One unclear illustration almost reaped a $1 million reward for the Illitch family, owners of the Little Caesars Arena, the Detroit Tigers, and the Detroit Red Wings.

"The Detroit City Council approved an ordinance Tuesday to update the city's parking lot regulations following a Free Press investigation of lots owned by the Ilitch family near Little Caesars Arena," reports Joe Guillen.
"The ordinance amends the zoning code to remove any ambiguity that would allow the city's buildings department to issue permits for parking lots without interior landscaping," according to Guillen.
Guillen reported in January that favorable approvals made by the Detroit Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department since 2016 had the potential to produce a $1 million windfall for the Illitch organization. The organization was allowed "to build or renovate 18 parking lots throughout the Cass Corridor without including any landscaping inside the lots, which is required under the city’s zoning code." The Illitch family owns the Little Caesars Arena as well as the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Tigers.
The change to the zoning code updates an illustration that shows how landscaping should look in a parking lot.
FULL STORY: No more skirting rules for parking-lot greenery after Free Press exposé

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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