Today in the notebook
- Detroit heroes honored
- Home swap enters phase two
- Tenants raise landlords mistreatment
- Housing reforms under consideration
Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett.
Dozens of Detroiters came to City Council’s Tuesday session to advocate for local heroes to be honored with a secondary street sign. The blue signs are used to recognize notable people who impacted the city.
The council could only pick five honorees out of a list of 13 applicants that included activists, professional athletes, musicians and cultural figures.
Nominees must be deceased for at least 10 years. The council amended the rules earlier this year to allow recognition of nonresidents who are buried in Detroit.
Winners include:
- Vincent Chin at the intersection of Peterboro Street and Cass Avenue
- Earl Cureton at the intersection of Stearns and Livernois avenues
- Joseph Anthony “Amp” Fiddler at the intersection of Revere Avenue and 7 Mile
- Horace L. Sheffield Jr. at the intersection of Wyoming and Grand River avenues
- James Yancey, aka “J Dilla,” at the intersection of Nevada Avenue and Charest Street
Petitioners submitted applications for each honoree. Advocates included friends, family members and associates of the nominees.
Former Mayor Dave Bing was in the audience to show his support for Cureton. Bing spoke at this funeral in February.
Those that weren’t selected are automatically put on the list for consideration next year, including:
- Rev. Dr. Clarence L. Crews, Sr. at the intersection of Ewald Circle & Kendall Street. Crews was first nominated in 2023.
- Gabriel Fred Crutcher at the intersection of Bethune Street and Beaubien Boulevard.
- John Lee Hooker at the intersection of Randolph Street and Madison Avenue. He was first nominated in 2022.
- Dick “Night Train” Lane at the intersection of Cochrane Street and Michigan Avenue.
- Aubrey Lee, Sr. at the intersection of Griswold Street and W. Fort Street. He was first nominated in 2023.
- Daniel J. Loepp at the intersection of Whittier Avenue and Chandler Park Drive.
- Gregory Mudge at the intersection of Brooklyn Street & Porter Street. He was first nominated in 2022.
- John Sinclair at the intersection of 22nd Street and Michigan Avenue.
What page are we on?
Today’s notebook covers the Oct. 22 formal session.
Dig into the agenda, read Detroit Documenter notes or watch the recording for more details.
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Questions slow down housing reforms
The City Council pumped the brakes on two ordinances aimed at improving access to housing.
The first ordinance would speed up the process of providing tax incentives to create affordable housing.
Instead of paying property taxes, qualifying developers will pay a service charge based on rental rates. Developments must be certified with the city and in compliance with rental regulations.
A developer must commit to offering affordable housing for up to 15 years.
Tax discounts become larger for projects that offer deeper cuts in rent. It was introduced by Council Member Fred Durhal III, but Council Member Mary Waters wanted more discussion on proposed amendments.
The other ordinance would reform rental compliance, inspection and lead safety regulations and increase access to a tenant escrow program.
City officials said these changes will improve the quality of housing and increase compliance with city laws. Only 10% of rental homes have passed required inspections, and the city has struggled to collect fines from blight tickets.
The ordinance also increases civil fines for various violations. The city can file a lien against the property if a landlord doesn’t pay fines within 30 days.
The inspection reforms were introduced by Waters, and Durhal requested more time to discuss the impact of liens on developers.
Eastern Market neighborhood plan
A $500,000 federal grant will fund the creation of a neighborhood “transformation plan” around Eastern Market.
City documents state the plan will help support a mixed-income and mixed-use community between Eastern Market and an area north to Warren Avenue.
The area includes Diggs Homes and Forest Park Apartments, identified as distressed public housing sites.
The buildings were constructed in the early 1970s and are managed by the Detroit Housing Commission.
House repair swap enters phase II
The second phase of a home repair and swap program along the Joe Louis Greenway has funding.
The Rocket Community Fund awarded $748,000 to the city for the Bridging Neighborhoods program. The funding will help renovate three homes in the Midwest/Barton McFarland neighborhoods.
The program is available to homeowners who applied for another home repair program offered by the Rocket Community Fund that quickly became full.
Renovated land bank homes will provide a place for families to live while their homes are being fixed up.
Homeowners will then have a choice of returning to their newly renovated home or assuming ownership of the land bank property.
A first phase of the program renovated three homes along the Joe Louis Greenway route.
Bridging Neighborhoods previously renovated and swapped over 100 homes in the footprint of the Gordie Howe International Bridge.
Tenants allege landlord retaliation
The City Council heard from several residents who alleged landlords are retaliating against renters who are involved in tenants rights organizations.
Roger Turner, head of the Sherwood Heights Apartments Tenants Association, said he is being forced to move or pay $300 more in rent after living in the building for 16 years. Outlier Media recently covered a fractured relationship between tenants and the property management company that took over in 2023.
“Clearly we are being retaliated against for starting a tenants association,” Turner said.
Sheffield said the council is diving deeper into improving the quality of aging housing complexes across Detroit.
“This issue is happening citywide and at a lot of our senior buildings,” Sheffield said. “Building conditions are deplorable, management has changed over time and tenants are organizing.”
Though the council is working on rental inspection reforms, members expressed frustration with unsafe housing conditions.
Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway said the body isn’t holding landlords accountable while “people are suffering.”
Activists demand divestment from Israel
Members of the Detroit Anti-War committee are calling on the council to disclose and terminate all city investments that are tied to Israel in response to the ongoing “genocide” against Palestinians.
Activists with the group have appeared in multiple meetings this year but said their demands have been met with “apathy.”
The council passed a symbolic resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas last November.
Sheffield encouraged the group to submit a formal request to the council that reflects their demands.
Santiago-Romero advised activists to work with impacted community members who have family members affected by the war.
“I hear there is a disconnect,” she said. “(Let’s) go back to the table work and together. I want to make sure we’re leading together.”