Downtown Detroit Partnership
Creating a clean, safe, inviting and economically strong Downtown Detroit
DDP is a private/public partnership of corporate and civic leaders. Our public partners are the City of Detroit, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, Wayne County and the State of Michigan. We are funded through membership dues as well as private, public and philanthropic support.
The Downtown Detroi t P artnership 600 Renaissance Center, S uite 1740 路 Detroit, MI 48243 路 313.566.8250 www.downtowndetroit.org
Live, Work, Play Detroit
Downtown Detroit Partnership 2011 Annual Report
MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD CHAIR AND PRESIDENT We had a great year at Downtown Detroit Partnership in 2011 … great progress … great collaborations … great work. The passion around the transformation of our city is terrific. It is fantastic to see people rediscovering our city ... moving here … visiting here … playing here … working here. At DDP our aim is to create a clean, safe, inviting and economically strong Downtown Detroit … a place where people love to live, work and play. We are committed to moving that transformation forward by furthering economic development and physical enhancement and ensuring the programs and policies needed to continue that momentum are in place. While Detroit has its problems, the tide is turning. The conversation has changed. A few years ago it was about the demise of our city. We had headlines like “Detroit in Ruin” … “The Collapse of Detroit.” Today we see headlines like “Rise and Shine Detroit” and “Innovation Hot Spots: Detroit” We even made a top ten list of best American cities, which noted “Detroit’s downtown is one of the most architecturally impressive in the country” largely because the city began to decline before others began urban renewal efforts.” Why? Because Detroit is a community of doers. We are a community that supports its businesses and its neighbors. That support primes the collaborative efforts that stimulate economic development and physical enhancement and enhance the quality of life we need to attract new residents and businesses and keep those we have.
Cindy Pasky Chair
The world is seeing our passion for change. As a recent story in National Geographic said, “increasingly Detroiters are doing … Something’s happening in Michigan’s southeast corner. Call it a rising, a revival, a new dawn—there’s undeniable energy emanating from Detroit.” The New York Times has seen it as well. As a recent article pointed out “No video can portray the passion one finds on the streets of Detroit these days, where everyone from the doorman to the D.J. will tell you they believe in this city’s future.” Our board and staff have also done an incredible job this year. They have developed and executed effective programs that are moving Detroit forward. Live Downtown brought nearly 200 new residents into our city. The David Whitney and David Broderick buildings are being renovated. Capitol Park will become a robust Downtown residential neighborhood. Campus Martius Park has become a Downtown jewel. Project Lighthouse, a neighborhood watch program designed to keep residents, workers and visitors safe in the city, will be unveiled later this month in partnership with the Detroit Police Department and more than 30 businesses Downtown. More than 36,000 people visited Downtown for Restaurant Week last fall. Clean Downtown picked up 532 tons of trash in 2011. Under the leadership of the City of Detroit Public Lighting Department, 1,077 lights were retrofitted to use high-efficiency LED lights in key areas of Downtown and will save 40% in electricity costs and replace nearly half of the lights Downtown. The Downtown Development Authority, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and DDP are supporting the City in this important initiative. What is so exciting is businesses and residents coming to Metro Detroit are getting the added benefit of watching our city bloom as it undergoes billions of dollars in urban redevelopment. Dave Blaszkiewicz President and CEO
Being part of Detroit’s transformation is incredibly fun and rewarding because this city is made up of doers.
We are a city that:
Welcomes and needs new people.
Supports businesses and people in our community.
Is a place where you and your passion can make a difference …in art, music, culture, business, philanthropy … whatever … with more significant involvement than any large metro region in nation.
Is a place where you can realize your dreams.
Is a community that supports its residents, visitors, businesses and neighbors.
Detroit is a community of doers and the Downtown Detroit Partnership is proud to be one of those doers and proud to be at the forefront. We ask you, Detroit’s stakeholders, to continue to be ambassadors for our city. Together we will continue to move the needle and take Detroit to a new future where you will be able to do it all Downtown. The streets will be walkable. There will be lots of activity and no gaps in the city. There will be more unique shops and restaurants and the city will be green, well maintained and have a great presence. We will still see a little of the grittiness of Detroit because that is the backbone of the D. Above all our city will be clean, vibrant, safe, beautiful, inviting and economically strong and, of course, caring. At DDP we’ve got it framed up. Our job now is to be a well-oiled machine that executes our programs and initiatives. We have a great team that can and will deliver results but we can only do that with the help of our members and stakeholders. You have our commitment to work with you and to continue to keep the lines of communication open.
Cindy Pasky Chair
Dave Blaszkiewicz President and CEO
DOWNTOWN DETROIT PARTNERSHIP The Downtown Detroit Partnership is a private/public partnership of corporate and civic leaders that supports, advocates and develops programs and initiatives that create a clean, vibrant, safe, beautiful, inviting and economically strong Downtown Detroit community. Our public partners are the City of Detroit, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, Wayne County and the State of
LIVE We are committed to attracting more
Michigan. We are funded through membership dues as well as private, public and philanthropic support.
residents to Downtown Detroit by sponsoring successful programs like Live
What We Do Founded in 1922, DDP focuses on economic development, physical enhancement and public policy. Its major goals are to:
Market Downtown Detroit as the premier destination to live, work,
Vision
Downtown that has resulted in nearly 200 households being established in Greater
Downtown Detroit is the region’s social, cultural and
Downtown.
commerce center and premier destination to live, work, play, visit, invest and conduct business.
play, visit, invest and do and conduct business.
WORK
Create programs that lead to increased investment, a growing number of residents, restaurants, and retail stores, improved quality of life, attraction and retention of key employers, solutions to transportation challenges and improved parks and green spaces.
Work collaboratively with members and stakeholders to enhance
We actively support efforts to attract and
Values
with employers such as Blue Cross Blue
We are passionate about transforming Downtown
Shield of Michigan, Compuware, DTE
Detroit.
Energy, Quicken Loans and Strategic
We believe creating meaningful, trusting, respectful
Staffing Solutions that have moved thou-
relationships is essential to the transformation of
sands of workers Downtown.
economic development and physical development and create a clean, safe, inviting and sustainable future for Downtown Detroit.
Stimulate economic development and physical enhancement.
Advocate public policy initiatives that support economic development
retain talent in Detroit. We have worked
Detroit. and physical enhancement.
We believe in teamwork, deep collaboration and the
Support major programs such as Live Downtown, Campus Martius cross-pollination of all stakeholders. Park, Clean Downtown and 2-1-1 On the Go!
We believe we must perform with excellence in all
DDP also initiates information exchange, advocacy and networking opportunities on behalf of the Downtown business community.
PLAY
that we do.
We encourage play in Detroit. One
We believe we must communicate openly, honestly
could say Downtown Detroit’s official
and frequently with all stakeholders.
playground is Campus Martius Park. Not only do we keep the lights on and the litter picked up, we sponsor great programming year round. The American Planning Association singled out Campus Martius Park for its role in helping attract nearly $750 million in new investment to Detroit.
Live Downtown The Live Downtown program launched in July, 2011, and offers cash incentives to employees who choose to move to
E M P L O Y M E NT
Downtown Detroit. This more than $4 million collaborative effort by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Compuware, DTE
In 2010, there were 78,000
Energy, Quicken Loans and Strategic Staffing Solutions continues to be well-received. There are 230 employees in the
workers in the central business
pipeline and 100 of them closed in six months. Midtown Detroit Inc. manages the program and the Hudson-Webber Foun-
District and 136,000 in the greater Downtown., according to the
dation supports the administrative costs. We have received interest in other companies joining the Live program and we
Southeast Michigan Coalition of
expect the program to grow in 2012.
Governments (SEMCOG). Since 2010, major relocations led by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Quicken Loans
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
have brought more than 6,000 new employees to the Central Business District.
D:hive
Civic Consulting Alliance
In 2011, DDP launched The The Civic Consulting Alliance Detroit (CCAD) will work in partnership D:hive, an effort designed to
Building Renovation
with the City of Detroit and tackle such issues as financial sustainability, welcome new recruits and assist improved public safety, efficient and effective land use and economic
Projects managed or assisted
development to improve the quality of life for city residents and the cli-
by DEGC are expected to lead
existing innovators in order to grow and keep more young
to $645 million in private and mate for businesses. The CCAD will be made up of pro bono teams of
DDP and its partners worked to talent in Downtown Detroit. Be-
experts from the top firms and universities in Southeast Michigan. The
renovate the David Broderick Tower, ginning in March 2012 it encom-
start-up of this project is funded by the Kresge Foundation.
which will be ready for retail, com-
IN V E S T M E NT A N D JO B G RO W T H
passes the work of Inside Detroit and provides resources related to real es-
public investment in the city of Detroit when they are completed, generating new or saving 8,000 jobs for the city.
mercial and residential occupancy tate, jobs, important city data, retail, small business and more. D:hive is later this year. We are also renovatfunded by a grant from the Hudson-Webber Foundation.
Downtown Retail Strategy
Transit Oriented Development
DDP is working to implement the new Downtown Retail Strategy by assisting
ing the vacant David Whitney Building and a three-square block area of former low-mid rise office buildings in Capitol Park. That area will become a robust Downtown residential neighborhood with 750 residents and 25 retail storefronts.
TA L E N T Detroit experienced a 59 percent increase in the number of
downtown property owners in the goal to bring 15-20 new retailers into shops The extensive Transit Oriented Development (TOD) initiative was completed
college-educated residents
along Woodward by 2014. Longer
under the age of 35 in the last
term we envision a unique retail
decade, according to a recent
in collaboration with the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and a multitude of other public and private partners. This group is committed to district developing on Woodward working collaboratively to leverage M-1 Light Rail as a major catalyst for
article in the New York Times. That’s nearly 30 percent more
and in Capitol Park. Engaged an
than two-thirds of the nation’s
experienced sales and marketing
51 largest cities. Artists,
economic development and density in the Greater Downtown corridor. The TOD Strategy is being used as a framework and guide for investment, professional to help us move that
designers, entrepreneurs and other young professionals are
development and funding decisions. initiative forward.
Stakeholder Engagement
taking advantage of low real estate prices and the growing career opportunities. .
DDP enhanced stakeholder engagement by holding five meetings in 2011 to seek input on DDP priorities and how we can better serve our member and stakeholder needs. Informative and interactive meetings will be held quarterly going forward.
Safety and Security Safety and security is DDP’s top priority. In 2011, we launched a comprehensive public/private partnership with Downtown businesses and the Detroit Police Department Project aimed at enhancing safety and security in Downtown Detroit. The partnership includes several initiatives - lighting, code enforcement and the Lighthouse Project. The Lighthouse Project was launched in partnership with the Detroit Police Department and more than 20 businesses in the Downtown. This neighborhood watch courtesy patrol program is designed to keep residents, workers and visitors safer in Detroit. Each participating business – known as a lighthouse – has security personnel available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to assist those in need.
S AF ET Y Detroit’s central police district, which includes Downtown, has seen a
Clean Downtown
26% drop in major crime in the past year making it one of the safest
Clean Downtown provides litter and graffiti control, the continuous cleaning and sweeping
downtowns in the country.
of 39 miles of sidewalk, landscape maintenance of parks and green space covering the equivalent of 15 football fields, and supports events, which attract millions of people to the Downtown. It picks up 2.5 tons of trash daily – 565 tons of trash in 2010 and 532 tons in
Campus Martius Park
2011. East Jefferson was added at the end of 2010. It also steam cleaned 39 miles of
Campus Martius Park was #4 on a list of the 12 best public squares in the
Downtown sidewalks three times last year and power swept them 18 times. Clean Down-
U.S. and Canada, as ranked by Project for Public Spaces. It was the first-
town's primary coverage area includes the sidewalks, public spaces inside the Downtown
ever winner of the Urban Land Institute’s Urban Open Space Award and
freeway system (Lodge, I-75, I-375, Jefferson/Detroit River) and freeway entrance and exit
one of the 10 Great Public Spaces in the United States as ranked by the
E NT E RTA I N M E N T Detroit is one of the top five largest
ramps. Clean Downtown also collaborates with Jefferson East Business Association and
American Planning Association. It was named "Best Outdoor Hangout
theater districts in the country in terms
Midtown Detroit, Inc. to improve the aesthetics in the organizations' respective areas.
Place in the D" by Metromix Best of Detroit. More than 10,000 packed
of seats. It is home to the elaborately
Campus Martius for the annual holiday tree lighting. This year we added a Christmas Market with more than 50 vendors and Hof Brau Beer Garden.
PHYSICAL ENHANCEMENT
The first-ever Menorah Lighting brought about 1,000 people and about 5,000 attended the Drop of the D on New Year’s Eve. The Rink completed its best year. The Fountain Bistro opened last summer and was named one of Metro Detroit’s 10 Best New Restaurants by the Detroit Free Press.
designed Fox Theatre, the second largest theater in the country after Radio City Music Hall, as well as the world's largest Masonic Temple. Detroit has 30 arts museums including the Detroit Institute of Arts, the fifthlargest fine arts museum in the United
2-1-1 On the Go!
States and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the
2-1-1 On the Go! continues to move forward. This joint effort of
largest of its kind in the country.
the DDP and United Way for Southeastern Michigan provides information and referrals to Detroit’s vulnerable homeless population with the ultimate goal of helping get them off the streets and into a job. 2-1-1 OTG! is working toward ensuring more clients attain and maintain a level of self-sufficiency. We had two major donations for 2-1-1 On the Go! this year. Cooper Standard
Grand Prix Returns
donated $100,000 to start the Eleanor Josaitis Fund. Strategic
The Grand Prix will be held on Belle Isle June 1-3. The
Staffing Solutions (S3) contributed $41,211 from its charitable
Grand Prix and Penske Corporation contributed more than
programs.
$6 million in improvements on Belle Isle in 2007 and 2008
D E T R O IT A G L O W Detroit Aglow was a success. ApproxiPresent.
and more improvement projects are in the works for 2012
entertained by the very talented Detroit
and beyond. According to joint studies conducted by the
Restaurant Week Week last fall, an 18.4 percent increase over last year. Twenty-
than $55.2 million in 2008.
$28.00. This was our fifth Restaurant Week. Over the five campaigns, some 158,000 people have participated and the program has generated a minimum of $2.78 million in sales for businesses of all kinds.
year we included an auction, which was
(DMCVB), the Grand Prix generated nearly $53 million in
More than 36,000 people visited Downtown Detroit or Restaurant one restaurants served a three-course meal for a set price of
Academy of Arts and Science choir. This
event and the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau economic impact for metropolitan Detroit in 2007 and more
mately 600 attended the event, and we
Lighting Under the leadership of the City of Detroit Public Lighting Department,
Code Enforcement
1,077 lights were retrofitted to use high-efficiency LED lights in key
The Code Enforcement team, formed last year, identified the
costs and create a more attractive environment while reducing the
Top 10 blighted or problem properties. They will work with the
overall electrical load. The program will replace nearly half of the
authorities to make sure current ordinances or laws are being
lights Downtown. The Downtown Development Authority, Blue Cross
enforced and the proper actions are taken to ensure the blight
Blue Shield of Michigan, and DDP are supporting the City in this im-
will be eliminated.
portant initiative.
areas of Downtown. These new lights will save 40% in electricity
also successful.
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS The Downtown Detroit Partnership’s strategic communication effort includes marketing and community outreach, board outreach, member outreach, media outreach and social media. The program supports the Dig Downtown and DDP websites, blogs about Detroit’s transformation as well as the Dig Downtown Facebook page and Twitter activities.
Communications Partner In 2011, the Downtown Detroit Partnership began working with the Detroit Regional News Hub to enhance its communication efforts. The Hub
Food + Fun Map
is the collaborative media source for information on the Detroit region. It
The related DDP FOOD+FUN map/guide – the first of its kind for Downtown –
was created as a result of this recommendation and has dramatically
is in constant high demand with more than a half-million copies in circulation
moved the needle on the image of the Detroit
and consistent rave reviews from employers, workers, residents, and visitors.
region through media outreach, a robust social
The program is designed to build awareness and support the utilization of
media effort and collaboration with government,
Greater Downtown Detroit as a business, entertainment, residential, and retail
civic, neighborhood and youth organizations. The Hub is run by people who have worked in journalism and understand the rules by which journalists operate. They do not try to influence
center. The program geography covers Downtown, Corktown, Eastern Market, Midtown (including New Center) and the Riverfront. Its messaging is targeted toward Downtown visitors, residents, employees, businesses, developers, media, civic leaders and other stakeholders.
what is being written but rather help connect journalists with the people, data and information they need to do complete stories on Metro Detroit.
Transformation Detroit Media Briefing
Detroit Unspun The Hub developed a robust social media strategy called Detroit Unspun, which is considered one of the most influential social media voices in the Detroit region. It includes a weekly TV show on YouTube; two active Twitter accounts @DetroitUnspun and @DigDowntown; two blog sites… Dig Downtown and Detroit Unspun and two Facebook pages… Dig Downtown and the Detroit Regional News Hub… to connect people to information and conversations that provide a more complete and balanced story about the Detroit region. The Hub’s Detroit Unspun blog is now ranked the 4th most influential news site in Detroit and has more than 40,000 unique visitors a month. The blog was CBS Local’s Editor’s Choice as the Most Valuable Public Affairs blog in Detroit for 2011. The Hub also has nearly 5,500 followers on Twitter. The communications team also redesigned the DDP and Dig Downtown websites.
The Hub held its second annual Transformation Detroit Media Briefing in June. More than 70 local and national journalists and bloggers attended, which resulted in more than 30 major stories about Detroit’s transformation. The two-day event included a cruise down the Detroit River on the Ovation Yacht, which was attended by many of Detroit’s diverse formal and informal leaders. This gave them an opportunity to chat the media about the city’s transformation.
Social Media Links
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Executive Committee Chair, Board of Directors Cynthia J. Pasky President and Chief Executive Officer Strategic Staffing Solutions Chair, Executive Committee Daniel J. Loepp President and Chief Executive Officer Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Vice Chair Robert J. Buckler
President and Chief Executive Officer David Blaszkiewicz President and Chief Executive Officer Downtown Detroit Partnership President Invest Detroit Member Gerard M. Anderson Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer DTE Energy Company
Vice Chair Matthew P. Cullen President and Chief Operating Officer Rock Ventures LLC
Member Stacy Fox Principal The Roxbury Group
Vice Chair Roger S. Penske Chairman Penske Corporation
Member Christopher Ilitch President and Chief Executive Officer Ilitch Holdings, Inc.
Vice Chair S. Martin Taylor SM Taylor Ventures LLC
Member George W. Jackson, Jr. President and Chief Executive Officer Detroit Economic Growth Corporation Member Cameron H. Piggott Member Dykema Gossett PLLC Member Denise Starr Chief Administrative Officer Compuware Corporation
DDP Staff
Board Members Marvin Beatty Chief Community Officer Greektown Casino-Hotel
Timothy F. Nicholson Vice President PVS Chemicals Inc.
George P. Corchis, Jr. President and Chief Executive Officer MGM Grand Detroit
Mariam C. Noland President Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
Keith Crain Chairman Crain Communications Inc Michael E. Duggan President and Chief Executive Officer Detroit Medical Center David O. Egner President Hudson-Webber Foundation Robert A. Ficano Chief Executive Officer Wayne County Allan D. Gilmour President Wayne State University Stephen J. Girsky Vice Chairman General Motors Company Ralph L. Godbee, Jr. Chief of Police City of Detroit James C. Kokas Owner Opus One Eric B. Larson President and Chief Executive Officer Larson Realty Group
President & CEO Dave Blaszkiewicz
Operations Manager, Campus Martius Park Heather Badrak
Chief Operating Officer Paul Childs
Program Manager Sue Hopkins
Senior Vice President Robert Gregory
Retail Program Manager Heather Kazmierczak
Programs Director Maryann Marantette Listman
Accounting Support Jennifer Bright
Clean Downtown Ryan Epstein
Executive Assistant Christina Thibodeau
Thomas J. Lewand President Detroit Lions Sarah L. McClelland Michigan President Chase
Thomas D. Ogden Michigan President Comerica Bank Sandra E. Pierce President and Chief Executive Officer Charter One Bank, Michigan John Rakolta, Jr. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Walbridge Richard (Rip) Rapson President and Chief Executive Officer The Kresge Foundation Carl D. Roehling, FAIA, LEED AP President and Chief Executive Officer SmithGroup, Inc. Doug Rothwell President and Chief Executive Officer Business Leaders for Michigan Nancy Schlichting President and Chief Executive Officer Henry Ford Health System John W. Stroh III Chairman and Chief Executive Officer The Stroh Companies, Inc. Gary H. Torgow President and Founder The Sterling Group Edgar L. Vann II Pastor Second Ebenezer Church Secretary / Treasurer Paul Trulik President Apparatus Solutions, Inc.