Neighborhoods to be theme of Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan's State of the City address

Detroit — As Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan prepares to deliver his 11th State of the City address on Wednesday, he'll return to the platform he ran on for this year's theme: the city's neighborhoods.

His theme is "Every neighborhood has a future," city officials have announced. That's why he's chosen Dexter Avenue on the city's west side as the area to deliver this year's speech. The mayor will deliver the address at 7 p.m. at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, 3350 Davison Street.

The area's corridor is slated to get an infusion of $21.5 million in Strategic Neighborhood Fund investments for a new streetscape, a small business called Harmony Cafe, park improvements and murals. An additional $40 million in investment funding is allocated toward two affordable housing developments in the area's Russell Woods/Nardin Park communities.

In previous years, Duggan, 65, delivered his annual speech at the new Jeep Assembly Plant, GM's Factory Zero, and last year, at the Michigan Central Station while it was undergoing redevelopment.

"All of those represented the large-scale investments and thousands of jobs for our city, but as the mayor would say, sometimes, the most important progress doesn't come in the form of a huge development, especially in our neighborhoods," said Deputy Mayor Todd Bettison. "This year, it's focused in a neighborhood where many thought was long forgotten. This was spurred by the active residents."

The mayor gave his first State of the City address in February 2014, when the city was in bankruptcy, under emergency management and struggling to provide basic services.

Since that time, Duggan has touted rising property values, reductions in crime and unemployment and new investments. Lately, he's shifted his strategy from tackling blight to also rehabbing it through a "Blight to Beauty" mission focused on renovated parks, neighborhood streetscapes, public art and vacant historic buildings. 

Duggan also is expected to address quality of life issues for Detroiters. He'll announce a new strategy to address abandoned junk vehicles that frequently park on lawns and in backyards. The new initiative will be done with the city's parking department, Detroit Police Department and the city's Building, Safety and Engineering and Environment Department.

"We get so many complaints about it and it deteriorates property values and quality of life," said Bettison, referring to junked vehicles. "Just like other nuisances that we've addressed in the passed like illegal graffiti, fly-by-night business signs like 'we buy junk cars' or 'we buy houses' signs, overgrown alleys... we're going to bring about a change when it comes to junk vehicles in neighborhoods."

The mayor also is expected to give an update on the eight finalists for the Solar Neighborhood initiative. He proposed the initiative in June to transform 250 acres of mostly vacant lots, that frequently attract blight and dumping into solar fields. Eight neighborhoods, totaling about 600 homes, are in the running to host a solar field and reap a one-time monetary benefit, but only six neighborhoods will be chosen as host sites.

Last year, Duggan kicked off his 10th citywide speech by focusing on the importance of the train station and how "Detroit will pass Silicon Valley" in the future of the auto industry. After millions of dollars in investment, the station is set to re-open on June 6.

During his hourlong address, the mayor, now in his third term, previously outlined a 10-step plan to improve neighborhoods, touted "essential" tax abatements for development projects and unveiled the "Shotstoppers" program to address gun violence. He also vowed the long-abandoned Packard Plant would be demolished and as of March, he said demolition would be completed by the end of the year. The city also is seeking a new automotive factory in its place.

He'll be giving this year's speech a week before national eyes fixate on the city as Detroit's host the NFL Draft April 25-27.

The Detroit City Council, meanwhile, recently approved Duggan's 11th straight budget of $2.76 billion with increases to the city's public services, higher pay for hard-to-fill city jobs and a benefits boost for retirees.

Duggan recently celebrated the city returning back to investment-grade status a decade after the bankruptcy and $1 billion in affordable housing investments since 2019.

The State of the City address is not open to the public, but will be livestreamed online and broadcast on the city's Channels 21 (Comcast) and Channel 99 (AT&T). The Detroit News will have a livestream and updates at www.detroitnews.com.

srahal@detroitnews.com

X: @SarahRahal_