This week in the notebook:
- Belle Isle breaks records
- Dust pollution control at the finish line
- Restaurant inspection signs return
- Should non-residents get street honor?
Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett.
Prepare your neck, your back – and everything else – for the return of the Giant Slide.
The iconic bumpy slide reopened in 2022 after being closed for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic. Riders found the freshly waxed surface produced wild speeds, sparking national interest, a lawsuit and some fun memes.
Belle Isle Park officials said the slide is coming back this summer after a new landing surface is installed to ensure a safe cushion for riders. Rides will still cost $1 for adults and children who pass a height check.
“Full disclosure: If you want to go super fast, you can, but if you follow the riders’ instructions to lean forward and stay in the bag, you’re going to be perfectly safe,” said Tom Bissett, urban district supervisor for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The slide update came during an annual report from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) to the City Council. Officials said beloved attractions like the slide help drive interest in the unique island park.
Belle Isle Park continues to smash attendance records, surpassing 5.5 million visitors in 2023.
The island is Michigan’s most popular state park and the second-most attended nationally behind Niagara Falls in New York.
Attendance increased 7% from 2022 and is up by 55% since 2015.
More than $140.5 million has been invested into the park since 2014, including $22 million in the last year alone. The DNR has been renovating older buildings, developing new trails, shoring up habitats and making infrastructure investments.
Park officials said $16.7 million in capital investments are planned this year. Bissett outlined a plan for $2 million in upgrades for 20 shelters and restroom facilities, plus $2.7 million to improve accessibility for disabled visitors.
Last year, DNR officials said all Belle Isle restrooms were open but BridgeDetroit found several were closed.
Council members asked about bathroom access again this year.
Park officials said nine restrooms are open and two are closed for renovation. Bathrooms are cleaned overnight and are now accessible at 5 a.m. when the park reopens.
In the last two years, roughly 80% of the 207 solar street lights on Belle Isle have gone out. MDNR replaced 60 this year, but the streetlights are the end of their life nine years after being installed.
Forthcoming development planning projects for the park, aquarium and conservatory will help determine future uses and new attractions.
The state is exploring proposals to save the historic boathouse. Three viable applicants have come forward to renovate the 122-year-old building, and the DNR is seeking finalized proposals by the end of July.
It would take roughly $40 million to make needed repairs. Residents overwhelmingly asked MDNR to seek proposals with potential developers.
Parks officials also highlighted incoming leadership changes. Meagan Elliott will become president and CEO of the Belle Isle Conservancy on July 1.
Belle Isle Park Advisory Committee Chair Michele Hodges is ending her tenure, requiring a replacement to be appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Mayor Mike Duggan.
What page are we on?
Today’s notebook covers the May 14 formal session. Council President Pro Tem James Tate was absent.
Dig into the agenda, read Detroit Documenter notes or watch the recording for more details.
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Fugitive dust fines near approval
The council delayed voting on a new ordinance to punish companies that release dust pollution into the air.
The ordinance treats fugitive dust as a form of blight, punishable by a civil fine.
Facilities that generate dust would have to submit a plan to the city describing control measures. The Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department would be responsible for collecting fines between $500 and $2,000.
Council members wanted an additional week to discuss enforcement provisions. Acceptable limits are defined by opacity instead of the amount of particulate matter in the air.
Dust generated on-site can’t exceed 5% opacity, enough to become barely visible. No visible dust can spread beyond the property line.
Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero said the long-awaited ordinance balances concerns expressed by residents and businesses.
“For me, this is a first piece and there are more things we will move forward on,” Santiago-Romero said.
Santiago-Romero wanted fines to go into a fund for public health programs, but instead the revenue will go into the city’s General Fund.
“That’s not a fight that I won,” she said.
Organizations must create a fugitive dust plan before performing new activities that are likely to generate airborne particulates, excluding engine exhaust.
The fugitive dust plan must include construction timelines, a site map showing roads used to transport materials and potential emission points.
It also calls for a description of operations that will create dust and control measures, a monitoring plan and a contingency plan for when dust exceeds allowable standards.
Some residents pushed for the inclusion of air quality equipment that could monitor pollution in real time. Instead, visual tests by BSEED inspectors will determine whether dust pollution exceeds city limits.
Santiago-Romero said the lack of monitors won’t stop city officials from enforcing the ordinance.
Meanwhile, a citywide air monitoring network is being installed this year.
Victor Jimenez, a southwest Detroit resident and organizer with the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, said economic development shouldn’t compromise public health.
Rod Liggons, director of government relations for the Detroit Regional Chamber, said the regulations may be too broad and include businesses that rarely generate dust.
Erin Stanley, director of Climate Equity at the Eastside Community Network, pushed for more substantial efforts to protect public health. She said Detroit is contradicting itself by investing in public parks and greenways while allowing air pollution to push people inside.
“We’re having to fight for the bare minimum,” Stanley said. “This ordinance is not particularly progressive in terms of environmental justice. We have to have it pass in order to say we’re a city that;’s doing anything regarding environmental justice and sustainability.”
Residents like Carolyn Catlos shared personal experiences of respiratory issues stemming from air pollution.
Julianne Lindsey said she keeps her car windows rolled up on hot summer days because the air is too dusty to breathe.
“We must consider the health impacts that fugitive dust causes to our most vulnerable – our seniors and our children,” said Detroit resident Theresa Landrum.
Alcohol licenses overflow Detroit’s quota
The City Council asked state officials to address an overabundance of liquor licenses in Detroit.
Council Member Latisha Johnson said residents are concerned about an “overconcentration of liquor stores.” Residents raised the issue during a police-community relations meeting, she said.
Liquor license quotas are based on population, so Detroit’s allotted number of licenses has dropped alongside decades of population loss.
Detroit has 300 more liquor establishments than technically allowed under the quota.
Officials with the Michigan Liquor Control Commission said new licenses have not been approved in years but the state can’t revoke licenses to match the quota.
License holders can sell their licenses to another business or hold it in escrow for up to five years. There are special cases where licenses can be issued for large development projects with some restrictions.
Most of the extra licenses were issued to businesses that sell spirits for off-site consumption, including grocery stores, gas stations and convenience stores. Detroit has nearly twice as many than allowed.
The council passed a resolution asking the state to pause new licenses until it can find a way to reduce the extra licenses. Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway said the glut of liquor establishments is “disturbing.”
Return of the snack
Council Member Scott Benson is trying again to require restaurants to post color-coded signs based on recent health inspections.
Benson’s proposed ordinance was voted down in 2022 after several months of opposition from restaurant owners and business groups. Critics said the ordinance did nothing to improve health inspection or enforcement procedures.
A year later, Benson partnered with the Health Department on a voluntary program where restaurants would post green signs after a successful inspection. Benson said more than 250 green placards are posted on restaurants that participated in the pilot program.
Benson introduced a tweaked version of the ordinance that limits signs to two colors: Green to show compliance and red to show businesses were closed by the Health Department.
The proposal that was struck down included a yellow sign category for restaurants that are working to resolve health violations.
Benson’s new ordinance was introduced this week. A public hearing will be scheduled for residents to weigh in.
Detroiters can use an online search tool to find a summary of health inspections dating back to 2016.
Should street tributes include non-residents?
The council is considering whether non-residents should be honored by having a street named after them.
Santiago-Romero wants to honor the legacy of Vincent Chin, who was murdered in a racially motivated assault in 1982 and inspired a wave of Asian American civil rights engagement.
Chin lived in Highland Park but was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Detroit.
Detroit pays tribute to deceased residents with blue secondary street signs. The signs are for honorary purposes and don’t replace the official street name.
Honorees must have lived in Detroit for at least 10 years. Anyone can nominate a person by submitting an application to the City Clerk. The council approves five secondary signs each year.
City Council members are considering a rule change that would honor non-residents if at least three council members provide letters of support. It would also open eligibility for people who are buried in Detroit for at least 10 years.
Johnson expressed concerns about opening eligibility to people who live outside the city. She said “a barrage” of applications may come in from Oakland and Macomb county residents that would dilute the impact residents have had on the city.
Whifield-Calloway said she supports the residency requirement.
The city can find other ways to honor non-residents who made their mark on Detroit, she said.
DMC gets green light after labor talk
The council voted in support of Detroit Medical Center’s request to renew tax exemptions for its Midtown campus after delaying the vote last week to support labor negotiations.
DMC officials said a tentative agreement was reached with Teamsters Local 283 after both parties went back to the table.
Council members unanimously supported a resolution supporting the tax exemption renewal. The Michigan Strategic Fund will decide whether to approve the Renaissance Zone extension later this month.