Detroit, MI

Mark Woods: More to downtown revival than a stadium. Look at Detroit and its riverfront.

Published

2 years ago

June 5, 2024

Mark Woods: More to downtown revival than a stadium. Look at Detroit and its riverfront.

A follow-up to my last column, about how it would be a shame if we can find money for renovating a stadium but not for finishing our riverfront parks.

I recently went to Detroit. My sister, an engineer for GM, lives and works north of the city. Her son was graduating from college and she knew how to further entice me to make the trip: The Tigers, the baseball team my childhood revolved around, were in town.

It had been years since I went to a game in Detroit. It was a beautiful April night, with a lot for people there to cheer about. And not just because the Tigers rallied to beat the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park.

At one point, the fans began a chant of “Jared Goff, Jared Goff” — the Lions quarterback who plays his home games in nearby Ford Field — that wasn’t as random as it sounded.

It was the weekend of the NFL draft. The league estimated that nearly 800,000 fans filled downtown over the three days, setting the attendance record for the event. The streets were packed with people eating, drinking and checking out shops brimming with Detroit pride. Shinola watches and bikes. “Made in Detroit” T-shirts. Merchandise that said both “Detroit Welcomes Everybody and “313 vs. Everybody.”

The 904 isn’t the only place that can lean into its area code and a sense of being the underdog.

Downtown Detroit on the rise

It reminded me of when we had the Super Bowl in Jacksonville, how during that one week our streets and riverfronts were full of people and activity. I couldn’t help but wonder what downtown Detroit would be like once the big event left.

There’s reason to believe it wasn’t just a one-weekend thing.

Detroit, for all of its problems, has experienced a rebirth.

Downtown is a different place than what I remember, and what many Americans still picture: a hollowed-out, crime-ridden, decaying shell of a once-vibrant city.

That’s not to say Detroit doesn’t still have plenty of issues. But it also has reason for hope — and reasons for people to be living, working and playing downtown.

In the 1990s, when I covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I made a trip to Detroit every fall for a Bucs-Lions game. Well, sort of. I flew into Detroit, got a rental car and drove about an hour north to Pontiac and the Silverdome. At the time, the NBA’s Pistons played even farther from downtown, in the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Now four major pro franchises play downtown: the Tigers at Comerica (opened in 2000), the Lions at Ford Field (2002), and the Pistons and NHL’s Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena (2017). Also, soccer club Detroit City FC is planning to build a new stadium in Corktown, an old neighborhood described in a recent Detroit Free Press story as the “front porch to downtown.”

It’s tempting to point to Detroit as an example of how building sports venues can transform a place. But while those venues certainly have been a part of what is happening in Detroit, it’s worth noting a few things (beyond sports economists saying stadium building has a dubious return on investment for a city), particularly in regards to Jacksonville.

It’s vastly different to have an MLB stadium (with at least 81 home games a year) and an NBA/NHL arena (the two teams combining for at least 82 home games a year) along with an NFL stadium. Between the three venues and four teams, downtown Detroit has games year-round that, even before you add in concerts and other events, draw nearly 4 million people.

And what is happening in Detroit involves much more than sports venues.

One of America’s best riverwalks

Ask people in Detroit what has changed and, beyond the sports venues, they’ll point to the billions of dollars invested downtown by Dan Gilbert (founder of Rocket Mortgage), the Ford family (as in Ford vehicles) and the Illitch family (Little Caesars pizza).

And — particularly relevant to Jacksonville — look at what Detroit has done to stake a claim to having one of America’s best riverfronts.

Yes, Detroit.

“Ignore the Noise: The Transformation of the Detroit Riverfront,” an hourlong documentary released last year, paints a bleak (and familiar) picture of what their riverfront had become. Desolate, blighted, industrial, buildings in disrepair, empty lots. It was, one of the subjects says, not a place that anyone had any reason to visit.

For decades, there had been plans for a linear park with riverwalks, greenways, playgrounds, events. Not much seemed to come to fruition. Until about 20 years ago.

Look at the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy website today and you’ll find more than renderings of what the riverfront could be someday. You’ll find some remarkable “before” and “after” photos, showing what it actually has become.

In 2021, the Detroit Riverwalk was named the “Best Riverwalk in America” in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. It won the top spot again in 2022. And again in 2023, finishing ahead of Tampa, Louisville, Cincinnati, Boston and Indianapolis.

This isn’t something that happens because you build a stadium or two. It happens because you are determined to build a riverfront — in Detroit’s case, take 5.5 miles between two bridges and turn it into “a beautiful, exciting, safe, accessible, world-class gathering place for all.”

Since 2003, the Riverfront Conservancy, the nonprofit managing the riverfront revitalization, has invested more than $200 million (a mix of donations, grants and public funding). This has been an economic spark, according to the conservancy generating more than $2 billion in investment.

A familiar setback: corruption

I’ve said repeatedly that it would be a shame if we manage to build a shiny “stadium of the future” but fail to do much more than that. And with a stadium deal on the table in Jacksonville — including the community benefits agreement that would provide money for, among other things, riverfront parks — I was planning to write a column pointing to the Detroit riverfront offering some things to strive for here.

Then a funny thing happened. Well, not so funny to those in Detroit.

The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy’s CFO was fired and the CEO resigned after, according to the organization, it discovered the CFO had embezzled more than $40 million.

So we might not want to copy that part. (Not that we really need a reminder of the need for oversight and the potential for scandal where there is money. We’ve recently had both the JEA saga and a Jaguars employee stealing $22 million.)

In a sign of how much has been accomplished on Detroit’s riverfront despite this, two top philanthropic donors responded by reaffirming their support and pledging to give more money to sustain the “transformational projects.” The Detroit Free Press wrote an editorial saying the riverfront and conservancy must survive this — because the riverfront represents “this city’s most dramatic transformation.”

In the documentary, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says: “Nothing compares to the beauty that’s being created along the riverfront. … It’s creating a totally different impression to the world about what the city of Detroit is.”

So the point still holds for Jacksonville. It will be a shame if we just build a stadium, expecting that alone to change our city.

If we truly want to create the kind of spark that comes from riverfront parks, we should do the obvious: Invest in riverfront parks.

mwoods@jacksonville.com

(904) 359-4212

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Detroit, MI

Michigan State Police sends message to drivers after trooper involved in hit and run:

Published

6 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Michigan State Police sends message to drivers after trooper involved in hit and run:

“Slow down and move over” is the message that Michigan State Police is sending to drivers after one of its troopers in a parked patrol car was struck while investigating a crash this weekend. The driver of that vehicle fled the scene.

Michigan State Police tells CBS News Detroit that we’re two months into the year, and it has had six incidents across the state where patrol cars were struck by oncoming vehicles. One of those incidents occurred on Sunday evening.

“Could have been much more tragic,” said MSP Lieutenant Rene Gonzalez, First District public information officer.

Michigan State Police

Gonzalez says on Sunday, an MSP trooper was near M-10 and Schaefer Highway in Detroit, simply doing his job, when his patrol car was hit from behind.

“Trooper was out there, and he was investigating a crash when, at the time, a Jeep SUV drove into the rear of the parked vehicle,” Gonzalez said.

The impact slid the trooper’s car into a concrete wall. The 29-year-old Detroit woman driving the Jeep SUV struck the center median, got out of the vehicle, and ran away.

“Not sure why they did it. Maybe not paying attention if they were distracted. They’re attempting to locate her at this time,” said Lt. Gonzalez.

The trooper walked away with minor injuries. Gonzalez says this incident is an example of why Michigan’s Move Over Law was put in place many years ago. The law, which went into effect in 2019, requires drivers to move over into the next lane and reduce their speed by at least 10 mph when emergency or service vehicles — police, fire, rescue, ambulance and road service — have their lights activated.

Drivers who are not able to move over are still required to reduce their speed.

“Trying to do our jobs, however, people are not paying attention. The law is easy. It’s simple. You see us, you see our lights activated, you have to slow down ten miles below the posted speed limit, and then if able, move over to the next occupied available lane,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez says crashes like this can be deadly and often avoided.

“One life lost over something that was a totally preventable crash, it’s way too much. We’re asking that you slow down and move over when you see our lights. It’s a simple message that we’ve been pushing out for years,” he said.

Sunday’s crash remains under investigation. Michigan State Police detectives are still working to track down the 29-year-old suspect.

In the meantime, police are out enforcing the Move Over Law.

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Detroit, MI

Rex Satterfield’s 1956 Bel Air takes 2026 Ridler Award in Detroit

Published

18 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Rex Satterfield’s 1956 Bel Air takes 2026 Ridler Award in Detroit

Rex Satterfield hoped to see his 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible snag one of the BASF Great 8 finalist spots at this year’s Detroit Autorama. But winning the Ridler Award — one of the highest honors in the custom car business — was something he didn’t foresee.

“It’s just overwhelming right now,” said the man from Russellville, Tennessee, as he left a ballroom at downtown’s Huntington Place and made his way back to the show floor on Sunday, March 1. “We weren’t expecting this.”

Getting a car recognized as one of the BASF Great 8 vehicles is a win in and of itself as they are considered the “absolute pinnacle of custom automotive craftsmanship worldwide,” according to the show. The cars undergo an intensive judging process.

And this effort had an unexpected and emotional complication with the passing in December 2024 of the original builder, Jeff Wolfenbarger, who was battling cancer even as he continued working on the car named “Elegant Lady.”

Kevin Riffey of Kevin Riffey’s Hot Rods and Restorations in Knoxville stepped in to finish the work Wolfenbarger started. He’d had two other cars in the past make the Great 8. He said the goal with this vehicle was straightforward, calling it a “purpose-built show car.”

From its prominent spot at the front of the show floor, “Elegant Lady” sported a creamy exterior, dubbed Light Coffee. The car carries a 1,000 horsepower Don Hardy race engine. The gauges, wheels and gas tank are custom, and the dash is from a 1956 Pontiac.

Satterfield plans to show the car around some and enjoy the moment with it. He said he’s been a car guy since he was a little kid.

The Ridler Award, named in honor of Detroit Autorama’s first publicist, Don Ridler, comes with a $10,000 prize. It was awarded on the final day of this year’s Detroit Autorama, which ran Friday, Feb. 27-Sunday, March 1. This was the event’s 73rd year.

Eric D. Lawrence is the senior car culture reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Send your tips and suggestions about cool automotive stuff to elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit’s Sloppy Chops restaurateur Mike Brown fatally shot, 2 injured

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Detroit’s Sloppy Chops restaurateur Mike Brown fatally shot, 2 injured

Detroit restaurateur Michael “Mike B.” Brown was fatally shot early Saturday morning in a triple shooting.
The incident occurred outside a cocktail bar on the city’s west side, and police are seeking information.
Brown was a prominent figure in Detroit’s hospitality scene, known for his “Sloppy” brand restaurants.
His establishments were seen as significant in the rise of new Black-owned businesses in the city.

Detroit restaurateur and nightlife mainstay Michael “Mike B.” Brown was fatally shot early Saturday morning on the city’s west side, a violent incident that also left two other people injured and sent shockwaves through Detroit’s hospitality and entertainment communities.

According to Detroit police, the shooting occurred outside Suite 100, a cocktail bar on Schaefer Highway near Puritan Avenue. Investigators are urging anyone with information to come forward. As of Sunday afternoon, authorities had not announced any suspects or arrests.

“At approximately 4:30 a.m., Saturday, there was a triple shooting that occurred at 15789 Schaefer,” Detroit Police Department (DPD) media relations manager Jasmin Barmore wrote in an official statement Sunday afternoon. “Two of the vicims were found in front of the location and the third across the street from the location. Unfortunately, the victim found across the street from the location, Mikey Brown, succumbed to his injuries.

“The Detroit Police Department extends their condolences to the family and is asking the community for assistance with this incident. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to please contact DPD’s homicide unit or, they can submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers or Detroit Rewards TV.”

Brown, 52, had spent decades building a name for himself across Detroit’s club and restaurant circuits, evolving from party promoter to business owner and, in recent years, a culinary entrepreneur with expanding ambitions. His death comes at a moment when he had been working to grow his “Sloppy” restaurant brand – a move that aligned with the rise of new Black-owned establishments reshaping the city’s dining landscape.

His first major restaurant venture, Sloppy Chops, opened in 2020 on West McNichols just off the Lodge Freeway. The steakhouse featured high-end cuts like ribeyes and tomahawks, but it quickly drew wide attention for its low-cost lamb chop specials – a dish with a fervent local following and long-standing ties to the city’s food culture.

A year later, Brown launched Sloppy Crab, later renamed the Crab Sports Bar, on East Jefferson Avenue near the Renaissance Center. The seafood spot mixed Detroiters’ love for crab dishes with the energetic, nightlife-forward atmosphere Brown had refined during his years in the entertainment scene. Occasional cover charges, signature strong cocktails and celebrity drop-ins helped make the venue one of downtown’s most animated destinations, placing it alongside longstanding nightlife pillars such as Floods Bar & Grille and Sweetwater Tavern.

Both restaurants emerged during a period when Detroiters were increasingly vocal about who new development served. Sloppy Crab’s proximity to the riverfront offered an answer to residents who wondered where Black diners fit into the city’s transforming downtown, while Sloppy Chops demonstrated that restaurants with the energy and polish of downtown destinations could thrive in the neighborhoods as well.

As of Sunday afternoon, more than 1,000 comments expressing sadness and shock had flooded a pinned post on Brown’s Instagram page, along with a number of posts on his Facebook profile.

On her own page, Darralynn Hutson, an award-winning journalist, author, documentarian and media strategist who has provided content to a host of media outlets including the Detroit Free Press, shared photos of herself with Brown.

“I had the opportunity to interview Mike a few years ago for a feature in Food & Wine and I remember how reluctant he was about sitting down to talk,” Hutson recalled. “Interviews weren’t his thing – he was much more comfortable building than explaining. I had to call him more than 20 times to set up the interview. He didn’t care about Food & Wine. But once we ate and got into conversation, what came out was his commitment to creating something for his Detroit.”

Brown’s influence stretched far beyond his menus. His establishments became recognizable gathering places, and his presence – familiar from downtown corridors to Dexter Avenue – made him a significant cultural figure in Detroit’s nightlife and, later, its dining renaissance.

His death leaves both industries mourning a personality whose ambitions were still growing, and whose imprint on the city’s social fabric remains unmistakable.

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