>> ALL RIGHT.
WELCOME BACK, TUESDAY NIGHT THE
MAYOR DELIVERED HIS NINTH STATE
OF THE CITY ADDRESS AND BOOKED
IT WITH MANY REFER TO AS RUIN
PORN. IT’S MORE THAN THE PICTURES, WE
IT’S MORE THAN THE PICTURES, WE
WATCHED THE MET AMORP HCHLTAMORP
>> AND THE DEVELOPER OF THE
FISHER 21 LOSS PROJECT, AND ANNA
FOR DETROIT’S CRANE’S BUSINESS.
GANG, THIS IS THE FIRST
IN-PERSON FLASH POINT WE’VE HAD
IN TWO YEARS, THANKS FOR HELPING
US REPIONEER WHAT SHOULDN’T BE
ALL THAT UNUSUAL, BUT IT’S GREAT
TO SEE YOU ALL IN PERSON.
NICOLE, LET ME START WITH YOU.
IT WAS INTERESTING TO ME.
THE MAYOR USUALLY TAKES GREAT
PAINS TO NOT TALK ABOUT BIG
THINGS FIRST, SPLASHY PROJECTS.
HE’S FOCUSED ON NEIGHBORHOODS
AND IT MEANT SOMETHING TO ME HE
STARTED WITH THE ISSUE OF
GETTING THE HULKING STRUCTURES
GETTING THEM FROM OFF INSTAGRAM
POSTS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
>> AND THOSE STRUCTURES HAVE
BEEN IN THE FOREFRONT FROM THOSE
WHO ARE FROM AND LOVE DETROIT
FOR DECADES AND SO, IT FELT
RIGHT TO HIM TO START WITH THE
BIG THINGS THAT HE TACKLED AND
TO PUT THAT FRONT AND CENTER.
>> Devin: HE TALKED ABOUT
SEEING--
I WISH I HAD BEEN STANDING WITH
HIM WHEN HE WAS IN THIS ART
GALLERY IN WASHINGTON D.C. WHERE
THAT WAS THE VISION PEOPLE WERE
SEEING OF DETROIT, THIS OLD,
THESE CRUMBLING RUINS, THAT WAS
OBVIOUSLY, A PRETTY POWERFUL
MOMENT FOR HIM.
>> IT WAS.
THAT’S HARD STUFF.
IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE THAT THERE
ARE THOSE OF US WHO ARE
ENTERTAINED BY DECAY AND THE
UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCES OF
OTHERS, BUT IT’S WHAT MOTIVATED
HIM AND IT’S PART OF WHAT
MOTIVATES US IN CITY HALL.
>> Devin: RICHARD, YOU’RE TAKING
ON ONE OF THESE MASTIFS MASSIVE
PROJECTS, BUT THIS IS THE OLD
FISHER BODY PLANT IS A MASSIVE
RUIN AT THE MOMENT.
WHY IS IT -- BECAUSE WE ALL
WATCHED WITH GREAT HOPE THE
PACKARD PLANT AND NOR FOR EIGHT
YEARS NOTHING HAPPENED.
>> SO, LAYING OUT THE ECONOMIC,
WE ALWAYS GO WITH FIGURING OUT
THE NUMBERS FIRST, AND SEEING IF
THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT
CAN BE MET THEN AS IS VIABLE.
SO, TALK TO THE BANKERS AND TALK
TO THE STATE AND THE CITY AND
FIGURE OUT A PLAN AND THEN WE GO
AND LOOK AT THE STRUCTURE TO
MAKE SURE IN THE ENVIRONMENTALS.
SO, IT’S IN A GREAT AREA, BUT
ALSO, WE TOOK CUES AROUND THE
COUNTRY WHAT WORKS AND SO WE’RE
ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW SOLUTIONS
AND APPLYING THEM TO RIGHT HERE
IN DETROIT.
>> Devin: IT WAS ALWAYS
EXPLAINED TO ME ONE OF THE
REASONS WHY MORE THINGS LIKE
THIS DON’T HAPPEN AND TOOK SO
LONG WITH THE TRAIN STATION,
IT’S DIFFICULT TO AMORTIZE WHAT
IT COSTS YOU, JUST THE
ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP ALONE AND
FINDING SOMETHING TO PUT INTO
THE INFRASTRUCTURES TO PAY FOR
ALL IT TOOK TO BRING IT BACK TO
LIFE.
BUT YOU THINK THE MATH WORKS OR
YOU WOULDN’T BE DOING IT.
>> ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY.
ONE THING IS WE’RE DEEP INTO A
PERIOD WHERE PEOPLE NOW BELIEVE
THAT PEOPLE WILL LIVE IN THE
CITY OF DETROIT, YOU KNOW, IF
YOU LOOK BACK 10 YEARS, PEOPLE
SAID COULD YOU EVER FEEL
SOMETHING LIKE BRODERICK TOWER,
NOW WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE WILL
LIVE HERE AND WE HAVE THE STABLE
CONCEPT WHAT WILL WORK AND YOU
BUILD AROUND THAT.
>> Devin: AND YOU CAN FORGIVE
PEOPLE WHOSE EYES ROLL TURN
AROUND WITH PROJECTS LIKE THESE,
PACKARD PLANT IS ONE THEM AND
THE CITY IS SUING, WHO HAS HELD
THAT AND NOT DONE SOMETHING ALL
THE TIME.
THERE’S FATIGUE HERE, ISN’T
THERE, AND SOME OF THE BIG
PROJECTS SOME OF WHICH NEVER
COME THROUGH.
>> YES, THERE’S A SORT OF
NATURAL ASPECT OF SKEPTICISM FOR
SOME OF THIS AND OF COURSE, THE
MAYOR ON WEDNESDAY HIGHLIGHTED
THE PACKARD PLANT AND AS YOU
SAID, IS SUING TO GET THE RIGHTS
TO DEMOLISH THAT AND AS THEY
SAY, HAVE THE CURRENT OWNER OF
THE PACKARD PLANT FOOT THE BILL,
BUT THERE WERE A LOT OF PROMISES
MADE THERE AND YOU KNOW, SIGNS
THAT ARE SORT OF, THEY HAD BEEN
UP AT THE SITE AND SORT OF
DETERIORATING NOW, AND SO, YEAH,
IT’S A MASSIVE PLANT.
I MEAN, I THINK THE ROOF IS LIKE
TWO ACRES, RIGHT.
THERE’S SO MUCH THERE.
>> THE ROOF IN TERMS OF ACRES.
>> YES, IT’S GIANT.
SO, I THINK, YOU KNOW, AND
CERTAINLY AT CRANE’S LOOKING AT
THE NUMBERS, THAT’S SOMETHING
THAT WE’LL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW,
BUT YOU KNOW, THE MAYOR
CERTAINLY LAID OUT, YOU KNOW, A
NUMBER OF PROJECTS AND HE HAD
THESE 12 SORT OF RUINS, QUOTE,
UNQUOTE, WITH THE PACKARD PLANT
BEING THE 12 AND INCLUDING THE
TRAIN STATION AND LEE PLAZA,
WHICH IS A TOWER THAT’S GOING TO
BE RENOVATED INTO SENIOR HOUSING
AND MARKET RATE HOUSING.
SO HE WAS SHOWING HIS TRACK
RECORD DURING HIS ADMINISTRATION
ON THOSE PROJECTS AND SOME OF
THOSE HAVE BEEN DELAYED AND THEN
THERE ARE SOME SKEPTICISM ON
SOME OF THOSE BEING FINISHED.
BUT HE’S TRYING TO SHOW THAT
PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE ON THESE.
>> AND NICOLE, OBVIOUSLY, WE’VE
HAD COVID DELAYS, CREATED THIS
SORT OF WEIRD GAP OF TWO YEARS,
BUT THERE’S ALSO THIS CONCERN
NOW HOW COVID CHANGES OUR LIVES
GOING FORWARD.
ONE OF WHICH IS WHERE PEOPLE
WANT TO LIVE AND DO THEY HAVE TO
COMMUTE TO WORK.
IF PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO
NECESSARILY HAVE TO GO TO WORK
IN THE NUMBERS THAT THEY USED
TO, HOW DOES IT CHANGE YOUR JOB
AND THE OUTLOOK FOR THE PROJECTS
THAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT?
>> YEAH, I TELL YOU WE BELIEVE
IF THE PATTERNS CONTINUE TO HOLD
AND THERE ARE MORE RESIDENTS WHO
WORK FROM HOME, THAT JUST MAKES
PROJECTS LIKE FISHER BODY 21 OR
THE FISHER LOTS ALL THE MORE
IMPORTANT.
BECAUSE WHERE YOU LIVE, WORK AND
PLAY COULD ALL POTENTIALLY BE
THE SAME PLACE.
HOW DO YOU REPURPOSE EXISTING
COMMERCIAL SPACE.
HOW DO YOU PURPOSE INDUSTRIAL
SPACE TO FIT THE NEW DYNAMIC TOP
OF MIND FOR THE MAYOR AND
ADMINISTRATION.
YOU DON’T THINK THAT THE DYNAMIC
CHANGES AWAY FROM CITY LIVING
NECESSARILY JUST BECAUSE PEOPLE
DON’T HAVE TO GO TO A JOB IN THE
CITY?
>> I DON’T.
I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL RETHINK
IN ITS ENTIRETY HOW EACH OF US
FRAMES WHERE WE LIVE AND WHERE
WE WORK AND QUITE FRANKLY, SO
MANY AMENITIES TAKING SHAPE IN
DOWNTOWN DETROIT.
DOWNTOWN DETROIT IS A BEAUTIFUL
PLACE AND BECOMING MORE
BEAUTIFUL AND I THINK IT WILL BE
MORE ATTRACTIVE.
>> Devin: RICHARD, THE MAYOR
TOOK GREAT PAINS TO TALK ABOUT
WHAT THE MINORITY OWNERSHIP
PICTURE AND THE INVOLVEMENT OF
THIS.
THIS IS, I KNOW, MUST REGISTER
STRONGLY AND PROFOUNDLY WITH
YOU.
IT’S BEEN A MASSIVE PROBLEM FOR,
MANY, MANY YEARS, IS IT
CHANGING?
>> IT’S CHANGING SLOWLY.
WE’RE IDENTIFYING THE BARRIERS
AND REMOVING THEM AS WE CAN,
WITH THE HELP OF THE CITY
PARTICULARLY, AND THERE ARE
PROGRAMS OUT THERE, CAPITAL
IMPACT HAS A PROGRAM THAT’S
DESIGNED TO TRAIN PEOPLE OF
COLOR WHO ALREADY HAVE SOME
EXPERIENCE, BUT WANT TO GET
DEEPER INTO COMMERCIAL
DEVELOPMENT AND THEN ONE OF THE
WONDERFUL THINGS THAT WE HAVE
HERE IN DETROIT, I HAVEN’T
EXPERIENCED ELSEWHERE, IS REALLY
COLLABORATION AND SOLUTION
SHARING AND FOR HOW MUCH
DEVELOPERS.
AND SO, WE’RE JUST EXTENDING
THAT TO EVERYONE REGARDLESS OF
RACE AND THE LIKE, AND FINDING
OUT THE WAYS THAT WE COULD MAKE
ALL OF THESE PEOPLE HAVE A
BETTER OPPORTUNITY.
>> Devin: AND LISA, I APOLOGIZE,
I ONLY HAVE ABOUT 30 SECONDS
LEFT.
AND WHAT’S YOUR TAKE AWAY, I
TALK ABOUT THE BOOK END ISSUES,
BUT WHAT’S YOUR TAKEAWAY.
>> JOBS IN TRAINING AND TALKING
ABOUT 13,000 OPEN POSITIONS AT
DETROIT AT WORK, WHICH IS, YOU
KNOW, IN NICOLE’S PURVIEW AND A
MAJOR APPLYING FOR THE MAYOR AND
THE CHALLENGE WILL BE GETTING
THOSE JOBS TO PEOPLE WHO NEED
THEM AND OF COURSE, GETTING
MIDDLE WAGE JOBS AND THE ABILITY
TO ENTER THE MIDDLE CLASS.
>> Devin: AND PEOPLE PEOPLE--
PAYING PEOPLE WHILE THEY TRAIN.
I’VE GOT TO TAKE ANOTHER
COMMERCIAL BREAK.
BACK WITH MORE FLASH POINT AFTER THIS.
>> WELCOME BACK.
JUST TEEING THIS UP QUICKLY,
TALKING ABOUT THE TRAINING
THAT’S GOING ON AND THAT’S YOUR
AREA NOW.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
THERE’S A $100 MILLION DETROIT
AT WORK SCHOLARSHIP FUND THE
MAYOR ANNOUNCED STATE OF THE
STAY.
GO TO DETROIT WORK.COM.
WE’VE GOT THE OPPORTUNITY.