Mayor Duggan, City Councilmembers unveil details of seven initiatives under $203M affordable housing plan

Mayor Duggan, City Council members and officials, and community residents gather to announce $203-million, seven-point affordable housing plan.

Mayor Mike Duggan and City Councilmembers Mary Waters, Angela Calloway and Latisha Johnson unveiled a $203-million affordable housing plan that will take major steps toward addressing housing insecurity in Detroit using several new strategies, many of them funded by the City’s share of American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The plan was hammered out over several weeks in meetings between Mayor Duggan, Councilmembers Waters, Calloway and Johnson, and Detroit housing staff. It was a unique collaboration between the Mayor and Councilmembers to include seven new major initiatives, representing one of the most comprehensive commitments to increasing the quality and accessibility of affordable housing ever undertaken by the City.

The plan includes converting long-vacant apartment buildings and Land Bank homes into affordable rental housing; additional housing support resources; mortgage down-payment assistance to increase home ownership; rapid placement for good-paying jobs; and more.

The announcement comes at a time when Detroit’s ongoing revitalization and rising property values are driving up rents for many with lower incomes. The $203-million investment is for 2022 alone and is on top of affordable housing initiatives already announced in the past, and does not include future annual allocations for affordable housing and preservation in Detroit.

Read the full story at $203M affordable housing strategy (detroitmi.gov)

City of Detroit begins $6M remake of Roosevelt Park in front of Michigan Central Station

The City of Detroit broke ground this week on a $6-million transformation of Roosevelt Park in front of the Michigan Central Station including the removal of the existing roadway that split the park in half for years.

Joining Mayor Mike Duggan and other City officials were dozens of community members, business owners and Joshua Sirefman, CEO of Michigan Central, a 30-acre walkable community in development by Michigan Central Innovation District LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company.

When completed in spring 2023, the currently 9.5-acre park will grow to 13 acres after the road removal and reconfiguration. It also will include a promenade connecting Michigan Avenue to the Station, a new pedestrian gateway entrance at Michigan Avenue, key neighborhood entryways and walkways, plaza spaces, event lawns, benches and tables for seating and landscaping.

Read the full story at Roosevelt Park Michigan Central Station (detroitmi.gov)

Roosevelt Park as it stands today

Rendering of future Roosevelt Park

City completes last of 174 retrofits of Southwest Detroit homes to protect them from Gordie Howe bridge impact

City officials and home owners celebrate completion of improvements to 174 homes near the new Gordie Howe International Bridge

Bridging Neighborhoods, a first-of-its-kind program designed to support southwest Detroit residents living near the new Gordie Howe International Bridge, has completed major upgrades to 174 homes, fulfilling the City’s commitment to protect them from the environmental impacts of the new span when it opens.

The I-75 Environmental Mitigation portion of the Bridging Neighborhoods program was created to reduce the impacts of air and noise pollution from increased truck traffic on I-75 leading to the new bridge. Workers have spent the last three years making these improvements to homes in the qualifying footprint that applied for the program.

The Bridging Neighborhoods Program has two key missions: to help residents who chose to not live near a bridge relocate to another Detroit neighborhood, and to retrofit homes of residents north of the I-75 Service Drive who chose to stay.

Over the past four years, the program has helped nearly 60 families relocate to other neighborhoods in Detroit through a home swap program.

For additional information, visit 174 Southwest Detroit homes (detroitmi.gov)

City of Detroit and Wright Museum of African American History join the Black Theatre Network to host celebration of Detroit Tony Award winners and nominees

Detroit’s Broadway stars are coming home July 24 when the City of Detroit, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, and the Black Theatre Network host a press conference and homecoming reception to celebrate one of the best Broadway seasons for Detroit and black thespians ever.

Mayor Mike Duggan will honor Michael R. Jackson, Dominique Morisseau, Ron Simons, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Marilyn McCormick, Chante Adams, and theatre legend Woodie King, Jr. at a news conference at The Wright and unveil a bust of King.  A public reception will follow the news conference.

The celebration opens the 36th annual convention of the Black Theatre Network, the national organization dedicated to the exploration and preservation of the theatrical visions of the African Diaspora. The organization plans to open an office in Detroit to cement a partnership with the Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship to elevate Black theatre in the city.

For more information, visit Broadway Comes Home to Detroit (detroitmi.gov)

Detroit Dance Center celebrates grand opening

The City of Detroit collects bulk items (all year) and yard waste (April – December) every other week at the curb. However, when items exceed the limit or include materials not collected at the curb (like construction debris), residents have options.

DPW Paid Pickup Service
The Department of Public Works will pick up items for $40 per cubic yard. Call (313) 876-0004 for details.

Use FREE Drop-Off Locations
Residents can dispose of their bulk, yard waste, and household hazardous items for free. Go here for details.

For more information on how to keep the city clean, visit keepdetroitclean.com.

For more information, read the full story at DWSD water affordability plan (detroitmi.gov)

Pediatric vaccinations and children booster shots are available by appointment only at both pediatric vaccination locations operated by the Detroit Health Department. The City also is providing booster doses for children ages 5-11 who are eligible five months after completing their initial series.

• Detroit Health Department, 100 Mack Avenue
  Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Northwest Activities Center, 18100 Meyers
  Monday – Friday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Older children ages 12 and older can obtain vaccinations and boosters on a walk-in basis at all Health Department vaccination sites, including Saturday pediatric pop-up health clinics scheduled in neighborhoods across Detroit during July and August. Free lead screenings are also available. A full list of vaccination sites can be found on the Health Department’s website or call (313) 230-0505. Bring vaccination card to appointment.

Detroit ACE partners with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, community groups on neighborhood musical experiences and children’s workshop series

The Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship (Detroit ACE) is partnering with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and several community organizations on neighborhood musical experiences.

The concerts are a part of DSO’s commitment to strengthen its commitment to the growth and well-being of the City of Detroit through the Detroit Neighborhood Initiative, part of a larger Detroit Strategy to invest in and build relationships with Detroit residents.

Music In the Park at Northwest Goldberg Cares Spotlight Park
Friday, July 29 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Complete free registration for children’s workshops at nwgoldbergcares.com/mitp for a weekly workshop, lunch, and concert series

Final Music In the Park Celebration
Saturday, July 30 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. 
Northwest Goldberg Cares Spotlight Park, 5945 Linwood St.
Sponsored by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation