Corktown : Detroit Development News

Two Corktown favorites -- one old, one new -- have some news worth noting.

After being closed for almost a week for renovations, PJ's Lager House is back open with some very visible improvements. The ancient tile floor in the band room is now beautiful hardwood and the entire bar has been resurfaced with -- wait for it -- guitar picks.

Owner P.J. Ryder collected them from bands and customers for the entire year he has owned the bar, amassing about 700. He augmented those with about 4,000 that he purchased in bulk. Epoxy sealed the picks in for good, giving clientele a unique surface on which to rest their cocktails.

Check it out at 1254 Michigan Avenue. Call 313-961-4668.

A few blocks south on Trumbull, the raved-about Le Petit Zinc will begin serving dinner tomorrow night. If you've ever waited en queue for one of their crepes, salads or sandwiches, you'll be happy to hear that warmer weather also means the addition of 15 outdoor tables.

Now enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner at Le Petit Zinc, 1055 Trumbull. Call 313-962-2805.

Sources: P.J. Ryder, PJ's Lager House and Le Petit Zinc
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Detroit LISC invested $30.5 million into Detroit community and neighborhood development in 2008, which is the largest annual investment made in its 19-year history in the city. Most of this money was spread among 30 community development partners in its five targeted geographic areas: Central Woodward ($22.1 million); East ($980,000); Northeast ($614,000); Northwest ($346,000); and Southwest ($5.5 million).

Two prime examples of LISC's support include an equity investment of $12.5 million in New Market Tax Credits for the rehabilitation of the Argonaut Building in New Center and $4.2 million of Low Income Housing Tax Credits for two apartment rehabs in Southwest Detroit.

LISC is also providing operating funds to community development corporations with which it works -- helping to keep their doors open in tough fundraising times. "With the economic situation, which is just unprecedented, we have to be able to be nimble and flexible and work with our partners on the ground," says development officer Jacqueline Burau. "We are tweaking our financing to meet the need, to make things happen in the community."

Recoverable grants for predevelopment work have also been upped, which help projects get off the ground early in the process. Despite the state of the housing market, Burau says that LISC remains committed to their brick and mortar mission. "Most of our investment continues to go to physical development, whether that be housing or commercial," she says.

LISC is able to ride out the current funding storm because it raises money in three-year chunks, meaning that money they are spending this year was raised in 2007.

Source: Jacqueline Burau, Detroit LISC
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

The City of Detroit is hosting nine meetings across the city to hear from residents about what to do with the $47.1 million it's been awarded by the federal government for foreclosure stabilization.

This is one of many steps the city has taken to demonstrate that the money will be properly spent. It first was developed by Planning and Development, then approved by both City Council and United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Now, it's coming to real live taxpayers. Two of the meetings have already passed, but seven opportunities remain. Each runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

• Tonight, the focus is on Southwest Detroit. The meeting will be held at the OEDS Training Center at 1300 Rosa Parks.
• March 25, it's Brightmoor's turn. Head to Leland Missionary Baptist Church at 22420 Fenkell.
• The Osborn meeting will take place on March 26 at St. John/Conner Creek Village, located at 4777 Outer Drive.
• East English Village and the Far East Side gets its opportunity on March 31 at the Samaritan Conference Center, 5555 Conner.
• The Lakeshore Engineering Building at 7310 Woodward at E. Grand Blvd. will host Northend meeting on April 1.
• North Central stakeholders will be heard on April 7 at Second Ebenezer Church located at 14601 Dequindre.
• Lastly, the Herman Gardens area will meet at 16500 Tireman at the Boys and Girls Club.

To RSVP or for more information, call 313-224-3511. The plan can be downloaded at PDD's site.

Source: Sylvia Crawford, PDD
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

President Obama might have the future of Tiger Stadium in his hands by the time you read this. The president is expected to sign the huge congressional spending bill that includes a $3.8 million earmark essential for the preservation of The Corner sometime this week.

"I think it's essentially certain that he will sign it," says Thom Linn, president of the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy.

That money is the linchpin to leveraging $22 million of the $27 million needed for preservation of the now downsized version of Tiger Stadium. That $22 million includes the earmark, money already raised and tax incentives this project expects to garner. Linn says the other $5 million will be raised from foundations, grants and other fundraising avenues.

The Conservancy expects to close on Tiger Stadium this summer and begin construction in early 2010. It will take about a year to finish the project. Detroit will have pulled off a first if that happens. No other pre-World War II baseball stadium has survived after its Major League Baseball team has left it, such as Ebbets Field and Comiskey Park. Only one or two other historic major sports complexes around the world have survived and found another useful purpose.

The Conservancy plans to keep both decks and a few thousand seats between first and third base, basically what the stadium looked like when it was Navin Field. The broadcast booth and dugouts will also be preserved. The rest of the structure will be turned into a combination of office and museum space. The field will be preserved for youth baseball games. It will also tie into the city's greenway network and serve as a catalyst for tourism and development in Corktown and Southwest Detroit.

The Conservancy tapped some big-time powerbrokers to make this deal happen. Linn is a principal and chairman emeritus of the Miller Canfield law firm. U.S. Sen. and former Detroit City Councilman Carl Levin also played a key part getting the federal dollars through. Other local city politicians and activists played critical roles in making this a reality.

Source: Thom Linn, president of Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy
Writer: Jon Zemke

Nine Detroit communities have been targeted for $47 million in neighborhood stabilization funds the the City of Detroit Planning and Development Department secured from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The areas were chosen for an abundance of vacant, abandoned, foreclosed buildings. Four information sessions will explain to the for profit and nonprofit development community how to access these funds for community redevelopment activities, like housing rehab, as well as financing opportunities.

Each session will cover:

• An overview of Detroit’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program;
  

• Information on Detroit’s nine targeted ares: Southwest Detroit (which takes in Midtown and Woodbridge in its borders), Central Woodward (which takes in much of New Center), Brightmoor, Grand River/Greenfield, East English Village, Osborn, North Central and Kettering;
  

• An explanation of the competitive selection process to receive NSP funding; and
  

• NSP financing mechanisms and opportunities, including gap funding for “ready to proceed” projects.

The sessions will be held 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 18-19 from  at the Northwest Activities Center, 18100 Meyers Rd at Curtis, Detroit. RSVPs are available on a first-come, first-served basis and must be confirmed in advance. Call 313 224-3461.

Source: Sylvia Crawford, City of Detroit
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Charles Sorel was born in Martinique and raised in Paris. He owned two successful cafes in Brooklyn before moving to Brazil for five years post-9/11. Now he's landed in Detroit, his wife's hometown, with his family.

Lucky for us,  he has opened Le Petit Zinc, a creperie and cafe in Corktown on Trumbull at Howard. Brightly colored and cozy, the spot serves breakfast pastries, salads, crepes, sandwiches and classics like ratatouille, all priced reasonably. And of course, a wonderful cup of coffee to accompany.

The name for the cafe comes from a term for a neighborhood pub in France where wear and tear on the zinc-colored bartops add character to the space. As Sorel explains on his menu, "Each patron literally leaves their mark."

Sorel has applied for a grant from Wayne County in the hopes of obtaining his wine and beer license. He estimates the cost for the license, counting legal fees, to be about $30,000 -- while in New York City, he paid about $1,000. "Everything is more expensive in Michigan, to open a business," he says.

He credits Philip Cooley of Slow's Bar BQ with helping him navigate the permit process, and says that the neighborhood in general has already been very welcoming.

Sorel hopes to open a second cafe in the city in about a year if this one takes off. He sees vacant storefronts as opportunities: "Detroit reminds me of Brooklyn 10 years ago, before gentrification," he says.

Le Petit Zinc is at 1055 Trumbull. Call 313-962-2805. Hours are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sorel hopes to expand those hours in the spring to take better advantage of the restaurant's garden patio.

Source: Charles Sorel, Le Petit Zinc
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Two of Model D's fave dining spots have recently expanded their purview: Corktown's Mudgie's has added dinner and Russell Street Deli in Eastern Market has made their famous Saturday breakfasts a weekday option as well.

Mudgie's is now serving dinner Monday through Saturday until 9 p.m. Think comfort food, such as beef stew and meatloaf. Mudgie's is at 1300 Porter St. Call 313-961-2000. It opens at 11 a.m. for lunch.

Russell's breakfast includes French toast, pancakes, breakfast sandwiches and an array of omelet and scramble options. Monday through Friday, it's available 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and on Saturdays, from 8 a.m. onwards. Lunch is served until 3 p.m. daily.

Russell Street Deli is located at 2465 Russell St. Call 313-567-2900.

Sources: Mudgie's and Russell Street Deli
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Most Holy Trinity Church's Cabrini Clinic will continue to provide medical care to the uninsured in Corktown like it has since 1950 -- just in a whole lot nicer digs.

It is relocating from a wing of Trinity's grade school into the church's former convent. Executive director Sr. Mary Ellen Howard says that the organization outgrew its 2,000-square-foot home "years and years" ago. The new 3,325-square-foot facility has a lovely waiting room, six colorful exam rooms, sufficient storage and office space and handicap-accessible restrooms. The increase in size will also enable the clinic to grow the number of volunteers it can accommodate; currently it can only handle 100 and many get turned away.

Howard calls the new clinic a "Win, Win, Win" because it makes use of a vacant building, will improve the level of care that is provided to the community and will allow the school to expand into the wing previously occupied by the clinic.

Cabrini is the nation's oldest free health care clinic. It provides approximately 150 patients a week with medical and mental health care, education and prescription assistance. The $650,000 capital campaign for the necessary renovations to the new clinic, which is located at 1234 Porter, has been completed. Howard says that donations for ongoing operations, however, are always welcome.

Source: Sr. Mary Ellen Howard, Cabrini Clinic
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy progress report: The $4 million federal earmark, key to preserving what's left of Tiger Stadium, is in the U.S. Senate's Budget Committee. Thom Linn, president of the Conservancy, puts the earmark's chances of passage at "extremely likely" and expects that to happen early next year.

The Conservancy just finished making a presentation to the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation Monday that covered its design and feasibility plans. A financial feasibility presentation to the DEGC is scheduled for March. Linn expects the Conservancy to close on the field in the summer, start construction shortly thereafter and finish the project about 18 months later sometime in 2011.

"This is a historic opportunity for Detroit and the region," Linn says. "If we're successful this will be the only pre-World War II baseball stadium that has been preserved."

It would be an example of forward-thinking by Metro Detroit's leaders. All of the beloved centurian baseball parks no longer hosting Major League Baseball games, such as Ebbets Field and Comiskey Park, are now reduced to rubble in history's dustbin. They're lucky if they even have a plaque dedicated to them.

Tiger Stadium has a more than a better chance of beating those odds because a number of the region's power players have lined up to save part of it. They include big hitters like U.S. Sen. and former Detroit City Councilman Carl Levin and local leaders like Linn, who is a principal and chairman emeritus of the Miller Canfield law firm.

They have been able to line up the $4 million in federal funds and another $6 million in tax credits for the $15 million project. They are raising the rest from local fund raisers and philanthropic organizations. For information on the project or to make a donation, click here.

"These are rough numbers," Linn says. "We're still in the design phase."

The current plans call for saving about 3,000 seats and the field. The 90-foot baseball diamond will maintain its major league dimensions but be used principally for youth baseball. It will also tie into the city's emerging greenway network. The project is expected to also serve as a catalyst for tourism and development in Corktown and Southwest Detroit.

Source: Thom Linn, president of Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy
Writer: Jon Zemke
Photo: Marvin Shaouni

The Riverfront Towers were built in the 1980s as the first high-end apartment development built on the Detroit River in decades. In 2005, Tower 300 was converted to condominiums, and all but 23 of 289 have been sold.

Because of this milestone, the sales staff is moving out of their office and into a model unit so that the office space can be reconstructed into three additional condos.

Riverfront Associates Managing Partner Peter Cummings attributes Riverfront's relative success to its location and pricing. "It's on the water, with a marina and all these amenities," he says. "We're offering compelling values, and, obviously, people are reacting to that."

Towers 100 and 200 were sold to Empirian Acquisitions in 2007 and remain as apartments.

Source: Peter Cummings, Riverfront Associates
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Austainability experts from around the country joined with local architects, planners and other interested parties in Midtown Detroit for an SDAT, or Sustainable Design Assessment Team, charette, recently.

Given estimates that Detroit will continue to shrink -- down to about 500,000 or 600,000 residents by 2025, they looked at what to do with 88 square miles of land that is essentially excess.

The group looked at developing the core 50 square miles of livable space  developed as a series of densely populated urban villages -- looking specifically at Southwest Detroit, Corktown, Downtown, Eastern Market, Woodbridge, Midtown and New Center -- each with housing, recreation, entertainment and work opportunities, and each linked to each other and the main urban core.

From this base, SDAT worked at making policy and design recommendations in five areas, all of which intersect and feed into the urban villages concept: community development, transportation and transit, open space, economic development and local food systems and community gardens.

Some points of note: Many ideas centered on one of the city's greatest assets, the Detroit River -- for example, "blueways" were discussed as a mode of transportation; the importance of incorporating wind turbines into Detroit's energy system was stressed; Eastern Market was lauded as "the best farmers market in the country" by Edwin Marty, the executive director of Jones Valley Urban Farm in Alabama; reduction of energy costs for individuals was stressed as a method of creating wealth; and local food production within each urban village node was recommended.

A strategy was developed for the creation of 75,000 jobs over 10 years by leveraging new green industries as well as existing employment leaders like health care.

Next step: implementation. Local SDAT leaders will begin working with organizations and institutions to move its strategies forward. Funding from Kresge Foundation has been secured to undergo this process, and State of Michigan Energy Department funds will be used to conduct energy audits and technical assistance.

For more information, check out Zachary and Associate's web site or contact Zachary at 313-831-6100 or WARM Training Center at 313-894-1030.

Source: Diane VanBuren Jones, WARM
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

One month ago, Housing and Urban Development awarded the city of Detroit $47.1 million to stabilize housing in light of the current foreclosure crisis.

Before spending it, the city must develop a plan that is approved by Detroit City Council and then HUD. Last week, Planning and Development took the first step and presented the plan to Council's Economic Development Committee.

The plan focuses on three things: reversal of the decline of neighborhood housing values; significant elimination of blighted and abandoned structures; and stimulation of investment in and around targeted neighborhoods.

The plan can be downloaded at PDD's site; public comment is welcomed until November 20 at 313-224-6380 or NSP@detroitmi.gov. On Nov. 21, it will go to the full Council followed by submittal to HUD on Dec. 1.

Read more about the grant, the process and guidelines here.

Source: Sylvia Crawford, PDD
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

A few morsels for the nibbling:

• Angelina Italian Bistro is officially open for lunch seven days a week and dinner every day but Monday. Downtown's newest entrant to the dining scene is already getting rave reviews. Read more about the restaurant here.


• Back in September, we were a bit premature in reporting that Peaches & Greens was open. Sorry, we were just excited that a neighborhood produce market was coming to town. But anyhoo, now it is open, six days a week, and you can read more about it here.


• If lack of wi-fi access was keeping you from a visit to Mercury Coffee Bar, have no fear -- the shop now offers it. Read more here.

• Greening of Detroit is having its last planting of the season on November 15 and could use some volunteers. The plan is to plant 65 trees at Delores Bennitt Park in the Northend Neighborhood from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call Monica Tabares at 313-237-8733 to sign up.

• And finally, happy birthday to the fabulous Fisher Building, today celebrating its 80th. Commissioned by the Fisher brothers, and designed by Albert Kahn, it is inarguably one of Detroit's most beautiful structures. Sto Lat! 

Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Way back in the summer of 2005, the very first issue of Model D proclaimed that the Mercury Bar in Corktown would open that fall.

Like many things in development, that date turned out to be a moving target.

But never fear, an ownership and concept overhaul -- and three years -- changes everything, and the Mercury Coffee Bar has really and truly opened.

The focus of the first floor -- aside from the bright decor (think cyan, magenta and yellow, the colors your laser printer spits out on a test page) -- are the windows that look upon the Michigan Central Station. The view is a big part of what made owner Todd Wickstrom "fall in love with the place," he says.

Wickstrom first became interested in investing in Detroit after spending time studying food issues in the city through his participation in the state's Food Policy Task Force. He decided to put together an investment group that would use food to drive economic development.

After considering a food processing plant and a grocery store, the team settled on a neighborhood restaurant. "We decided the best way was to create a restaurant experience that people would come to, to create jobs, so that people could feel a part of what we were doing," he says.

Mercury Coffee Bar serves wholesome, healthy fare and Inteligentsia Coffee. The full-service basement dining room seats 50 and the ground-floor quick service hold another 15 to 20 at a few tables and a standing rail.

The Mercury Coffee Bar will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Call 313-496-4000. Watch Model D TV's sneak peak here.

Source: Todd Wickstrom, Mercury Coffee Bar
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Detroit City Council has adopted a non-motorized transportation plan as well as a resolution urging Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr. to implement it. Among other things, the plan calls for more than 400 miles of bike lanes, as well as other improvements to pedestrian and bike facilities. The Michigan Department of Transportation funded the plan's development; the city brought on Giffels-Webster Engineers as consultants to design it.

Scott Clein of Giffels-Webster says that the adoption of the plan means many things to proponents of non-motorized transportation. For starters, MDOT will now attempt to incorporate its recommendations into any future roadway projects it undertakes in the city, such as the reconstruction of Michigan Avenue.

It also does the same for city departments like the Department of Public Works. "DPW is now in charge of supporting and, hopefully, implementing portions of the master plan," says Clein.

The adoption of the plan means that community groups working to establish bike lanes know that the government, at least on paper, is on board. Clein cites Greater Corktown Development Corporation's Corktown-Mexicantown Greenlink as an example. "Now they know that the city will be supportive instead of obstructionists," he says.

DPW is in the process of writing a letter of conceptual support to MDOT, a step necessary for the project to capture funds the state committed to it a few years ago.

Besides bike lanes, the plan looks at pedestrian safety via the separation of bikes and pedestrians and the continued improvements of sidewalks.

Read more about the plan here.

Source: Scott Clein, Giffels-Webster
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
Photo by Marvin Shaouni