Detroit’s master plan kick-off, Core City downzoning and more local government updates

We have two weeks of meeting highlights: Officials in charge of overseeing the Detroit Housing Commission promised to investigate accusations of poor management and unfair evictions. Days later, its CEO Sandra Henriquez said she would step down .

Also in housing, an agreement between the Detroit Land Bank Authority and the City of Detroit has not been renewed and instead was sent back to committee, partly because several residents spoke out against the land bank . Meanwhile, a group of developers requested an $18.3 million brownfield tax credit for a proposed $66 million mixed-use apartment building in Midtown.

Juvenile courts

4/1/2024 Documenting Juvenile Courts: Judge Christopher D. Dingell offered career and education advice for young people moving through the justice system. Defense attorneys were appointed as guardian ad litem for their clients in two separate cases.

Documented by Maria Fortner

Housing

4/1/2024 Detroit Continuum of Care Board of Directors: The board had an election. Gerald Curley ran for vice chair, unopposed. Lydia Goddard ran for an at-large seat, also unopposed. Two board committees are also seeking new members.

Documented by Janelle James and Pamela Taylor

4/4/2024 Detroit Housing Commission Board of Commissioners: The board approved the Public Housing Agency and 5-Year Capital Plan for fiscal year 2024. It also promised to investigate complaints about bad property management, poor property maintenance and unfair evictions.

Documented by Heather Alder and Sonja Stuckey

Budget

4/1/2024 Detroit City Council Public Hearing on the 2024-2025 Budget Process: Public commenters spoke in favor of funding the Office of Disability Affairs and Right to Counsel programs.

Documented by Carole Hawke and Laura Kennedy

Politics

4/1/2024 Highland Park City Council: Councilmembers approved a state grant for road repairs and a tentative agreement with the Highland Park Police Patrol Officers Association. They also approved a motion to seek a full state audit of the city’s finances.

Documented by Colleen Cirocco and Paige Rollins

4/2/2024 Detroit City Council Formal Session: A memorandum of understanding between the Detroit Land Bank Authority and the City of Detroit was not approved, but instead sent back to committee. Public commenters opposed the memo. Some said the land bank was detrimental to the community and should be abolished.

Documented by Craig Notte and Sherrie Smith

4/6/2024 Detroit City Council Reparations Task Force: Community members expressed dissatisfaction with the task force. The website is not updated, agendas were not available for the audience, and online attendees struggled to participate. Despite changes in membership, personal dynamics between board members continue to look tense.

Documented by B W, Perry Sylvester and Sherrie Smith

4/9/2024 Detroit City Council Formal Session: Councilmembers approved a resolution to name the transit center at the former Michigan State Fairgrounds after Jason Hargrove , a city bus driver who “led the charge on safety protocols” at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and ultimately died from complications due to the disease. The transit center has already broken ground.

Documented by Amy Senese and Damien Benson

For more on Detroit City Council, check out Malachi Barrett’s City Council Notebook at BridgeDetroit.

4/9/2024 Wayne County Commission Full Commission: Commissioners received kudos from members of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1862 — a union representing some county employees — for working with its bargaining unit. The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission is seeking feedback on newly drawn state Senate district maps.

Documented by A J Johnson and Pamela Taylor

Development

4/4/2024 Detroit City Planning Commission: The Core City neighborhood is ready to downzone . Residents are hoping to push out a concrete crusher and appear to have support.

Documented by Alex Klaus and Lauren Ridenour

4/8/2024 Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, Woodward and Charlotte Brownfield Plan Local Public Hearing: Developers request $18.3 million in tax incentives for The Landy , a $66 million mixed-use apartment building in Midtown. Two residents spoke in favor of the plan. The City Council Planning and Economic Development Standing Committee will host a second hearing on the matter in May.

Documented by Amelia Benavides-Colón

4/9/2024 Detroit Planning and Development Department, Master Plan Kick-Off: Detroit’s master plan is being updated for the first time since 2009 . The master plan is a policy document (not a law) and aims to answer the questions of where we are now, where we hope to go and how we get there.

Documented by Ashley Williams and Shannon Mackie

Education

4/9/2024 Detroit Public Schools Community District, Regular Board Meeting: Summer school will run from June 24-July 26. Registration opens May 1 and closes May 24. Some public commenters complained about the principal at Thirkell Elementary ; a teacher said the school hasn’t held recess in years. Others expressed support for the principal.

Documented by Eric Walton and Nathaniel Eichenhorn

Human rights

4/11/2024 Detroit Human Rights Commission: Documenters showed up in person to discover the meeting was not happening. No cancellation notice was posted on the event listing.

Documented by Robert Dewar, Chandler Vaughan and Perry Sylvester

Policing

4/4/2024 Detroit Board of Police Commissioners: Chief Investigator Jerome Warfield said the Office of Chief Investigator needs 25 investigators, five senior investigators, four supervisors and an administrative assistant to be fully staffed. He also wants to explore creating a deputy chief investigator role to provide continuity if he or someone in his role leaves.

Documented by Meghan Rutigliano and William Verhoef

4/11/2024 Detroit Board of Police Commissioners Evening Community Meeting: The board could not conduct new business once a commissioner left the meeting, which meant the board lost its quorum. Chief Investigator Jerome Warfield said investigations outpaced complaints from January-March, but his office still has a backlog and only 65% of the investigators it needs on staff.

Documented by Carole Hawke and Tamia Davis

For more on the Board of Police Commissioners, check out the latest BOPC Watch .

This story was written by Outlier Media’s Lynelle Herndon and Noah Kincade, and Detroit Documenters Amelia Benavides-Colón, Carole Hawke and Meghan Rutigliano.

Outlier Media · Detroit’s master plan kick-off, Core City downzoning and more local government updates