The governing body of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. on Tuesday approved incentives for numerous projects, including two developments for electric vehicle-related companies planning to set up shop in Detroit.
The Michigan Strategic Fund board awarded nearly $12.7 million in tax incentives to USA Fortescue Piquette LLC. The global green energy, metals, and technology company plans to invest $210 million to revitalize an old facility at 530 and 601 Piquette for its U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Center. The factory will sit in the Milwaukee Junction neighborhood and is expected to create up to 600 manufacturing and engineering jobs.
The board also approved Tuesday a $1.5 million performance-based grant for German EV infrastructure company EcoG to open its U.S. headquarters in Corktown. According to the company, project is expected to generate $14.4 million in private investments and create 45 high-wage jobs.
The arrival of the companies in Detroit come as the city moves toward becoming an EV hub with Ford Motor Co. building an electric- and autonomous-vehicle campus in Corktown.
Fortescue’s first battery assembly line is expected to be installed in the first half of 2025 with production lines ramping up to 2030, officials said.
“Fortescue’s Advanced Manufacturing Center will breathe fresh life into the birthplace of the automotive industry,” Fortescue Energy CEO Mark Hutchinson said in a statement following the vote. “We are committed to investing in the next generation of green manufacturing projects that will help decarbonize business and heavy industry, and in turn create a strong future for manufacturing jobs in the United States.”
The incentives approved Tuesday for Fortescue are: a $9 million Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant, a 15-year, 100% state essential services assessment exemption valued at $1.3 million and state tax capture valued at $2.37 million for the reimbursement of brownfield activities at the site.
Mayor Mike Duggan thanked the Michigan Strategic Fund for its support of the project.
“Fortescue’s decision to locate in Detroit to develop its new Advanced Manufacturing Center adds to our city’s momentum in attracting sustainability and clean energy investments and the good-paying jobs they bring,” Duggan said. “It also is another major piece of the revitalization taking place on this stretch of Piquette Street, along with the redevelopment of the Fisher Body 21 and Studebaker plants into hundreds of units of new mixed-income housing. We are grateful to the Michigan Strategic Fund for its support of this project.””
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also acknowledged the project Tuesday.
“Report after report shows that Michigan is leading the future of advanced manufacturing and clean energy” she said in a statement. “Fortescue’s expansion in Michigan and so many of the other investments we are competing for and winning are helping us make communities across our state better places to live, work, and invest. Let’s keep our foot on the accelerator and keep delivering on the issues that make a real difference in people’s lives so anyone can ‘make it’ in Michigan.”
In Corktown, EcoG’s U.S. headquarters will be housed in the historic Book Depository Building on Ford’s Michigan Central. EcoG develops hardware and software solutions for interoperable EV charging stations. The company was launched from a Techstars Mobility Accelerator in Detroit in 2017.
“Right now there is unprecedented momentum behind the EV transition in the US,” Joerg Heuer, CEO and Co-Founder of EcoG, said in a statement. “EcoG’s solutions are acting as the catalyst for manufacturers in the US making it simple to introduce American-built products into the EV charging market and transforming the EV charging landscape across the country. We’re excited to contribute to this next phase from our new office in Detroit. We admire Michigan’s strong drive to transform the mobility industry and are excited to collaborate with other innovation leaders out of Michigan Central.”
Whitmer also applauded EcoG’s project in Corktown, saying: “We’re thrilled to welcome this $14.4 million investment from EcoG, creating 45 high-wage jobs and securing the future of mobility and electrification right here in Michigan. Together, we are bringing critical supply chains and investments back home, proving that anyone can ‘make it’ in Michigan. Thanks to announcements like today’s by EcoG, Michigan will remain a global leader in the future of mobility and electrification.”
The board also approved on the west side of the state a $2 million performance-based grant for B & L Systems LLC, doing business as Fifth Wheel Freight. The Kentwood-based third-party logistics and transportation provider plans to invest up to $40 million and add up to 352 jobs as it expands its operations, according to a MEDC briefing memo.
In addition to the new approvals Tuesday, the board voted to amend a previously approved incentive, combining the Michigan Business Development Program and Jobs Ready Michigan Program under one $3 million MBDP grant agreement for Global Life Sciences Solutions USA LLC.
The company is retrofitting a 168,000-square-foot development in Muskegon Charter Township to manufacture resins for use in biological, pharmaceutical and diagnostic and medical products, according to a briefing memo.
cwilliams@detroitnews.com
DETROIT, MI (WXYZ) — The Black Legacy Advancement Coalition’s Black Legacy Day celebration is an intergenerational, joy filled gathering in Detroit, centered around authentic joy and liberation.
On Saturday, May 30th, Detroiters, neighbors, partners and friends of every race, creed and background are invited to share in a day of reflection and fun. Highlights will include a food giveaway, a scavenger race, a men’s basketball tournament and free justice resources.
To learn more, visit www.theblac.co.
St. Hubert pastor discusses the Archdiocese of Detroit’s restructuring
The Rev. Douglas Bignall of St. Hubert Catholic Church in Harrison Township discusses the ongoing restructuring effort by the Archdiocese of Detroit on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
The list of churches targeted for the possible stoppage of weekend Masses has grown to at least 58 parishes across southeast Michigan, according to the latest proposed models the Archdiocese of Detroit had released as part of its major restructuring process through Friday.
At least 22 parishes under the first round of proposed models wouldn’t hold weekend Mass. The archdiocese has been divided into 15 planning areas, or geographic areas, and three or four models are being proposed for each planning area, said the Rev. Mario Amore, executive director of parish renewal for the Archdiocese of Detroit.
The archdiocese has been holding listening sessions with parishioners this spring as part of its restructuring plan to get reactions.
The models have different proposed groupings of parishes, in which a grouping would share a pastor and potentially other priests. In some cases, selected churches in the grouping would no longer hold Sunday Mass.
The Archdiocese of Detroit released on May 22 and this past week the model proposals for another five planning areas, including areas of Macomb County, Oakland County and Detroit. Around 36 more parishes would no longer hold Mass in the future under the latest proposals.
Bunches of churches in Detroit would be affected, while four parishes in Troy and three parishes in Clinton Township wouldn’t have Saturday Vigil Mass or Sunday Mass under each of the proposed models presented for their planning areas.
Archdiocese of Detroit spokesperson Holly Fournier said the archdiocese has heard a wide range of reactions about the proposed models, which is “understandable given how personal parish life is for people.”
“Some pastors and parishioners are hopeful about opportunities for stronger collaboration and renewed ministry, while others are experiencing more uncertainty and concern, especially in places where one or more models suggest a parish might no longer host weekend Masses in the future,” she said.
Fournier emphasized that the models are “draft models” and aren’t final decisions.
The models for the final six planning areas will be released in June, according to the restructuring website.
The models are part of the archdiocese’s biggest restructuring plan in years. Announced last fall, Archbishop Edward Weisenburger said the archdiocese can’t maintain the roughly 200 existing parish buildings it has and is working to “right-size” the archdiocese, along with its personnel and financial resources.
Fournier said the draft models were developed by priests earlier this year and are being presented in listening sessions as proposals “meant to spark broader consultation with the faithful.” Each parish in the archdiocese is holding listening sessions this spring or early summer.
In other dioceses that have undergone restructuring processes like the Archdiocese of Detroit’s, as many as 20-40% of the initial models were changed as a result of parishioner feedback, Fournier said.
“That is why it is so important for Catholics to attend their parish listening sessions to view these models and provide their honest feedback, so informed adjustments can be made where necessary,” she said in an email.
One of the most heavily affected groupings is Planning Area 1, which includes west Detroit. Ten of its 13 parishes would not have Saturday Vigil Mass or Sunday Mass in at least one of the model plans. They include Christ the King, Presentation/Our Lady of Victory, SS. Peter and Paul (Jesuit), SS. Peter and Paul (Westside), St. Charles Lwanga Church, St. Mary of Redford, St. Moses the Black Parish, St. Peter Claver Parish, St. Scholastica and St. Suzanne-Our Lady Gate of Heaven, all of which are in Detroit.
Planning Area 9, which includes southeastern Oakland County, has between 15 and 19 parishes, depending on the model. Ten of the parishes wouldn’t hold weekend Mass in at least one of the models. Four of them are in Troy.
They include St. Lucy in Troy, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Troy, Christ Our Light in Troy, St. Thomas More in Troy, St. Owen in Bloomfield Township, Our Lady of La Salette in Berkley, Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Oak Park, St. Justin-St. Mary Magdalen in Hazel Park, St. Vincent Ferrer in Madison Heights and Divine Providence in Southfield.
Planning Area 10, which includes all of northern Oakland County and parts of western Oakland County, has 19 to 22 parishes, depending on the model. Seven would stop holding weekend Mass in at least one of the models, including St. Benedict in Waterford Township, St. Thomas More in Troy, Sacred Heart in Auburn Hills, St. John Fisher Chapel University Parish in Auburn Hills, St. Perpetua in Waterford Township, St. Rita in Holly and Prince of Peace in West Bloomfield Township.
Planning Area 12, which includes parts of southern and eastern Macomb County, has 16 parishes. Four Warren parishes and three Clinton Township parishes would stop holding Mass under the draft models.
St. Louise de Marillac in Warren wouldn’t hold Saturday Vigil or Sunday Mass in two of the three draft models presented by the archdiocese. Six other parishes would not hold weekend Mass in only one of the models, including St. Louis in Clinton Township, San Francesco in Clinton Township, St. Ronald in Clinton Township, St. Martin de Porres in Warren, St. Faustina in Warren and St. Mark in Warren.
Planning Area 13, which includes areas of central and northern Macomb County and a parish in Troy, has 14 or 16 parishes, depending on the draft model. Three parishes in the planning area wouldn’t have weekend Mass under at least one of the models: St. Jane Frances de Chantal in Sterling Heights, St. Matthias in Sterling Heights and SS. John and Paul in Washington Township.
Amore said that if a church stops holding Sunday Mass, parishioners are encouraged to worship at other churches in their “pastorate,” which is a grouping of parishes overseen by a pastor. In the long term, the church building might close, or other sacramental celebrations might take place there, such as weddings and baptisms, he said.
The parish’s buildings could also be repurposed for other uses, such as religious education classes.
Fournier said the proposed models are meant to “foster discussion and discernment.”
“We encourage Catholics to stay engaged in the process, share their feedback honestly, and remember that the goal is not simply organizational change, but ensuring vibrant Catholic communities for future generations,” she said.
asnabes@detroitnews.com
Detroit’s dining scene just got even more flavorful with the opening of Sunda New Asian, bringing modern Southeast Asian cuisine to the city.
Restaurant owner Billy Dec joins the show to share what guests can expect from the new hotspot, from bold dishes and incredible cocktails to an energetic atmosphere.
Watch the video above to see what’s cooking up at Sunda New Asian.
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