Buzz

Feds give final approval to 3.3-mile M-1 rail

M-1 Rail Tuesday, April 23, 2013

On Monday, the 3.3-mile circulating streetcar along Woodward Avenue received clearance to proceed from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Also, M-1 Rail President and CEO Matthew P. Cullen welcomed eight new members to the nonprofit’s board of directors and introduced Jeni Norman as Chief Financial Officer.

The FTA has completed the environmental clearance for the Woodward Avenue Streetcar Project. With the issuance of the Amended Record of Decision (ROD), the project is allowed to move forward to the next phases of design, right of way acquisition and construction. This is the last approval step under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process.

Now that the process for approval of the Amended ROD has been completed, the M-1 Rail organization continues to strengthen its team with the hiring of a chief financial officer and by electing eight new members to its board of directors. These announcements come about two weeks after hiring a chief administrative officer and director of governmental & community affairs.

Video: CCS partners with Shinola on design project

College for Creative Studies Tuesday, March 12, 2013

We've been marveling at how quickly Shinola has captured the imagination of the Detroit public. The College for Creative Studies has been doing more than that. The art and design school is partnering with the watch and bicyle maker on a research project.

An excerpt:

Research projects are highly conceptual and allow students the opportunity to participate in creative, research-based assignments within real-world design parameters. Our corporate partners commit design and technical staff to students by providing guidance, expertise and feedback. Organizations financially sponsor conceptual design projects for CCS students and encourage inventive and unique design concepts. The corporate sponsors typically work with teams of CCS undergraduate juniors and seniors or graduate students and are supervised by CCS faculty to pursue new directions in design for their products. CCS’ corporate partners are continuing to expand and diversify their relationships with the College.

Read more about it here.

Richard Florida reacts to 7.2 greater downtown study

Atlantic Cities Tuesday, February 26, 2013

In a piece last week in Atlantic Cities, Richard Florida tackles the recently released 7.2 study that shows greater downtown to be better educated and more diverse than the city at large. There is much complexity to this finding, such that we plan on following what it all means in a variety of ways in the near future.

Here's an excerpt from Florida's story:

The Greater Downtown corridor has a population of 36,550 people or 5,076 people per square mile. It might not be not downtown Manhattan, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, or Philadelphia, but it compares favorably to other Midwest city-centers, like downtown Minneapolis, with 3.4 square miles and 28,811 people; downtown Pittsburgh at 1.3 square miles and 4,064 people; and downtown Cleveland at 3.2 square miles and 9,523 people. Of these downtowns, only Minneapolis has greater density than Greater Downtown Detroit.

Read more here.

Study: Greater downtown growing in wealth, diversity

Detroit Free Press Tuesday, February 19, 2013

A report published today and to be shared with investors, developers and city planners, found that greater downtown residents are wealthier than Detroiters at large, but less affluent than the average for the full populations of cities such as Minneapolis and Pittsburgh, which some see as prime examples of successful urban rebirth.

John Gallagher of the Freep has the scoop. An excerpt:

(Data Driven Detroit's Kurt) Metzger pointed out that things are changing so rapidly in the areas that the report may already be slightly dated. For example, gains from the Live Downtown and Live Midtown incentive programs that have bought hundreds of new residents who work for participating businesses into the area in the last two years are not fully captured in this report.

Read the rest of the story (and the full report) here.

Gilbert thinking retail ahead of M-1 dig

Detroit News Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Our favorite extravagant but hardly reckless spender Dan Gilbert is ahead of the pack again, hinting that once the M-1 is fully developed (by 2016) more Woodward corridor retail will be waiting for it.

Excerpt from the Detroit News:

And Gilbert, one of downtown's major employers and private land owners, said his group has "definitely gotten commitments" from retailers who will be ready for business when the M-1 debuts.

"That's the goal as we work behind the scene, versus just taking a rough shot of opening one (retail store) at a time here and there," Gilbert said. He would not specify which retailers have made commitments.

Since August 2010, Gilbert's portfolio of companies has moved 7,000 workers downtown.

Rock Ventures owns 15 properties and is working on buying its 16th at 1001 Woodward, across the street from Campus Martius and Quicken Loans' headquarters in the Compuware Building.

For more, go here.

HuffPost gives us first taste of DDF

HuffPost Detroit Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Yes, we have a lot of coverage of the Detroit Design Festival this week. But too much is never enough when you have a series of happenings this good. Here's one to clip and save from Kate Abbey-Lambertz in HuffPost Detroit.

Start reading here.

Freep: News expected soon on Woodward rail

Detroit Free Press Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Take a look at our News item today on developments in the M1 story and also take a peek at this, another report from the Detroit Free Press. An excerpt:

Project supporters were given 60 days to address concerns about the cost of building and operating the $137-million M-1 Rail line from downtown to the New Center area of Detroit -- a 15-minute route with 11 stops. It is a scaled-down version of the original plan to run light rail north to the city limits at 8 Mile.

Read on here.

Nutrition company Savorfull moves into New Center

Savorfull Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Here's one that has been on our radar for a while: nutrition company Savorfull, founded by nutritionist and CEO Stacy Goldberg, has moved its headquarters to the New Center One Building in Detroit.

Savorfull is a growing food membership service providing individuals with special dietary needs a sampler box of nutrient-dense, allergen-free food each month to their doorstep. The company’s new space at New Center One allows Savorfull to expedite service to its expanding customer base nationwide.

To learn more about Savorfull, go here.

DC3 announces second design festival for September

Detroit Creative Corridor Center Tuesday, July 31, 2012

The second annual Detroit Design Festival (DDF), presented by the Detroit Creative Corridor Center (DC3), is coming to Detroit’s Woodward Corridor Sept. 19-23. The festival, which had 85 Design Happenings featuring 300 designers in its first year, connects designers and creative practitioners, exposing them to new markets and consumers.

We had a ton of fun last year. Read more here and stay tuned for more info closer to the dates.

Core77 blogger hits Detroit, swoons over people and place

Core77 Tuesday, July 31, 2012

We were trolling for Detroit media love when we chanced upon this beauty of a blog. Not much more introduction needed.

An excerpt:

True to form, DC3 introduced me to Peggy Brennan, co-founder of the Green Garage. The converted Model T showroom serves as a demonstration of down-to-earth sustainability (no pun intended), as well as a business incubator (everyone incubates these days) and an advisor on integrating sustainable practices for any interested member of the community. Brennan and her husband, along with 200 volunteers, spent two years designing how to best renovate the showroom and looked to the Passivhaus for inspiration. With 19-inches of insulation and triple-glazed windows, the Green Garage only costs $300 to heat for a year.

Read the entire travelog here.

Henry Ford to develop 300 acres at cusp of Midtown and New Center

HuffPost Detroit Tuesday, June 05, 2012

And that's not all. folks. HuffPost Detroit rounds up a few projects (including the $500 million development in the headline above) re-shaping Midtown.

Read about it here.

TechTown's Leslie Smith tackles challenge of building ecosystems for high-growth entrepreneurship

Wayne State University Tuesday, June 05, 2012

Leslie Smith, president and CEO of TechTown, Wayne State University’s business incubator and technology and research park, will join former U.S. President Bill Clinton for the second annual Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI America) meeting, June 7-8 in Chicago.

That's mighty impressive. Read the rest of the story here.

Game on: Investors say they will fund M-1 for 10 years

HuffPost Detroit Tuesday, April 24, 2012

We had a feeling that the scaled-down light rail project -- to stretch 3.4 miles from riverfront to New Center -- had too much momentum to be de-railed for long. It's certainly no done deal yet, but the fact that the private-sector group behind the Woodward Corridor line says it will pay for a decade's worth of operating costs portends well.

The story is breaking all over town at press time. We like this one by Kate Abbey-Lambertz of HuffPost Detroit.

D3 now driving data from Tech Town

Data Driven Detroit Tuesday, April 03, 2012

When Grand Valley State bought the old Barden Communications building in February, we wondered what would become of our friends at Data Driven Detroit. Well, now we know. D3 is in transition to new offices in Tech Town.

The best way to contact the group is here or through Ask Kurt. That's D3's director Kurt Metzger, as you know.

For more info go here.

Winter Music Conference party raises funds for Youthville

Resident Advisor Tuesday, March 20, 2012

At Need I Say More, an afternoon after-party at the upcoming Winter Music Conference in Miami, DJ and all-round good guy Danny Tenaglia is heading a lineup that is donating the proceeds of the event to Detroit's Youthville. Imagine that. How cool. No doubt the artists' relationship with longtime Youthville mentor and international DJ star Mike Huckaby played a part.

Resident Advisor has the scoop.

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