Snap

Tresa Baldas. November 27, 2015


A thief camouflaged as a security guard hit the jackpot outside the Greektown Casino this morning when he stole several bags of loot from an armored truck that was parked along the curb, making off with more than $500,000, according to Detroit police.

No one was hurt. There were no weapons, and no threats were made, police said.

"The FBI has taken the lead on the investigation because it seems to be of a suspicious nature," Assistant Police Chief Steve Dolunt said, without elaborating. "Detroit police are working with the FBI on this heist. We're still looking at video to see how this person escaped."

According to police, the theft happened around 8 a.m. at the intersection of Beaubien and Monroe. A black male wearing a Loomis Armored security guard shirt approached the armored vehicle, took bags of money out of the back and took off, police said.

A source familiar with the case said the driver of the armored vehicle thought the thief was a coworker because he was wearing a uniform shirt.

FBI media spokeswoman Jill Washburn said the FBI is investigating, but she declined further comment, citing agency policy.

Contact Tresa Baldas: [email protected]

Wow............. Didnt even have to go in to hit it big..................

Artist Pharrell Williams banking on Detroit real estate
Louis Aguilar, The Detroit News. December 4, 2015


Grammy-Award winning musician Pharrell Williams is partnering with an acclaimed New York architect on a potential major housing development in Detroit. Residents in North Corktown say a swath of city-owned empty land is the possible location.

The project is being described as a working plan that has not yet secured the necessary land or city permission to make the project reality.

Williams and the Detroit project were mentioned in the December edition of Architectural Digest magazine. It’s part of a brief profile of Alexander Gorlin, whom the publication recognized as among the top 100 architects and designers working today. Here is what Gorlin said about his current projects: “Teaming with musician Pharrell Williams on prefab housing in Detroit.”

The term “prefab” is short for prefabricated housing, a broad term referring to any home that has sections of the structure built in a factory and then assembled on site.

Telephone calls and emails to Gorlin’s Manhattan office and Williams’ publicist on Friday were not returned.

Some in North Corktown have seen the plans and it involves a big swath of empty city-owned properties west of Burton International School at 2001 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. It would include dozens of housing units.

“I’ve seen some plans that fill up a lot of empty space, with different types of housing, including single unit housing that look like the stuff in Lafayette Park,” said Paul Emery, chairman of the North Corktown Neighborhood Association. Emery said he was referring to the famed Mies van der Rohe townhouses.

Emery said representatives for the architect Gorlin have visited North Corktown in the past year to explore the potential project. Williams is a major investor, Emery has been told. He didn’t know the name of the developer involved in the project.

There is no deal in place regarding any city-owned land in North Corktown or any other part of the city, said John Roach, a spokesman for Mayor Mike Duggan’s office.

“The city talks to developers all the time,” Roach wrote in an email Friday. “As a rule we do not comment on potential development projects unless there is an agreement in place.”

City officials told the North Corktown neighborhood group last month that city is exploring three or four potential major development projects for the neighborhood.

Gorlin is founder of Alexander Gorlin Architects. His projects include high-end residential work, apartment buildings, schools, religious buildings, master planning and affordable housing. “He is noted for his inventive use of space, light and natural materials,” according to his website.

Williams is a singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer and fashion designer. In addition to his multiple Grammy Awards, he is a growing entrepreneur. One of his ventures involves helping build a $35 million after-school center in his hometown, Virginia Beach.

[email protected]

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2015/12/04/pharrell-williams-detroit-housing/76803010/

Detroit's newest slum lord ~

A water slide, I missed it.

NEWS HITS
1,000 foot water slide to take over Detroit streets this summer
Posted By Alaina Nutile on Wed, Apr 8, 2015 at 12:48 pm

• Slide the City sets up in Salt Lake City last year, photo via Facebook

Slide the City, a traveling water entertainment company from Utah, is bringing its enormous, two-lane water slide to southeast Michigan this summer, with plans to hit several major cities, including Detroit and Ann Arbor.

For a fee, riders can whiz through 1,000 feet of city streets on inner tubes or other flotation devices, which seems like a positively delightful way to take in our fine city.

Prices are on the steep side, clocking in at $15 for a single ride, $30 for three rides, and $50 for an unlimited pass. Depending on the package, inner tubes may also need to be rented. Don't feel too bad, though. Slide the City has been known to donate some of its proceeds to local charities.

Dates aren't set yet, but will be soon. In the meantime, sign up for the waiting list here and toss your suggestions for the slide setup location in the comment section below.