Griswold Street's Dime Store, a popular brunch spot that gets packed weekly, expects an even busier scene this weekend.The big picture: Officials expect 300,000 visitors downtown to have a massive economic impact. The arrival of the NFL Draft also forces downtown business owners and their employees to navigate road closures to get to their jobs.State of play: The draft footprint covers 2 million square feet of downtown, stretching from Hart Plaza past Campus Martius. Businesses in surrounding areas like Eastern Market, Corktown and Cass Corridor are also bracing for more customers. Near Midtown, Temple Bar, Detroit Shipping Co., 8 Degrees...

If you've got a down payment ready, this striking five-bedroom townhome in West Village is worth a gander.The big picture: It offers amenities similar to other east-side homes near the river that we've featured in our recurring local real estate spotlight — proximity to Belle Isle and a walkable neighborhood with restaurants, coffee shops and other hangouts.744 Van Dyke St., $270,000State of play: The 3,697-square-foot home was built in 1909 and has two and a half bathrooms with its five bedrooms.It features a natural brick fireplace, hardwood floors and French doors.💭 Joe's thought bubble: The exterior's colorful paint job caught my eye at first. But the home's location, size and fireplace are the features that could set it apart. The home's natural brick fireplace and hardwood floors.

Data: Redfin analysis of county records; Note: National data calculated from the 40 most populous U.S. metro areas; Chart: Axios VisualsThe median down payment for buying a house grew slower in the last year in Metro Detroit than it did nationwide.Why it matters: Our median down payment in February was $10,611, up 10.4% year over year.The national median was $55,640, a 24% increase year over year.The big picture: With high mortgage rates, homebuyers are reaching deeper into their pockets on the front end to soften their monthly payments, Redfin researchers say.The median U.S. down payment in February was 15% of...

After years of anticipation, Detroit is ready for the NFL Draft and all the national attention it will bring.The big picture: The draft is a multiday football celebration stretching across the city, generating hundreds of millions in economic activity and showcasing Detroit to a huge TV audience.State of play: Downtown was buzzing Monday as workers put finishing touches on Woodward storefronts, landscaping outside hotels and the draft stage near Campus Martius.What they're saying: "It's got a refreshing vibe," Drew Witz, who is in town from New Jersey setting up a New Balance pop-up store, told Axios on Monday.Witz said the...

Downtown will be packed with events this week as people from across the country visit the city, perhaps for the first time.What's happening: Several outdoor parties and interactive events are taking place outside the draft footprint:📺 The Downtown Detroit Partnership will host parties at five downtown parks Thursday-Saturday with live music, vendors and local food trucks and a live feed from the draft.Party sites are Grand Circus Park, Paradise Valley Beatrice Buck Park, Capitol Park, Beacon Park and a closed-off portion of Woodward Avenue near State Street.📺 Columbia Street along Woodward, the space across from Comerica Park maintained by Olympia...

Lions fans will have to wait until pick 29 to react to Detroit's first-round selection Thursday.Why it matters: The NFC North champions can add key pieces this week to a loaded roster that expects to compete for a Super Bowl.The intrigue: The Lions are a top trade-up candidate, the Free Press reports. "They are right on the cusp of being a championship team, so if there's a time to be aggressive this would be it," NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said in a conference call last week.Detroit is without a fourth-round pick but has an extra sixth-round pick from Tampa...

A national think tank focusing on health care solutions found that nonprofit hospitals across Metro Detroit spend hundreds of millions less on community health investments than they receive in federal, state and local tax breaks.Why it matters: Such shortfalls, known as "fair share" deficits, are permissible under federal requirements for tax-exempt hospitals. However, the severity of these deficits has spurred calls for more robust regulation as Americans cope with medical debt and chronic illness.The big picture: About 80% of 2,425 nonprofit hospitals nationwide received more in tax breaks than they gave back to their communities in 2021, the most recent...

Data: Chain Store Guide; Note: Stores under the same brand name have been combined, e.g., Walmart and Walmart Supercenter; Chart: Axios VisualsKroger is still Metro Detroit's favorite grocery chain.Driving the news: Kroger had 33.9% of the market share as of last year, up nearly 4 percent from the previous year, according to new data from Chain Store Guide.The Cincinnati-based chain brought in $4.9 billion across Metro Detroit in 2023 and increased its lead over Meijer by 4 percentage points in 2022.Meijer, Walmart, Costco, Sam's Club and Target ranked as the next most popular stores, respectively.The big picture: While national grocery...

A local couple carrying a hawk and a falcon are scaring away pigeons near Campus Martius. Driving the news: Bedrock Detroit hired ScAir Force Falconry & Bird Abatement, owned by Paul and Terese Thomas, to keep pigeons from pooping on the side of its buildings ahead of the NFL Draft, Paul Thomas of ScAir Force tells Axios.

Construction is expected to start later this year on a delayed, much-anticipated redevelopment in Eastern Market. Why it matters: The Mosaic Eastern Market was pitched as a major reuse of a large, blight-ridden site including a food hall concept. It's in a beloved area of the city that's been looking to revitalize and boost development, job creation and traffic.

The Michigan State Board of Education is calling for more transparency and oversight for charter schools, Chalkbeat Detroit reports.Why it matters: Charter schools served around 149,000 students in the 2023-24 year, or 10.7% of Michigan students. Nearly half of Detroit students attend charters.They're pitched as a helpful, more innovative choice for parents, but critics see them as chaotic, with limited regulation, using public dollars without financial transparency and profiting from public education.The latest: A resolution introduced this month by Democratic board member Mitchell Robinson asks the Legislature to pass bills that would have the Michigan Department of Education oversee approval...

Mayor Mike Duggan's State of the City address Wednesday night felt less big business-centered than recent years, largely zeroing in on efforts to improve Detroiters' surroundings.The big picture: The third-term mayor highlighted major changes since the city's bankruptcy — the renovation of the Book Tower, the new General Motors EV parts facility, lower carjacking rates and scholarships for free college.He outlined recent history to show how he expects the recovering city will be portrayed to a national audience next week with the NFL Draft.It'll be introducing "America to a very different Detroit than they expect," compared with the city's bankruptcy...

The new Detroit sign on I-94 might not live up to Hollywood's version. But after dark it's more popular than first thought.The big picture: It took a few days for the installation's lights to internally illuminate at night in white, which social media users seemed to enjoy.The letters are 8 feet tall and stand on 2-foot-tall concrete bases between Central Street and Cecil Avenue on eastbound I-94.What they're saying: "Looks better at night ... like some of y'all," one Instagram user wrote in the comments of a post about the illuminated sign.Between the lines: Before the lights turned on, the...

🌎 Earth Day is Monday, and we have ideas for how to spend the weekend leading up to it!If you're volunteering, make sure to dress for the weather, wear closed-toed shoes and bring gloves.🌊 Volunteer to remove trash from the Rouge River at Eliza Howell Park. The items will be cleaned and used in a water pollution-themed installation from local artist Halima Cassells. Sign up online.Saturday, 10am-2pm.🚶 Join the spring Dequindre Cut cleanup and pick up some litter while walking the former Grand Trunk railroad line. Sign up and check in at the Woodbridge, Lafayette, Gratiot or Wilkins entrance.Saturday, 11am-1pm.🗣️...

Republican lawmakers are defending the state's nonpartisan watchdog against accusations of partisanship after the governor proposed steep cuts to the agency's budget.Why it matters: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants to cut the Office of the Auditor General's budget next year by more than $8 million to $21.4 million — a 28% reduction.The proposed cut would "significantly impair the oversight we provide to you and the public," Auditor General Doug Ringler wrote in a letter to legislative leaders last month.The big picture: The auditor general has found performance and financial issues within several state departments in recent years.Whitmer has not offered an...

As General Motors plans to leave the RenCen next year, the future of Michigan's tallest building is a big unknown, with speculation already swirling.Why it matters: The 14-acre riverfront campus has a mixed reputation. The Renaissance Center is an iconic landmark with breathtaking views, but the collection of towers is difficult to navigate and disconnected from the city.Catch up quick: GM will move its headquarters to Dan Gilbert's Hudson's Detroit office building in 2025.Over the next year, the automaker will discuss a plan for the RenCen's redevelopment with Bedrock, Gilbert's real estate arm.State of play: Converting RenCen office space into...

Mayor Mike Duggan chose a smaller venue to deliver his State of the City address this year.Why it matters: Recent locations for the mayor's annual speech have highlighted huge projects, like Michigan Central Station and General Motors' Factory Zero plant, Deputy Mayor Todd Bettison tells Axios.But this year's event at the west-side Dexter Avenue Baptist Church will emphasize progress in neighborhoods that "doesn't always come, necessarily, from huge developments," he says.Between the lines: In the address, Duggan plans to go deep on the city's solar farm installation program, detail plans to remove abandoned junk cars and spotlight new businesses in Dexter-Linwood, Bettison says.How to watch: The event can be streamed Wednesday on the city's website, Facebook or YouTube starting at 6:30pm. The speech starts at 7pm.It'll also be on TV on Channel 21 (Comcast) and Channel 99 (AT&T).

General Motors plans to leave its RenCen world headquarters for Dan Gilbert's under-construction Hudson's Detroit development in 2025.Why it matters: GM's departure to a more modern space shakes up the downtown real estate landscape and raises long-term questions about the RenCen's future.The move is another example of corporations overhauling their real estate as hybrid work becomes more common in the wake of COVID-19.The big picture: The automaker will collaborate with the county, city and Bedrock, Gilbert's real estate arm, on how to redevelop the RenCen — a 5.5-million-square-foot behemoth complex of seven buildings with hotel and office space.Its "next chapter"...

Arab American community leaders are celebrating a new federal rule to more accurately count people with Middle Eastern and North African heritage.The big picture: The U.S. Census and other federal forms will now offer a choice of "Middle Eastern or North African" (MENA) when asking about race and ethnicity.Previously, any MENA respondents were classified under the white racial category.Why it matters: Critics have long said the government's approach to asking about people's race or ethnicity is confusing or misrepresentative — and the stakes are huge when it comes to the distribution of billions in federal funds for health, education and...

Bedrock announced the historic name Hudson's as the official moniker for its Woodward Avenue development on Friday, but its trademark application is still in limbo.Why it matters: Observers were pretty sure the highly anticipated $1.4 billion tower on the iconic old department store site downtown would incorporate Hudson's into its official name.But the application that Bedrock, Dan Gilbert's real estate arm, made to federally register the "Hudson's Detroit" trademark was suspended.However, that doesn't mean Bedrock can't use it. We're here to explain the complex trademark process at play, considering the news of the development getting its official name.Catch up quick:...