Detroit Free Press sues for records tied to Dan Gilbert empire

What they're saying: "The lawsuit seeks information that is key to understanding whether developers such as Bedrock do ultimately achieve the lofty expectations for their biggest projects," Free Press business reporter JC Reindl wrote.

💭 Sam's thought bubble: Past reporting and personal observations, to say nothing of Cleveland's enduring poverty, have demonstrated that the trickle-down prosperity envisioned by these projects has not been locally achieved.

Flashback: Writing about the proposed nuCLEus development in 2019, I noted that when the tax burden on developers is lifted (via tax increment financing or long-term abatements), regular taxpayers end up paying the difference.

• That can be directly, in the form of increased taxes and recurring levies; or indirectly, in the form of reduced city services.

Zoom in: Here in Cleveland, Gilbert has recently benefited from public subsidies for the Rocket Arena renovation and for his current riverfront master plan, components of which will be financed by Mayor Bibb's Shore-to-Core-to-Shore TIF district.

The bottom line: We're eager to see the Michigan documents disclosed and the Free Press' analysis of them.