The Dirt: Scrapyard problems and pressing pause on the Future of Health

There’s a lot happening in neighborhoods and development in Detroit this week, from a deep dive on auto scrapyards to neighbors demanding better management of their apartment complex. Plus, the former home of a trailblazing Detroit doctor is up for historic designation.

Postponing the future

Detroit City Council postponed a vote on the Future of Health development after almost three hours of public comment during a hearing Tuesday, much of it in opposition to the public subsidies developers are seeking for the housing included in the project. Many Detroiters see this housing as unaffordable, and some are already on record disputing that publicly funded tax incentives are a fair exchange for the benefits developers offered to residents during the community benefits process . Many of the same arguments are coming up again as the council is poised to vote on whether to approve the Transformational Brownfield Plan for the project . City Council appears to be asking for more benefits to be added to the community benefits package, including more money for down-payment assistance and the creation of a community land trust in the area. (Benjamin Haddix/Detroit Documenters, BridgeDetroit, City of Detroit)

That’s a lot of old cars

Sarah Rahal at the Detroit News answered a question plenty of us have tried to answer before : Just how many scrapyards are in the city? If you guessed around 130, you’re right on the money.

According to the News’ analysis, there are also about 900 repair shops and 370 used car lots. Sixty-eight percent of these businesses are not in compliance with city rules. The city has tried to curb their growth by putting moratoriums in place on new auto businesses, but the most recent of those expired a little more than a year ago.

The city says it is stepping up enforcement, issuing fines (though most have not been paid, Rahal found) and shutting down more than 80 of these businesses in the past year.

Mayor Mike Duggan has previously said his proposed Land Value Tax Plan — currently stalled — would raise taxes on scrapyards overall by about 50%.

If you’re worried about these businesses coming to your area or expanding, keep your eye on the docket of the Board of Zoning Appeals , whose meetings allow residents to have their say. (Detroit News, Axios Detroit, City of Detroit, Outlier Media, Detroit Documenters)

Don’t make me tell the news

Residents at Parkview Tower on Detroit’s eastside who are fed up with building management were able to get some of their concerns addressed after going to local news .

Many Parkview residents are either living with disabilities or are 62 years of age or older. Some tenants started organizing after management lapses left residents living with broken appliances, including a 90-year-old resident who hadn’t had a working refrigerator since September. They also raised issues about cars being stolen because of a broken parking lot gate and leaking ceilings.

Tenants contacted WDIV reporters, who went out and broadcasted a segment on these issues, and voilà! The management company says it will replace fridges and install new parking lot security cameras. WDIV says it’ll follow up to see if these fixes actually happen.

Chalk up another success story for tenant organizing . (City of Detroit, WDIV, Outlier)

Development news quick-hitters

Several nonprofits based in Southwest Detroit, including Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan, are being forced to move from the Mexicantown Mercado. The Mexicantown Community Development Corp. wants to use the space differently. (El Central)

Property owners in Detroit and across the state can get funding to remove lead from their homes through a new program that covers half the costs and offers low-interest loans to cover the rest. (Planet Detroit)

The former home of Dr. Lula Belle Stewart-Robinson, Michigan’s first Black female pediatric cardiologist, may soon be designated as a historic district by the city. (Axios Detroit)

Midtown’s Traffic Jam & Snug is not reopening any time soon . (Crain’s Detroit Business)

If you really love the whale mural downtown, you can buy it . It comes with the building, the Broderick Tower, which is for sale. (Crain’s)

The post The Dirt: Scrapyard problems and pressing pause on the Future of Health appeared first on Outlier Media .