Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced last week that he will not seek reelection in 2025, ending a 12-year run that saw Detroit exit bankruptcy and begin the climb back to stability.

Anika Goss, CEO of Detroit Future City, joins Created Equal along with journalists John Gallagher and Darren Nichols to discuss what has happened over the last decade of Duggan’s leadership and what awaits the city’s next leader. 

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Goss discussed how Detroit’s rate of Black homeownership has increased to its highest level since the housing crisis and the percentage of vacant land in the city has decreased over Duggan’s mayorship. However, she says there are still large income gaps within Detroit’s middle class, rates of educational attainment continue to decrease, and the city is facing the loss of the Black middle class to the suburbs.   

Gallagher pointed out that although Duggan’s leadership has correlated with an improvement in the city’s economy, there were many local grassroots efforts in place to promote economic recovery prior to Duggan’s first term. Gallagher also discussed how the economic improvements were often focused on Detroit’s downtown and Midtown areas rather than Detroit’s neighborhoods.

Nichols discussed how last year’s NFL Draft in Detroit was a culmination of the good press and excitement Duggan had built around the city. Nichols suggested that some of Duggan’s success could be attributed to his skills as a campaigner who spoke directly to city residents and presented himself as a fresh voice for change. He believes that the next mayor will have to similarly humble themselves and address the whole city. 

Nichols also said he believes housing and poverty rates will be the most pressing issues for the city’s next leader to address.  

“We can build affordable housing, but do those people have the finances to be able to do that? Do they have the credit to be able to do that? We have to keep in mind our realism as to what Detroit’s poverty rate means for affordable housing,” he said. 

Use the media player above to listen to the full conversation. 

Guests: 

• Anika Goss is the CEO at Detroit Future City.
• John Gallagher is a journalist, senior business columnist for the Detroit Free Press, and author of the book, “Reimagining Detroit: Opportunities for Redefining an American City.”
• Darren Nichols is a journalist and contributing columnist at the Detroit Free Press 

Listen to Created Equal with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand.

Community members gathered in Detroit’s North End neighborhood on Tuesday to celebrate the completion of a new $7.3 million mixed-use affordable housing project.

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“The Beauton” will feature 29 new units, including 10 micro studio units, 15 studio units, two one-bedroom units and two two-bedroom units — with rents based on 50-120% of area median income (AMI), and over half of the units at or below 80%. Rents for the micro units will be as low as $700 per month, and affordability is guaranteed for the next 12 years under the agreement.

“North End has seen a lot of new investment that can bring rent pressures for existing residents,” said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan in a statement.  “The Beauton will bring 29 more units of much-needed affordable housing to North End to help make sure residents of all income levels can live in a growing and thriving neighborhood.”

Led by Detroit developer Charles Dickerson, the project was made possible by funding from several sources, including $1.5 million from the Detroit Housing for the Future Fund (DHFF); nearly $2.5 million from Capital Impact Partners; $1.5 million from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and additional support.

DHFF is a private investment fund aimed at directing funding to create and preserve affordable housing in Detroit. The fund is anchored by a $15 million commitment from JPMorgan Chase of the fund’s total $58 million raise and a $10 million guarantee from The Kresge Foundation.

Including The Beauton, the DHFF has funded 13 projects totaling 435 new or preserved affordable units in the city.

“Projects like The Beauton exemplify the power of partnership and the impact of the Detroit Housing for the Future Fund in creating affordable housing solutions that meet the needs of our residents,” said Julie Schneider, director of the city’s Housing and Revitalization Department.

Call 313-656-4233 for leasing information.

Other headlines for Friday, Nov. 15, 2024:

• A 3-year-old sloth bear named Jagger has found a new home at the Detroit Zoo. This is the first time a sloth bear has been in the zoo in decades, according to zoo officials. Officials also say that she’ll be spending the next few days getting acclimated to her new home before stepping outdoors.
• The 21st annual Detroit Tree Lighting ceremony is taking place from 4-9 p.m. next Friday, Nov. 22. The free event kicks off the holiday season with stellar performances by national and local musical acts and figure skaters. There will also be food trucks, and unique lighting attractions across Downtown Detroit.
• Tickets are still available for Dave Chappelle and Killer Mike’s Still Talkin’ That Sh*t tour stop at the Fox Theatre tonight at 8 p.m.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

Tonight on the Detroit Evening Report, we cover Harris’ recent visit to Detroit to shore up support from Black male voters; the opening of the new Dr. Maya Angelou Village in northwest Detroit and more.

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Harris joins The Breakfast Club in Detroit

Vice President Kamala Harris spent part of the day in Detroit on Tuesday to take part in an “audio town hall” moderated by Charlamagne Tha God, host of iHeartRadio’s nationally syndicated radio show “The Breakfast Club.”  Discussion topics ranged from the economy, to the use of misinformation, to the violence on Jan. 6, 2021. 

“Donald Trump incited a violent mob to try and undo the will of the people and undo the results of a free and fair election,” Harris said Tuesday. “That violent mob attacked the United States Capitol. Over 140 law enforcement officers were injured.  Some of them were killed. And he has said since then, that there will be a bloodbath after this election.”

Harris has been working to attract more Black male voters in recent weeks, making several trips to Detroit in the process.    

Harris and Trump in Detroit Friday

Both Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are scheduled to campaign in metro Detroit on Friday. The Harris campaign announced Wednesday that former President Barack Obama will come to Detroit next Tuesday. Michigan is a key battleground state in what is expected to be a very close presidential election. 

Duggan to host District 6 meeting

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is scheduled to hold a charter-mandated community meeting in District 6 Wednesday night. It’s an opportunity to hear from the mayor and his administration about important news and events in the area. Officials from the Detroit Police Department will be there to give a presentation to residents about code enforcement. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at the Kingdom Apostolic Ministries, 4735 W Fort St., Detroit. Interested residents can also join the meeting via Zoom. 

Maya Angelou Village opens

A new development named after renowned poet Dr. Maya Angelou has opened in northwest Detroit, Model D reports. The mixed-use permanent supportive housing development, located near Grand River and Burt Road, is a partnership between a Chicago-based developer and the Detroit-based non-profit Alternatives for Girls.   The non-profit focuses on serving at-risk girls and young women in Detroit.  

Devin Scillian retiring

Longtime Detroit television anchor Devin Scillian is retiring. He announced the move last night on WDIV.   

“I am currently in my 30th year here at WDIV. And maybe it’s the roundness of that number, but I’ve decided to move on to the next chapter of what has been a most enjoyable and gratifying book,” he said.

Scillian started at the station in 1995. In the past three decades, he has covered politics, natural disasters, court trials, the Olympics and a wide range of news stories in metro Detroit. Scillian gained national prominence shortly before coming to Detroit, when he covered the Oklahoma City bombing for a local station there. He says he has decided to retire now to devote more attention to some of his other passions, including writing children’s books and singing with his band. Scillian’s last newscast will be sometime in December. 

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

Once dominated by non-local LLCs exploiting the system for quick returns, new data suggests that fewer outside investors are “milking” the system, and more Detroiters are taking advantage of opportunities to participate in Detroit’s recovery.

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A new article entitled “Detroit’s Sweat Equity” from Alex Alsup, published in Substack newsletter The Chargeback, discusses the change from outside investors to residents purchasing and rehabbing homes from the tax foreclosure auction. Alsup says local buyers are flipping the script on the traditional narrative of Detroit real estate. By investing personal labor — or “sweat equity” — into rehabbing homes, they reduce the costs associated with renovation and create value in a way that large, outside investors can no longer exploit. 

Foreclosures are at their lowest since 2005, and new ownership trends show a citywide gain of about 9,000 re-occupied homes since the pandemic. The old “milking” model — where the value was in extracting rent from undervalued properties — doesn’t work anymore because Detroit’s homes have gained too much value. This lucrative foreclosure-rental-foreclosure pipeline is drying up, and Detroiters are stepping up to take advantage of the opportunity. 

Chase Cantrell, CEO of Building Community Value, a nonprofit that helps Detroiters become property owners and rehabbers, says that the Detroit Land Bank Authority now privileges local buyers, giving them a better chance to purchase and improve properties. 

Online bidding on properties in the Wayne County tax foreclosure auction begins September 11 and runs through September 18, 2024. There are 1,748 Detroit foreclosed properties listed on the Wayne County Treasurer’s auction site.

 Guests: 

• Alex Alsup is the Vice President of Research and Development for Regrid and the author of the Substack newsletter The Chargeback.
• Chase Cantrell is the CEO of Building Community Value, an organization that provides training and resources for Detroiters interested in small-scale real estate development.

Listen to Created Equal with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand.