Daily Detroit

On today's show for June 18, 2019:

- The City of Detroit is one of 10 American cities to join a new national program to figure out how to help residents make more money and improve their economic status.

- You've heard of Hell, Michigan, right? it's an unincorporated town near Pinckney in Livingston County. It's famous for its road signs, a tavern and stores selling souvenirs branded with the community's name. Now, a California YouTuber has purchased the whole five-acre commercial property and officially renamed it "Gay Hell" in protest of the Trump Administration.

- The Conservatory on Belle Isle is opening nearly a month ahead of schedule.

- A 2,500 Square Foot Premier Pet Supply is coming to the City Club Apartments near Grand Circus Park. And yes, it'll have a DIY dog wash station. We discuss.

- A Grand Opening date has been set for the new Brooks Brewing in Ferndale. It'll be June 26th, and we talk about their unique approach to pricing their brews.

- And finally, there's the 6th Annual Art of the Cocktail competition in downtown Ferndale on Thursday. More: http://www.downtownferndale.com/art-of-the-cocktail/

Cleveland. It's a city that is often compared to Detroit, and not always for their positive attributes. And nothing against our Rust Belt cousin, but it turns out it's one of the prime destinations for renters around metro Detroit who are looking to get out of town. And apparently there are a lot of people in that category.

A new "Renter Migration Report" from Apartment List says the Detroit area is No. 2 among the 25 largest metro areas for the share of renters who are searching for apartments in other regions, at 49.6%.

Conversely, just 21.9% of searches for rental units in the Detroit area come from outside the region, good for dead last. In addition to Cleveland, the top cities where Detroit-area renters are looking for rentals are Cincinnati and Grand Rapids.

"Detroit has suffered from a decades-long population loss, and although this loss has slowed in recent years, the area has yet to cement a full revival," the report concludes. You can read it here.

Remember, this is the whole region — there are hot areas like downtown Detroit where they can't seem to build units fast enough to meet demand. And Ferndale's rents are rising.

So yeah, we're coming up short against Cleveland, for God's sake. Here's what else we're discussing today:

• There's a penthouse loft apartment in Midtown Detroit listing for more than $1.4 million. Woah. [Freep]
• Drunk people are apparently stumbling out of bars in Royal Oak and into homes where they don't live, and city officials are on the case. [Daily Tribune]
• The metal panels are coming off the exterior of Joe Louis Arena as part of ongoing demolition work. [Detroit News]

Thanks for listening to Daily Detroit. If you like what you're hearing, tell a friend about us, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or support us by becoming a Patreon member.

Bridge Magazine has a fascinating new story out that finds that while mortgage activity in Detroit is steadily increasing after bottoming out during the Great Recession, the recovery isn't mirroring Detroit's population demographics. What's more, there are still vast tracts of the city where mortgage activity is virtually nonexistent.

Despite making up just 10% of the city's overall population, white people got almost half of all mortgages in Detroit in 2017, while black people, who comprise 80% of all Detroit residents, got 48% of all home loans. By comparison, black homeowners got three-quarters of all mortgages in the city in 2007.

Interestingly, the data show that black people are getting mortgages, just not in the city. They're increasingly moving to suburbs like Southfield, Farmington, Warren and Eastpointe.

On today's show, we speak with Mike Wilkinson, the Bridge Magazine reporter who wrote the story. We go deep on what the data tells us about what's driving the trend, how some black people appear to be giving up on Detroit and whether the trend of rising numbers of white homeowners is sustainable, given the city's many endemic problems.

It's a fascinating story with lots of different narratives to untangle, and you should go read it. Then, listen to this episode in the player above.

Thanks for listening to Daily Detroit. If you like what you're hearing, tell a friend about us, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or support us by becoming a Patreon member.

Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel wants to build a new jail, because the current one is a squalid death trap. On June 19, he plans to ask a special meeting of the county board of commissioners' Records and Public Safety panel for approval of the $375 million project, plus the OK of ballot language for a tax to pay for the bonds that would pay for it.

It's not clear how much the tax millage would be or whether this would constitute a tax increase for residents. But for a generally tax-averse county, this one could get problematic, fast.

Oh, and there's a new attempt to thwart the new Gordie Howe International Bridge, this time via an addition to a state budget bill that would prohibit the state from spending any money to finance its half of construction. You know, even though Canada is reimbursing us 100% of the costs. Will wonders never cease?

Elsewhere, we run down:

• Security guards in downtown Detroit began a strike today, though it's unclear how widespread it actually is.
• The city has broken ground on the Joseph Campau Greenway, a 1.2-mile non-motorized path that will run parallel to the Dequindre Cut.
• Friday is Flag Day, and the Fisher Building will celebrate by displaying its collection of 60 national flags from way back in 1928, when the building opened. [Facebook]
• Beyond Juice, the Madison Heights based food retailer, will open its second Detroit location on the ground floor of The Platform.
• Shinola is selling love locks that you can hang in Parker's Alley.
• And there's a cash flash event planned for a stretch of Grand River Avenue seeing reconstruction on June 26. You can learn more about the event, which aims to support neighborhood businesses in Detroit, at DiscoverDetroitD1.com.

Thanks for listening to Daily Detroit. If you like what you're hearing, tell a friend about us, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or support us by becoming a Patreon member.

The Motor City is synonymous with the car. It's called, after all, the Motor City. But will the next chapter of Detroit be so car-focused? And how will those changes happen?

Today's episode of Daily Detroit is a conversation with Kevin Bopp, the Vice President of Parking and Mobility for Bedrock. That's the real estate arm of Dan Gilbert's family of companies.

Each day, they need to get many thousands of people in and out of their properties, whether they're employees, tenants, visitors or residents.

Topics include the parking woes of downtown Detroit, public transit, scooters, the new ride sharing program Scoop, and there's a bold call that the Detroit People Mover will see a renaissance.

One more thing to know before you go.

Marygrove College has announced that it will be closing due to declines in enrollment and large debts. The fall 2019 semester will be the final semester for the 92 year old Catholic college.

Thanks for listening to the Daily Detroit podcast!

Over on Belle Isle today, boosters broke ground on the Piet Oudolf garden, the unofficial name for the landscape installation planned for 2.5 acres at the Nancy Brown Peace Carillon.

Oudolf is a legendary Dutch garden designer and author who's perhaps best known for his work on New York City's High Line, a linear park on a former elevated rail track, and the Lurie Garden in Chicago's Millennium Park. You can watch a PBS NewsHour segment with him below; in it, he talks specifically about the project in Detroit and the city itself.

On today's episode, we speak with two members of the volunteer organization Oudolf Garden Detroit — Maura and Duncan Campbell. They tell us all about how Oudolf was persuaded to do a commission in Detroit, what's involved and how backers hope it might lead to some transformational changes to Belle Isle — and the city as a whole.

Installation — that is to say, the planting of the 18,000 plants — kicks off in September, and the organization is still raising money toward its $4.2 million total price tag. If you're interested in volunteering, making a contribution or just learning more, visit them at oudolfgardendetroit.org.

Thanks for listening to Daily Detroit. If you like what you're hearing, tell a friend about us, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or support us by becoming a Patreon member.

Midtown Detroit, Inc. and the Detroit Institute of Arts have announced the winner of its DIA Plaza | Midtown Cultural Connections international design competition, first launched in 2017. Detroit Square is a proposal from an international consortium led by Paris-based Agence Ter and including Detroit-based Akoaki, rootoftwo, and Harley Etienne.

The proposal reimagines the 83-acre Cultural Center in Midtown and its 12 educational and cultural institutions, highlighted by the DIA, the Detroit Public Library, the Detroit Historical Museum, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Michigan Science Center and several others.

It includes major new green spaces, a winding greenway connecting the 12 institutions, cafes, art installations, performance spaces and two plaza areas that could serve as public event spaces and warrant the temporary closure of Woodward to vehicles. There's also a big focus on adding public Wi-Fi and 5G cellular connections throughout the site.

In addition to talking about that on today's show, we cover:

• Royal Oak has had enough of your Woodward cruise shenanigans, and police there are adopting a zero-tolerance policy toward speeding, illegal parking and littering.
• Google is investing $17 in expansions in Detroit and Ann Arbor.
• The Special Inspector General For the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or SIGTARP, will audit demolitions in Detroit and other Michigan cities to monitor against the spread of contaminated soil.
• About 100 security guards in downtown Detroit have voted to go on strike.
• A man listed by police as a suspect in a string of serial killings in Detroit has been charged in an attack after his alleged victim was able to escape. [Detroit News]
• And I offer a completely ludricrous-but-maybe-not idea for relocating the Grand Prix from Belle Isle: The ring road at Oakland Mall.

Thanks for listening to Daily Detroit. If you like what you're hearing, tell a friend about us, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or support us by becoming a Patreon member.

Oak Park is a diverse inner-ring suburb of more than 29,000 people nestled between Ferndale, Detroit, Berkley and Southfield.

It's in a great location, minutes from a variety of job centers.

It's seeing a lot more action as nearby cities like Ferndale grow (yes, there are lofts going for $5,000 a month in downtown Ferndale now and housing prices are racing up). And the added cost of living in nearby Detroit is burdensome for many families.

Recent changes — including allowing restaurants to serve alcohol — are making Oak Park more of a draw. Sure, MoGo bike sharing is coming to the community this summer. But the last few years there has been a greater focus on walkable spaces and a city manager that clearly believes that a well-designed and thoughtful built environment, mixed with solid city services, can make for a better life for residents.

In short, Oak Park could be the next urbanist suburb you need to watch.

To talk about it, we had City Manager Erik Tungate in the studio. The conversation with Sven Gustafson hit a variety of topics, including:

• A status update on the restaurant project in the old WWJ transmitter building on 8 Mile
• MoGo bike sharing coming to Oak Park with five stations
• How something as simple as sunflowers can make a big difference
• New developments, including a Gastropub and an autonomous mobility company
• How to be a family-friendly bedroom community that offers amenities and access people want
• A new welcome bridge over I-696
• And the role fixed-route mass transit could play in catapulting the region to world-class status

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Welcome to a bonus Friday edition of your Daily Detroit.

Today, we discuss the sad news that Axle Brewing will shutter its Livernois Taproom June 30th, barely two years after it first opened.

Dave Phillips, one-half of Podcast Detroit and the IT in the D podcast, and himself a former partner in a failed craft brewery, joins us to discuss how difficult it is to succeed in an uber-competitive sector, where even established brands have to fight for shelf space, and drinkers like me fret about overabundance.

Axle President Dan Riley told the Freep the brand doesn't have the scale or cost structure to see a "clear path" to turning a profit.

Elsewhere:

• Detroit may be dealing with a serial killer after three women believed to be prostitutes were found dead in abandoned homes on the city's east side. Tipsters are asked to call (313) 596-2260. [Detroit News]
• There's an update on Dan Gilbert, nearly two weeks after the billionaire real estate developer suffered a stroke.
• Detroit's Public Lighting Authority is starting to replace those malfunctioned LED streetlights while a lawsuit against the company that made them proceeds.
• Hatch Detroit has doubled its prize to $100,000 for aspiring business startups looking to open brick-and-mortar storefronts in the city.
• Fresh Wagon, a bus service connecting Detroit neighborhoods to Eastern Market, has shut down.
• Grosse Pointe Park is getting a new pizza joint called The Bricks.
• And happy National Doughnut Day! We bring you some truly ridiculous trivia.

Thanks for listening to Daily Detroit. If you like what you're hearing, tell a friend about us, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or support us by becoming a Patreon member.

Welcome to a very Motor City-centric edition of your Daily Detroit. Today, we're running down a pair of big stories from the auto industry, speaking with Kristin Dziczek, vice president of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor.

First up: Fiat Chrysler has withdrawn its $35 billion proposal to merge with French automaker Renault just 10 days after FCA first announced the proposal. It comes after the Renault board on Wednesday failed to reach a decision on the proposal, citing the French government's request to postpone a vote. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Nissan's two representatives on the Renault board also objected.

Renault owns a stake in Nissan as part of a long-running alliance with the Japanese automaker, while the French government owns a 15% stake in Renault.

Fiat Chrysler's board met Wednesday evening and voted to withdraw its proposal with immediate effect, saying that although it remains convinced of the compelling rationale for the merger, "it has become clear that the political conditions in France do not currently exist for such a combination to proceed successfully."

Secondly, we discuss the news that President Trump may levy 5% tariffs against all goods imported from Mexico starting next week and gradually ramp them up to as high as 25%.

As Dziczek explains, that's problematic for a host of reasons, since automakers source many components including wire harnesses from Mexico for cars sold in the U.S., and about 15% of cars sold domestically were actually built at factories south of the border. Even for consumers, there's a good chance that those replacement windshield wipers or brake pads you buy from O'Reilly's were made in Mexico.

It's a fascinating conversation. Thanks for listening to Daily Detroit. If you like what you're hearing, tell a friend about us, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or support us by becoming a Patreon member.