The Bunker

TSM posted some scans of a Detroit Free Press at DetroitYES that read just like YHF newsletters. An insert, "Detroit: Rebuilding a Great City", describes some of the urban renewal projects that were happening in 1977:

(T)he stunning Washington Boulevard Plaza, is a leading example of rebirth, with its fountains, sidewalk cafes, replanted trees, contemporary street furniture, and a built-in stage for community events. This $5 million public works project is just getting underway and will be finished in the spring of 1979.

The Young and Milliken administrations have worked with the State Legislature to enact tax incentives for Michigan industries. The legislation has spurred $256 million in industrial investments in Detroit. The Industrial Development Revenue Bond Act can provide financing for new and existing industries and the Michigan Job Development Authority can assist projects which will increase employment. This year, and again last year, the State of Michigan put $30 million in equity funds into Detroit institutions, an invaluable - and unprecedented - change in State fiscal policy.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. -- Albert Einstein


Today, Detroit is replacing the $5 million streetscape improvements on Washington with an $8.9 million copy of the original design.


Over the next 15 years, Compuware will benefit from tax abatements estimated at $70 million for their headquarters in Detroit. In addition to the tax abatements, the City paid an estimated $15 million to implode the Hudson and sold the land to Compuware for $2.


In 15 years, will Compuware still be downtown? Just last week, K-Mart, a Michigan based company for over 100 years, announced that it may be moving to Atlanta. Rumors are circulating that the decision has already been made.


Businessman with ties to the community don't require tax incentives to stay. Isn't it time we invested in people rather than bricks and corporations?