Detroit, MI

Durhal: Detroit’s PILOT ordinance is boosting affordable housing development

Published

2 months ago

March 31, 2025

Durhal: Detroit’s PILOT ordinance is boosting affordable housing development

Fred Durhal
| The Detroit News

Detroit is at a pivotal moment in our history. After emerging from the largest municipal bankruptcy in the nation’s history, the city is building and growing again. Among many policy tools, Detroit is successfully attracting investments through tax incentives, which are an undeniable factor in re-energizing our city, drawing in new businesses and development that showcase Detroit’s potential.

When I speak with residents and community advocates, they tell me tax incentives and abatements are great. Their problem isn’t the “what,” but rather the “where” these developers choose to build. As one Detroiter said to me, reflecting the feeling of nearly every person I speak with: “It’s time to build in our neighborhoods.”

They’re right.

Detroiters want a balanced approach to the future development of the city, one that includes investing in the people who call Detroit home, not just in large commercial ventures. And for many of them, the idea of development starts at home, with safe and secure housing in the neighborhoods they love.

Their concern is real. As the city continues to grow, the need for affordable housing is pressing. Around 39,000 Detroiters, or 13% of the city’s residents, spent more than half of their income on rent and mortgage in 2022. Meanwhile, home prices skyrocketed, from an average $37,000 in 2013 to $84,000 in 2023. And though Detroit has built nearly 5,000 affordable units in the past five years, that’s well short of the roughly 46,000 that the Detroit Justice Center estimates the city needs.

To address this challenge, Mayor Mike Duggan and the City Council worked closely to build more than $1 billion in affordable housing. But the reality is that Detroit needs to invest an additional $1 billion to meet our residents’ demand for affordable housing.

When we realized this need, we got right to work, brainstorming solutions and working collaboratively for almost three years. The result of this collaborative effort was the introduction of the PILOT Fast Track Ordinance, or “payment in lieu of taxes,” which is an agreement built on Michigan Public Act 239 of 2022 that allows developers to make reduced payments to the city in place of traditional property taxes.

Instead of paying the standard tax rate, developers receive a lowered rate for a set period. This reduction creates a financial incentive to develop housing that’s affordable for residents. And with lower and more predictable costs, developers can focus on building housing that serves Detroit’s low- and middle-income families.

The PILOT ordinance passed unanimously in late 2024 and is already cranking up the development of affordable housing.

Before PILOT, Detroit had no way to incentivize the rapid building of housing units for middle class families. Back then, families had no relief and doing business in Detroit was just too hard. The city had no way to encourage and reward individuals to fix abandoned and vacant buildings in our neighborhoods.

Under PILOT, developers get extra credits if their project aims to turn these existing buildings and transform them into livable, affordable housing units. In that way, PILOT is paving the way for unprecedented investment in Detroit neighborhoods by encouraging and rewarding developers who build affordable housing where vacant and abandoned buildings once stood.

The Villages at Parkside is one landmark project under PILOT that will bring hundreds of quality homes to the city’s east side. Developers of this project, which breaks ground in fall, said PILOT played a fundamental role in making more housing possible and praised it as the best tool in the state for such projects. The entire city will soon benefit from the great promise of PILOT, which is already attracting smaller and minority developers to build in Detroit.

PILOT represents an innovative model for how Detroit can develop effective partnerships and cut red tape to accelerate the construction of homes that working and middle-class people can truly afford. Through PILOT, Detroit can address housing shortages, rein in rising rents, prevent displacement and reduce homelessness. Low- and middle-income Detroiters will enjoy greater housing stability and more financial flexibility to support local businesses, services and neighborhood programs. They can thrive in the communities they live in and help shape the future of their neighborhoods.

By promoting fairer growth and stability for all Detroiters, we can build the kind of city we all envision — where neighborhood revitalization brings new jobs, spurs local economic growth and strengthens the bonds within our communities.

Fred Durhal is a member of the Detroit City Council.

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Detroit, MI

2025 Detroit Grand Prix: Full list of drivers for IndyCar and Indy NXT races

Published

2 hours ago

May 31, 2025

Press Room

2025 Detroit Grand Prix: Full list of drivers for IndyCar and Indy NXT races

This is the full list of drivers participating in the 2025 IndyCar and Indy NXT races at the Detroit Grand Prix through downtown.

The 2025 Detroit Grand Prix is approaching quickly, with drivers from all around the world looking to capture a critical win on the IndyCar calendar.

The big race is on Sunday, June 1, when the NTT IndyCar series will start at 12:30 p.m., broadcasted on Fox. Before that race, the lower-level Indy NXT circuit will hold its race at 10:30 a.m., televised on FS1. Both can be streamed on Fubo (free trial).

This will be the third race since the Grand Prix returned to downtown Detroit in 2023 after years at nearby Belle Isle. The winner of the first revamped downtown race was IndyCar legend Scott Dixon, while his teammate at Chip Ganassi Racing Álex Palou won in 2024.

Palou is looking to continue his dominance of the 2025 IndyCar season, as the Spanish racer has won five of the year’s first six races, including his first Indianapolis 500 win one week ago.

Here is the field for both of Sunday’s races:

Who is racing in the 2025 Detroit Grand Prix?

Here is the full list of all 27 drivers scheduled to race in the IndyCar Grand Prix in Detroit on Sunday, with drivers listed by car number, team and engine:

#2: Josef Newgarden – Team Penske (Chevrolet)
#3 Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske (Chevrolet)
#4 David Malukas – A.J. Foyt Enterprises (Chevrolet)
#5 Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren (Chevrolet)
#6 Nolan Siegel – Arrow McLaren (Chevrolet)
#7 Christian Lundgaard – Arrow McLaren (Chevrolet)
#8 Kyffin Simpson – Chip Ganassi Racing (Honda)
#9 Scott Dixon – Chip Ganassi Racing (Honda)
#10 Álex Palou – Chip Ganassi Racing (Honda)
#12 Will Power – Team Penske (Chevrolet)
#14 Santino Ferrucci – A.J. Foyt Enterprises (Chevrolet)
#15 Graham Rahal – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (Honda)
#18 Rinus VeeKay – Dale Coyne Racing (Honda)
#20 Alexander Rossi – Ed Carpenter Racing (Chevrolet)
#21 Christian Rasmussen – Ed Carpenter Racing (Chevrolet)
#26 Colton Herta – Andretti Global/Curb-Agajanian (Honda)
#27 Kyle Kirkwood – Andretti Global (Honda)
#28 Marcus Ericsson – Andretti Global (Honda)
#30 Devlin DeFrancesco – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (Honda)
#45 Louis Foster* – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (Honda)
#51 Jacob Abel* – Dale Coyne Racing (Honda)
#60 Felix Rosenqvist – Meyer Shank Racing/Curb-Agajanian (Honda)
#66 Marcus Armstrong – Meyer Shank Racing/Curb-Agajanian (Honda)
#76 Conor Daly – Juncos Hollinger Racing (Chevrolet)
#77 Sting Ray Robb – Juncos Hollinger Racing (Chevrolet)
#83 Robert Shwartzman* – PREMA Racing (Chevrolet)
#90 Callum Ilott – PREMA Racing (Chevrolet)

*Rookie of the year candidate

Who is racing in Indy NXT at Detroit?

Here is the full list of drivers scheduled to compete in the Indy NXT race in Detroit on Sunday, with drivers listed by car number and team:

#2 Sebastian Murray – Andretti/Cape Motorsport
#3 Ricardo Escotto – Andretti/Cape Motorsport
#9 Bryce Aron – Chip Ganassi Racing
#10 Niels Koolen – Chip Ganassi Racing
#11 Nolan Allaer – HMD Motorsports
#14 Josh Pierson – HMD Motorports
#16 Tommy Smith – HMD Motorsports
#17 Callum Hedge – Abel Motorsports
#18 Max Taylor – HMD Motorsports
#26 Lochie Hughes – Andretti Global
#27 Salvador De Alba – Andretti Global
#28 Dennis Hauger – Andretti Global
#29 James Roe – Andretti Global
#30 Liam Sceats – HMD Motorsports
#38 Hailie Deegan – HMD Motorsports
#39 Jaun Manuel Correa – HMD Motorsports
#40 Jack William Miller – Abel Motorsports
#48 Jordan Missig – Abel Motorsports
#76 Caio Collet – HMD Motorsports
#99 Myles Rowe – Abel Motorsports

All Indy NXT drivers use AER engines.

How to watch Detroit Grand Prix

Series: NTT IndyCar.

Warmup: Sunday, June 1, 9:30 a.m. ET (FS1)

Race: Sunday, June 1, 12:30 p.m. ET (Fox)

All IndyCar practices, qualifications and races for the Detroit Grand Prix can be streamed on Fubo, which hosts Fox Sports Networks including FS1 and FS2, and offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

Watch the Detroit Grand Prix on Fubo

You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.

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Detroit, MI

Metro Detroit doctor performs CPR during public medical emergency

Published

19 hours ago

May 30, 2025

Press Room

Metro Detroit doctor performs CPR during public medical emergency

DETROIT (FOX 2) – A special reunion on Friday gave a young woman who suffered a medical emergency the chance to thank the person who saved her life.

The backstory:

Emily Morgan was in a fitness class when suddenly Emily collapsed.

Luckily, Dr. Dema Fawaz, an emergency room physician at Corewell Health, was in the right place at the right time.

“I turned around and saw Emily being slowly lowered to the ground,” said Dr. Fawaz. “I sensed a lot of panic in the room and I immediately identified myself and said, ‘Don’t worry, I’m a physician, I can help.’”

Fawaz said she performed CPR until the ambulance arrived, helping save Emily’s life. It was her first time doing CPR outside of work.

Big picture view:

At only 27 years old, Emily survived cardiac arrest, and all she remembers is waking up in the hospital.

“They told me someone in my class had saved me, and I didn’t know who it was. But I immediately recognized her when she came in at the hospital. We’d taken classes together before, and I just didn’t know her name, so it was emotional in the hospital when she came and visited me,” she said.

Meanwhile, the heartfelt reunion was just another reminder of why learning CPR could save a life. Every second counts, and even though Fawaz is a doctor, CPR is not hard to learn, and the more people who know it, the better.

It might just save a life.

Royal OakHealth

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Detroit, MI

Drivers talk competing in Detroit Grand Prix and other sports news

Published

2 days ago

May 30, 2025

Press Room

Drivers talk competing in Detroit Grand Prix and other sports news – CBS Detroit

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The Detroit Grand Prix is here. Drivers discuss being a part of the annual event. Meanwhile, the Michigan Panthers are wrapping up their regular season this weekend.