Daily Detroit

The HBO show "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" last week turned its lens on the District Detroit, the Ilitch family's mostly unrealized plan to redevelop 50 blocks as a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood between downtown and Midtown.

Predictably, it did not go well for the Ilitches, who received $324 million in taxpayer assistance in exchange for what so far is the Little Caesars Arena, a Kid Rock restaurant and a couple dozen parking lots.

Being opinionated on the subject, we talk about the episode, plus:

• 6:05 – An update on the progress of the old State Fairgrounds
• 6:45 – We break down the recent ruling from three federal judges that Michigan must redraw 34 congressional and legislative districts by Aug. 1 because they were unconstitutionally designed to favor Republicans.
• 8:07 – Jer interviews Detroit historian and civil rights author Ken Coleman about the life and legacy of Judge Damon J. Keith, a longtime federal judge and civil rights champion from Detroit who died Sunday at age 96.

Also, as a heads up, our next segment airs on Detroit Public Television's One Detroit on Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m.

Thanks as always for listening to Daily Detroit. Tell a friend about us, or help support the project by supporting us on Patreon.

Today is a conversation with Howard Hertz, previewing the Detroit Music Awards that are happening this Friday. The annual event has been a lynchpin of the Detroit music scene for years.

Hertz is not only the president of the foundation that puts on the event, he's an entertainment lawyer with a roster of clients that's a who's who of Detroit music.

Here's that conversation with Sven Gustafson.

Because of disinvestment, changing demographics and the construction of the new bridge to Canada, the Detroit neighborhood of Delray is disappearing.

Local author Karen Dybis is working to preserve that history. If she's successful, she could create a template for how the memories and stories of our entire city and region can live on for future generations.

In this episode of the Daily Detroit podcast, we talk about her project and the importance of saving Detroit's memories.

If you're motivated to help support it, the GoFundMe link is here.

Farmington Hills-based homebuilder Hunter Pasteur Homes says it plans to build 81 new housing units in Lafayette Park on five acres near St. Aubin and East Lafayette Street, right beside the Dequindre Cut. Called Pullman Parc, the units will be a mix of townhomes, park homes and corner flats, and they'll range from 620 to 3,500 square feet and run between $250,000 and $750,000.

Hunter Pasteur has worked on the City Modern development currently under construction in Brush Park. They've teamed on this project with Detroit-based Broder & Sachse and Woodborn Partners.

Also on today's show:

• Waymo, the self-driving vehicle division of Google parent Alphabet, said it will open a facility to install its hardware and software in Chrysler Pacifica minivans and Jaguar I-Pace electric crossovers in Hamtramck
• Investment bank UBS has opened an 11,000-square-foot office in downtown Detroit, its first in the city
• Plum Market will open an eatery in The Henry Ford Museum
• Longtime Eastern Market eatery Russell Street Deli says it will close following a dispute with its new landlord [Freep]
• The Michigan Plant Swap takes place Sunday inside the Fisher Building
• And Jer previews the ACLU's 100th birthday program, which takes place Wednesday, April 24 at Cobo Center with free daytime and evening programming

Thanks for listening to Daily Detroit. Tell your friends about us, find us on Apple Podcasts, or support us via Patreon.

On your Daily Detroit for Monday, April 22, we dig into a proposal to develop part of Palmer Park as "Palmer Square," a mixed-use development featuring luxury condominium towers, "experiential retail" and futuristic architecture.

We recently aired an episode looking into the city's nascent Detroit Exploration and Nature Center, which is being run out of the former golf course headquarters. The closed golf course figures to be ground zero for a lot of redevelopment proposals, but any such proposal is bound to face stiff opposition.

Also on the show:

• We dive into the news that Baker College has abandoned its plans to build a new flagship campus in downtown Ferndale
• I discuss some of the highlights of covering the New York International Auto Show
• And the next episode of "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" will turn its focus to Ilitchville the District Detroit, another topic we've covered on this podcast. The episode airs at 10 p.m. Tuesday on HBO.

The news on Good Friday in Detroit was that Steve Yzerman is returning to the Detroit Red Wings as General Manager.

As we do, we like to bring someone who's really knowledgable and passionate about the sport we're talking about when we cover it on the Daily Detroit podcast. For hockey, that's Walt Barnes.

He's a co-host of the In The Box podcast, a seasonal show focused on hockey also on the Podcast Detroit network. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

-Jer

Of course, if you love the show, don't forget to tell a friend. It's the best way to push Detroit's conversation forward. And if you're feeling extra generous, we have a Patreon where you can become a member and support us. http://www.patreon.com/DailyDetroit.

There's a new real estate development team in town and they have grand designs for a big chunk of property in Detroit's historic Milwaukee Junction.

Today we're sharing with you that story.

Who are they? And what are their plans for this building in an area that's gaining steam very quickly?

Amelia Patt Zamir and Rakesh "Rocky" Lala envision a $20 million redevelopment plan for five vacant buildings totaling more than 100,000 square feet.

Sven Gustafson met them at the property and has the story. There are also photos of the current state of the development and rendering of what is planned for the future on Daily Detroit.

If you like the Daily Detroit podcast, be sure to tell a friend! And follow us wherever fine podcasts are found. It's totally free.

On our edition of the Daily Detroit podcast for April 17, 2019:

• Finally, at long last, there will be one united bus fare card in Metro Detroit. It's going to be called DART and will work on both Detroit's DDOT and the suburban system, SMART.
• Could a high-speed rail service be viable between Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Toledo? The 110-mile-per-hour service could be. [Toledo Blade]
• A wild video of an incident with a tow truck, a bunch of cars and a woman bashing out the driver's side window of the truck has gone locally viral. We have the story behind it.
• The Detroit Science Center is free on Saturday, but you need to sign up ahead of time.
• The Wheelmobile is coming to Detroit, in case you wanted to be a contestant on the Wheel of Fortune.
• And the new off road park being built out in Oakland County needs a name. Enter your idea here.

Thanks for listening to the podcast and be sure to check it out wherever fine podcasts are found.

Remember that beautiful old house on the TV show Rehab Addict? The one with Nicole Curtis?

If you remember from that show, there was a lot of space around it. Open fields between it and some of the other fortunate old structures to survive.

That's not the case anymore.

City Modern is rising around it. It's more than 400 units and 24 buildings. The first part of it to open is The Lofts at 124 Alfred.

On the podcast, we go to the grand opening and tell you the story of this affordable senior building with rents of just $400 a month next to a development with prices from $550,000-$850,000 (no, that's not a typo), talk with the first resident Leonard Walker and Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Mary Sheffield.

We also touch on a couple other stories around town.

You can find the Daily Detroit podcast for free wherever you download your favorite shows.

Tim Robinson, one half of the duo behind the recently canceled Comedy Central series "Detroiters," has a new Netflix show coming out. "I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson" debuts April 23 — that's a week from Tuesday — and will feature Sam Richardson, Robinson's sidekick in the sadly discontinued sketch comedy series, plus SNL vets Cecily Strong, Vanessa Bayer and Will Forte. The trailer, which you can watch below, looks bananas.

Also on today's show:

• Part of the long-idled Michigan State Fairgrounds has a new owner, with Magic Plus acquiring two parcels along Woodward Avenue for a mixed-use development
• Bedrock has purchased the Fowler Building at 1225 Woodward in downtown Detroit
• Jonathan Wolman, a longtime journalist who was the editor and publisher of The Detroit News, has died at age 68
• And the Grosse Pointe Public Schools is facing difficult decisions about closing some of its buildings amid an ongoing decline in enrollment

Thanks for listening to Daily Detroit. Find us wherever fine podcasts are downloaded, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month. Or as much as you want.