On today's show, Jer talks with Jill Gonzalez an analyst from WalletHub about Detroit being the most stressed city in the United States. Then, Sven talks with Drew Kups from the Michigan Glass Project about the upcoming glass show at the Russell Industrial Center this weekend. Also, here's a pair of quick stories around town. The Detroit City Council has rejected a plan make Spirit Plaza a permanent instillation . Kuzzo’s Chicken and Waffles in the Avenue of Fashion has temporarily closed for re...
Jul 16, 2019•14 min•Ep. 305
Today we’re talking about Michigan’s emerging recreational marijuana economy with Roberta King. She’s the founder and owner of Canna Communication, a communications firm focused on the cannabis sector. Plus, we bring you up to speed on: The start of UAW negotiations The Regional Transit Authority ( 2045 priorities map is here ) The city of Detroit has partnered with 3 universities to get its own economic data And upcoming Detroit City FC playoff matches....
Jul 15, 2019•15 min•Ep. 304
Happy Friday, friends! On today’s show, we run down the new proposal by Lansing Republicans to fix the damn roads in Michigan. They want to borrow $10 billion against teacher pensions. What could go wrong? Also, Jer tells us about his recent visit to the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood on Detroit’s east side. Specifically, the flooded streets east of Jefferson, where canals that cut through the neighborhood from the Detroit River have topped their banks. Lastly, what’s up with White Claw? Sales ...
Jul 12, 2019•14 min•Ep. 303
The Detroit Shipping Company is a recent success on Peterboro, just west of Cass. The "shipping company" part, if you didn’t know, doesn’t refer to logistics and freight but to the 21 shipping containers that make up the two-story building. It’s about 10,000 square feet of food and beer hall, having a variety of culinary outposts and a couple of bars in a blended indoor/outdoor space. Reports last year said it cost about $3 million dollars to build. And before we go any farther, cards on table. ...
Jul 11, 2019•17 min•Ep. 302
We run down your headlines plus Randy Walker joins us to talk about Duck in Novi, Bread at Kroger and Dumplings downtown.
Jul 10, 2019•17 min•Ep. 301
The RISK! Podcast lives in a unique place in the podcasting world. If you’re not familiar, the show is a series of short stories by the known and unknown that are true and boldly told. What does that mean? It means the topics are very real. They’re sometimes heartfelt. Sometimes risqué. And most often, hilarious. So my guest today is the ring leader of the podcast, comedian Kevin Allison. He has credits in a variety of media, but the for the last decade — along with his talented co-conspirators ...
Jul 09, 2019•27 min•Ep. 300
Welcome back from the holiday weekend, comrades. Today’s show is Episode 300 of your Daily Detroit, and for that we thank you, our listeners. We also dive into two pieces of Ilitch-related news: First, that Olympia Development has missed a deadline to submit a development proposal for a parcel on Woodward between the Little Caesars Arena and I-75. After already receiving a one-year extension. [ Crain’s ] Secondly, that Chris Ilitch signed Tigers GM Al Avila to a “multi-year” contract extension, ...
Jul 08, 2019•21 min•Ep. 299
Welcome to the final podcast before Independence Day! Here’s what we cover around town: Sven and Jer ruminate on the legacy of Lee Iacocca, who died at the age of 94. [ NY Times ] The state of Michigan has issued new emergency rules outlining requirements for new marijuana businesses now that voters have legalized recreational weed. The rules are meant to help local municipalities and prospective business owners decide whether they want to participate in the new industry. Plum Market is opening ...
Jul 03, 2019•16 min•Ep. 298
Can the bus be the “in” thing as far as getting around town? Tastes are changing around the country and here in Detroit. Many younger adults don’t feel the same attachment to the car as previous generations. Today our conversation is with Sarosh Irani. He was recently featured in the national publication Streetsblog for his research at Wayne State University to improve Detroit’s bus system. For instance, just by moving the shelters to where people actually need them — not building new ones — 8x ...
Jul 02, 2019•24 min•Ep. 297
New Census estimates are out that show Detroit lost 1,526 residents between 2017 and 2018 to 672,622, yet the city’s tax revenues are up, thanks mostly to more people working in the city and paying the city income tax. So we ask: Can Detroit’s recovery continue even if population losses continue? Mayor Mike Duggan has famously said he should ultimately be judged by whether the city can stem its long-running population loss and grow again. Elsewhere, we talk about that viral video of the blockade...
Jul 01, 2019•17 min•Ep. 296
It's the weekend in summer! So we thought with the heat and sun we'd do a rundown of what's hot, what's not, what's new and what's closing around Detroit's bar and restaurant scene. Joining Sven Gustafson is our regular man about town, Devon O'Reilly. Also in studio is Randy Walker and of course Jer. We cover: Tasting the new Momo Cha in the Detroit Shipping Company Capper and Capper pops up in the David Whitney Pao opens in Grand Circus Park Delmar, the new rooftop bar coming to the roof of an ...
Jun 28, 2019•31 min•Ep. 295
Aquavit is a caraway-flavored spirit long popular in Scandinavia, where it originated (aquavit literally translates to “water of life”). Yet it’s never exactly been a liquor of choice here in the states. But here comes Norden Aquavit , a nearly year-old brand distilled right here in Detroit by longtime bartender and Berkeley, California native Robyn Cleveland. I met Cleveland last weekend at a midsommar Swedish dinner at Frame in Hazel Park put on by chef Jill Vedaa, of Salt in Cleveland, no les...
Jun 27, 2019•17 min•Ep. 294
We all want the roads in Michigan fixed. But the price? And paying more for it? That’s been a topic of hot debate among politicians and online commenters since Governor Gretchen Whitmer unveiled her plan to raise the gas tax by 45 cents a gallon to raise about $2.5 billion for the roads. But actually “Fixing the Damn Roads” is harder than a catchphrase. There’s a real problem on the ground, with large populations, high traffic volumes and aging infrastructure. The bill is adding up, and getting ...
Jun 26, 2019•18 min•Ep. 293
What does it take to make a startup work in Detroit? Our conversation today is with Andrew Landau. His Detroit-based e-commerce company, Jewel, was recently purchased by banking giant Capital One. They’re going to stay, grow and hire in Detroit, even after the acquisition. We also talk about why he’s choosing the Motor City, and what tips he has for other entrepreneurs. Oh, and they’re hiring. Also on the show: A wealthy suburban school district votes to close two schools amid racial tension. Th...
Jun 25, 2019•14 min•Ep. 292
Over the weekend, an interesting thing happened. Detroit's Rosa Parks Transit Center got swarmed by bees. A very alert Twitter user shared the story. https://twitter.com/Imutahr/status/1142518278402846725 This set in motion a rescue of the bees from Detroit Hives. The Detroit-based nonprofit not only advocates and takes of bees in the area, but educates people on the benefits of bees. Whether it's health benefits, or like in the food desert that is parts of the city, that natural honey can be on...
Jun 24, 2019•16 min•Ep. 291
Over the last fifteen years, Michael Matthews rode along with officers of the Detroit Police Department. He had unrestricted access to the day to day life of the Motor City’s men in blue. His new book, “American Ruin: Life And Death On The Streets Of Detroit – America’s Deadliest City” dives into what’s happening in a variety of neighborhoods, with first-hand accounts from his own eyes and on-the-job Detroit cops. In that time, Matthews – a former London cop and Scotland Yard officer himself – h...
Jun 21, 2019•29 min•Ep. 290
Ford — as part of the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) negotiated as part of the $740 million Michigan Central Station/Corktown project — launched a City:One in Detroit. It’s a competition for ideas to make it easier for Detroiters to get around. Sven went to Corktown to get all the details and we talk about what’s happening on the show. If you want to enter, go here. Also – Billionaire investor and Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert has moved from Beaumont Hospital to an inpatient rehabilitati...
Jun 20, 2019•14 min•Ep. 289
On today’s episode, we check in with soccer journalist and The Outer Drive podcast co-host Fletcher Sharpe, who covers Detroit City FC. With five games remaining in the NPSL regular season, Le Rouge are now unbeaten in seven games and have held opponents scoreless in each of those matches. But City has also notched scoreless draws during that stretch with their top divisional rivals in the NPSL Great Lakes Conference — AFC Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids FC. Le Rouge will have rematches with both tea...
Jun 19, 2019•18 min•Ep. 288
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 o...
Jun 18, 2019•10 min•Ep. 287
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 apartment...
Jun 17, 2019•7 min•Ep. 286
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%...
Jun 14, 2019•19 min•Ep. 285
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 c...
Jun 13, 2019•14 min•Ep. 284
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 resid...
Jun 12, 2019•15 min•Ep. 283
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 pro...
Jun 11, 2019•26 min•Ep. 282
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 Publ...
Jun 10, 2019•13 min•Ep. 281
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...
Jun 09, 2019•23 min•Ep. 280
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 overa...
Jun 07, 2019•19 min•Ep. 279
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 Frenc...
Jun 06, 2019•14 min•Ep. 278
Are tax incentives as a tool to lure large-scale corporate investment and jobs here to stay? That’s the question at the heart of this interview today with Kevin Johnson, the president and CEO of the Detroit Economic Development Corp. It’s particularly timely in the midst of Chrysler’s planned $2.5 billion investment to create nearly 5,000 new jobs on Detroit’s east side, where workers will build the next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee and an all-new three-row full-size Jeep SUV. The deal has won...
Jun 06, 2019•25 min•Ep. 277
Welcome to an al fresco edition of your Daily Detroit, recorded au natural in a park near downtown Royal Oak. We were there to cover a press event to discuss some of the things in store for Arts, Beats & Eats , which returns for its 22nd edition with a new sponsor Aug. 30-Sept. 2. We also cover the details of the newest historic building rehab in Detroit. It’s called the Assembly, a mixed-use office and retail building in Corktown with 32 apartments from Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock real estate emp...
Jun 04, 2019•12 min•Ep. 276
