FEL3000ft was officially unveiled this week in downtown Wyandotte. The project is one of a series of works that the regionally-funded Detroit Institute of Arts is teaming up with municipalities on to get art into different parts of the region.
Described by one of our podcast listeners who lives there as “the people’s Grosse Pointe,” Wyandotte is becoming a downriver hotspot for young professionals and those looking for a walkable downtown with amenities.
🗞 What to know
» Olympia Development could be looking to have money they pay to purchase a $35m piece of property from the Wayne County Stadium authority to then fund renovations to Comerica Park. [Axios Detroit]
A key quote to me, by a consultant for Wayne County: "We want to make sure our relationship stays cordial and friendly so the Tigers stay well beyond when they're legally required.”
The Tigers could consider a new venue or a move out of the city starting in about a decade.
Although the ballpark is showing signs of age and I think it needs some paint and upgrades, I was wondering why the first piece of this huge District project was on land developer didn’t own. It now, from the outside, looks like leverage to have the authority pay for upgrades. There’s gotta be a backstory here.
» Toyota is a target for a unionization drive. That’s what UAW leader Shawn Fain is saying after big wins with the Detroit three, pushing for a massive expansion of unionization. [ClickOnDetroit]
» “I’m going to be pooping into a bucket the whole winter,” says Joe Balenger — who bought and renovated a house purchased sold by the Detroit Land Bank. Problem is, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department has poor records around if the water line has been cut or removed; and replacing the lines are turning out to be a large surprise cost to those investing in the city. [Outlier Media]
» The former Rose’s diner on East Jefferson in Detroit is for sale for $495k. [O’Connor]
» A new bar and dog park called “Barkside” opens Saturday (tomorrow). Located at Van Dyke and Kercheval in Detroit’s West Village, Barkside is a membership-based indoor and outdoor dog park with a bar. There are play areas for dogs and the bar serves beer, wine, cocktails, mocktails, and coffee for humans. Dogs must be at least six months old and have up-to-date vaccinations. The venue will also be open to the public if you just want to watch the dogs play. [Barkside]
I know we have a number of podcast listeners interested in this one. Heck, I am too.
» Progress is happening on new paths on Washington Boulevard in downtown Detroit. A number of trees were removed (in a report, the city’s horticulturalist said that the trees were planted too close to begin with). I saw people already using the new paths even though they weren’t done yet. [City report with plans]
This is nowhere near the first iteration of changes to Washington Boulevard. Anyone remember the red bars and tourist trolley line that ran from Grand Circus Park, past the convention center, to near the RenCen? 🙋♂️
» There’s an agreement to allow for expansion of the plaza for the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit to support a possible second span. [Urbanize Detroit]
It’s important to note that Canada isn’t very interested in the Moroun family plans for a second parallel span — and it takes two to tango.
🎧 On the podcast
» Ford, Stellantis and General Motors all now have tentative deals with the UAW. But the long term impact may just be beginning as labor's strength grows politically. Mike Podhorzer, former AFL-CIO political director, joins me to talk about just that.
» Michigan's 2019 auto reform hasn't worked out as expected. Brandon Hewitt from Michigan Auto Law joins me to talk about a step forward the state legislature is taking to increase care, and some ways to look at actually reducing the costs of auto insurance — still among the highest in the country.
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Until next time — Remember you are somebody, and I’ll see you around Detroit.
-Jer
