You can get to Coriander Kitchen and Farm by car but some people come by boat, down a canal on Detroit’s far east side, past backyards and boathouses. They tie up at a dock beside the striped umbrellas of the restaurant’s new outdoor bar.

The restaurant sits in what people call the Venice of Detroit — a web of canals running inland off the river through the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood.

Now the city is weighing whether to close those canals off.

A fear of flooding

It’s a flood fix. Nearly every parcel in this neighborhood sits inside a federal flood hazard area, and the city has $20 million to change that. A consultant hired to study the options started work in late June.

Residents have been fighting this idea for years. They fended off a version of it in 2022, and “no canal closures” signs have gone up across the neighborhood again this summer. In June, more than 200 people took boats onto the canals in protest. Their alternative: repair the seawalls instead.

The city says nothing has been decided. Detroit Building Authority Director Tyrone Clifton told Fox 2 in June: “We’re going to look at all the options, and one option could be closing canals, but it has to be a factual option we can bring back to the community so they can understand everything behind it and how it affects them too.” The city of Detroit did not respond to The Metro’s request for comment.

Alison Heeres is chef and co-owner of Coriander Kitchen and Farm, built into a fish marina that once sat empty. Traci Rubin chairs the Jefferson Chalmers WATER Project, a residents’ group that’s been working on this flooding for years.

They joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to talk about what the canals mean to the neighborhood — and what it would cost to keep them open.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand. Never miss an episode — subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or NPR, or wherever you get your podcasts. Have thoughts? Email the show at metro@wdet.org.

More stories from The Metro

The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) celebrated the completion of a $40 million stormwater development on Detroit’s westside Thursday. 

The Far West Detroit Stormwater Improvement Project is the department’s largest green stormwater infrastructure plan. 

DWSD Deputy Director Sam Smalley says the new system will push more than 100 million gallons of water to the Rouge River. 

“This this feature provides filtering and settling, so there are actually water quality standards for the stormwater that we discharge, so it’s cleaner water faster. So we either slow the water down or better yet get it out of the system altogether.” 

The sewer network will move stormwater through to two new detention basins in Rouge Park for filtering and slow down water before discharging it into the Rouge River. 

Smalley says the new infrastructure will make the 1,200 homes nearby more resilient to weather related basement flooding.  

Additional headlines for Friday, July 31, 2026

Iris Taylor dies

Detroit health care and education leader Iris Taylor has died. She was 74.

A lifelong city resident, Taylor worked in health care for 45 years, serving as CEO of Detroit Receiving Hospital. She also helped shape the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as the health department’s head of nursing. 

Taylor was also a member and former president of the Detroit school board. Mayor Mary Sheffield calls Taylor one of the city’s most dedicated and impactful servant leaders.  

Bike lanes blocked by parked cars

Residents in Detroit’s Grandmont Rosedale neighborhood are complaining about drivers parking in bike lanes on Grand River.

Bike lanes were installed on Grand River between Woodward and McNichols in 2019.

 The road falls under the Michigan Department of Transportation’s jurisdiction. However, the state says the city is responsible for maintaining bike lanes. 

Detroit Police say they are planning to deploy officers in the neighborhood next week to ticket anyone parked illegally.  

Early election turn out

The Michigan Department of State reports a turnout rate of 11.3% of all active registered voters who have already cast their ballot a week ahead of the primary election.

More than 800,000 residents have voted with a mail in or absentee ballot and over 30,000 cast their ballot at an early voting site. Compared to the same time in 2022, the number of mail ballot requests have increased 58.8%.

Early voting will continue through Sunday. Mail in ballots must be received by clerks no later than 8 p.m. on election night, Tuesday, Aug. 4.  

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.