Here are a few of the stories we're following this week:
Blight at the Mid
One of the larger and non-active development proposals in the city is the Mid, which would bring two high rises with a hotel, residential, and office space along Woodward in Midtown. It was announced back in 2019, and nothing has happened at the site since. Crain's learned that last summer, the city issued blight tickets to the owners for "failure to abate unsafe conditions, failure to comply with an emergency or imminent danger order, failure to obtain a certificate of compliance and failure to maintain a vacant building or structure." The owners have paid the tickets and are keeping better care of the property. Crain's Detroit Business
Taking another look at the city's Community Benefits Ordinance
Is the Community Benefits Ordinance good enough? It was designed to help neighborhoods where large-scale ($75 million+) developments take place. But what if the development is close to that number? Is there anything the neighborhood can do? That's what some are asking in the area around the old American Motors Headquarters, where NorthPoint will demolish the old building and build a new manufacturing facility. That plan just misses the mark at $71 million. Should residents have a voice when new development is moving in, or is the development process difficult enough as is? Axios Detroit
Chandler Park celebrates skatepark grand opening with Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk made another visit to Detroit to celebrate the grand opening of Chandler Park Skatepark. It was funded through Hawk's Skatepark Project and the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation. The park is free and they plan to have lessons on Mondays and Wednesdays. Chandler Park also has tennis courts and a big aquatic park, and soon the city will build a dome with an indoor sports center. Detroit News
Another floor added to the Exchange
The 15th floor rose at the Exchange last week. The innovative project is being built from the top down, so it now has the roof, penthouse, and 15th floor. They are physically going up quicker than the initial lifts, and that trend should continue as they get used to the process and the floors have less distance to travel. Each floor is being built on the ground below. Detroit Free Press