Here are a few of the stories we're reading this week.
A second tower at Fort Pontchartrain
The idea has been floated around a few times, and it's back again. The owners of the Fort Pontchartrain hotel have issued an RFP for a feasibility study to build another tower, with 390 rooms including 40 condos. This plan for the former Crowne Plaza has come and gone over the last eight years. Now? It's well documented that Detroit needs more hotel rooms in order to get bigger events into the city. Crain's Detroit Business
Crushing concrete in Core City
Residents of Core City and the surrounding neighborhoods are petitioning against a proposed (but also already possibly in use?) concrete crushing facility in the neighborhood. Advocates state that the added dust, noise, and truck traffic would be a detriment to the neighborhood, and are gathering signature for a petition to deliver to City Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero. Owners claim the noise would be minimal, and it's regulated by the Department of Environmental Quality. When a city inspector visited early this week, it looked like crushing activity was already underway. Detroit Free Press
Hotel Yorba for sale
The southwest Detroit hotel made famous by the White Stripes is up for sale again. The Hotel Yorba sits a couple blocks from Clark Park, overlooking I-75. It went up for sale a few years ago for $3.2 million; an offer was made but never finalized. It's now up for $2.95 million. The property has 250 hotel rooms that could be converted to 70-80 apartments. Crain's Detroit Business
Noel Night returns
For the first time since 2019, Noel Night is coming back to Midtown this Saturday, December 3 from 5-9 pm. Cultural institutions, churches, and businesses will be open around Midtown for the popular event. Expect art installations, live music, shopping, food trucks, and family crafts from the Detroit Institute of Arts and Wayne State, all the way down to the Detroit Shipping Company. Find the map here and a schedule of performances here.
