Welcome to April and the slow rollout of spring! On social media, we profile Detroiters making an impact. The Neighborhoods and City of Detroit profile are spreading the love and since we got a minute until it steady warms up, let’s quickly look back to what went down in March.

Playa Vs Playa

The removal of a physical barrier between Detroit and Grosse Pointe Park kicked off this week, which will soon open up vehicle traffic at a contentious border between the two cities.

In 2014, Grosse Pointe Park began closing off vehicle traffic at the intersection by erecting physical structures, starting with a large barn before settling on targe planters, with a stated goal of encouraging foot traffic among Kercheval Avenue businesses.

Movement and MoPop each had to start somewhere. 

The aforementioned electronic music festival – and Detroit’s unofficial kickoff of summer – is an internationally recognized signature event, drawing crowds north of 100,000 to Hart Plaza each year. MoPop, a new player on the stage, has seen such a rapid expansion since 2015 that it’s looking to switch locations in the near future.

Public officials in Detroit and Grosse Pointe Park will study removing physical barriers at the intersection of Kercheval Avenue and Alter Road, which would bring an end to long-simmering tension between the two cities residents say is steeped in racial and cultural opposition.

In 2014, Grosse Pointe Park began closing off vehicle traffic at the intersection by erecting physical structures, starting with a large barn before settling on targe planters, with a stated goal of encouraging foot traffic among Kercheval Avenue businesses.

Thousands of volunteers are needed through the weekend of May 5 to help residents in the Jefferson-Chalmers area keep from being flooded out of their homes.

Detroit, Boston and South Central Los Angeles might not have a lot in common, but there is a common thread that links all three cities.

Fiat Chrysler announces it plans to invest $1.6 billion in expanding its Mack Avenue facilities with an all-new plant and retooling an existing plant, as well as an additional $900 million in modernizations its Jefferson North Assembly Plant — all of which could create up to 5,000 new jobs in Detroit without displacement of existing residents after construction.

Adding and preserving affordable housing, adding a new grocery store and repurposing a long-vacant elementary school  into a community center and residence are among top-level priorities for planners working in the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood, who will begin an implementation plan later this year.

After a year of community engagement, the City of Detroit Planning and Development Department will present its recommendations for improving the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood.

Neighbors in Jefferson Chalmers say their top priorities for improving the neighborhood were creating a vibrant business district along Jefferson Avenue, improvements to local parks and recreation centers, increased safety, stabilizing residential areas and blight removal.