A legal blitz against owners of long-standing vacant commercial properties is underway.

Why it matters: The city has filed nearly a dozen lawsuits so far this year with the promise of more to come in an unprecedented burst of legal action to reverse decades of neglect.

• The suits target some of Detroit's most well-known vacant and blighted properties, which have impeded development in neighborhoods and along commercial corridors for decades.
• The strategy is to either force property owners to fix up the structures or cede control to the city so they can be demolished or redeveloped.

Driving the news: The city's most recent filing is against owners of the former Mammoth shopping center on the west side that has been vacant for about 20 years.

• Other targeted properties include Perfecting Church at Woodward and 7 Mile and several vacant buildings owned by prominent investor Dennis Kefallinos.

What they're saying: "You've got Perfecting on 7 Mile and Woodward, you've got the Mammoth building on Grand River and Greenfield — for 20 years have stood vacant, for 20 years no progress, for 20 years no activity," Detroit's corporation counsel Conrad Mallett said last week at a press conference.

• "That would not be the case in any other metropolitan city across the United States."

State of play: The campaign is an extension of the M100 — the mayor's ever-evolving list of vacant commercial buildings to be redeveloped or demolished.

Between the lines: Detroit is using a portion of its federal ARPA dollars to hire lawyers for the effort.

• Untangling ownership is part of the work. Some properties are shuffled between various individuals and companies to confuse regulators, which Mallett addressed with a warning last week: "You can run but you cannot hide."

The other side: Some owners say they are still working on developing their properties.

• Purported Mammoth building owner Herb Strather crashed the city's press conference about the lawsuit and said he's trying to build a mixed-use development with restaurants and 100 residential units. "We're happy they're tearing it down. You don't have to sue me. I'll sign right now. Let's tear the building down!"
• "I like to preserve buildings and save them instead of demolish them," Kefallinos told Crain's. "I know it takes too long, but we're going to continue working on it."

The city's campaign against blighted commercial property targets all kinds of unused buildings: an old shopping center, an abandoned hospital, a theater, a church.

Here's what we know about the properties involved in city nuisance abatement lawsuits, 10 of which have been filed this year:

1. 15401 W. Grand River Ave.: The Mammoth building, a long-vacant former shopping center.
2. 19150 Woodward Ave.: The site of Perfecting Church's cathedral project, which has sat unfinished for nearly 20 years.
3. 12323 Kelly Road: The former Civic Theatre.
4. 8430/8434 E. Jefferson Ave.: The former River Plaza Apartments on the east riverfront.
5. 8236 W. Grand River Ave.: A vacant church.
6. 2728 Buchanan St.: A commercial building in Core City with a smokestack the city says is vulnerable to collapse.
7. 13101 E. Jefferson Ave.: The former Savarine Hotel near the Grosse Pointe border.
8. 5009 Lillibridge St.: A multi-story building with ownership tied to a Florida company.

Go deeper for all 13

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👋 Hey, Everett here. I spent last weekend measuring twice and cutting four, five and six times to build a greenhouse.

Why it matters: Eating is one of my great joys. But after a year of sticker shock at grocery stores and restaurants, it's losing its charm.

• A healthy society cannot expect people to break their budgets for vegetables.
• So I'm considering the greenhouse an upfront expense to see if it's feasible for a person who doesn't really know what they're doing to be less dependent on the food system.

How it works: There are a million different ways to build your own greenhouse, but my brother, fiancée and I went with about 20 2x4s, plastic sheeting and cattle panels.

• We hammered one side of the cattle panels into the wood base and used its natural tension to create a hoop.
• Then came a very fun process of wrapping the entire thing in plastic just tight enough to keep the heat in but not tight enough to tear it.

The bottom line: We finished four days ago and I'm still sore, but incredibly excited to see how the tomatoes, squash, green beans, kale and peppers grow.

• I know this isn't a universal solution for people without backyards or free weekends, but if this inspires you to buy even one tomato plant just to see if you can make your own salsa, it's worth it!

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Signs of the Detroit Grand Prix's return to downtown are here.

• A temporary bridge over Jefferson Avenue went up over the weekend, one of five being built for the June 2-4 event.