Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett.

The City Council unanimously agreed to reimburse the Detroit City FC up to $5.9 million in exchange for demolishing the former Southwest Detroit Hospital to make way for a new professional soccer stadium in Corktown.

Tax revenue generated at the site for 21 years will be collected and redistributed to the developer to partly cover the cost of demolition, asbestos cleanup and other work on adjacent land separated by a rail line. The taxable value is expected to increase from $465,911 to $5 million.

The site was a coal yard in the 1880s and was associated with industrial activity throughout the 1900s. Southwest Detroit Hospital opened in 1974 but has been vacant since 2006.

A $6.5 million demolition project is expected to start in August and finish within a year.

Western Corktown Association President Richard DiNoto voiced support for demolishing the hospital. DiNoto said the property has been a dangerous eyesore for decades, while the new development will stimulate economic activity and “transform the gateway to Corktown.” 

Letters of support were received from residents and representatives of groups like Michigan Central, the Mexicantown Community Development Corporation, Clark Park Coalition, Hubbard Richard Resident Association, Southwest Detroit Business Association, Living Arts Detroit and others.

“Having a professional stadium within our community will provide a space where parents, children, and families can bond over the game they cherish, all without having to travel far or stretch their budgets,” Detroit resident Bianca Cuevas wrote. “Given the current political climate, creating inclusive, affordable, and accessible spaces for families to gather is more important than ever.”

Doug Graham said his father was a founding physician at the former hospital, which has lost some of its symbolic importance as it decayed over the years.

Graham said it’s important to transform a neglected symbol into something that represents a hopeful future.

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What page are we on?  

Today’s notebook covers the May 13 formal session. It started 20 minutes late and initially lacked a quorum.

Council Members Coleman Young II and Angela Whitfield Calloway were absent. Council Member Scott Benson arrived nearly two hours into the meeting.

Dig into the agenda, read Detroit Documenter notes or watch the recording for more details.

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Looking for more coverage of 2025 elections? I’m interviewing candidates and community leaders for our new talk show Detroit Next.

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Overheard in CAYMC

A pending ordinance requiring release of police body camera footage was criticized by three residents representing the Detroit Alliance Against Racist and Political Representation.

They said a revised version of the draft ordinance was “watered down,” extending the disclosure period from seven days after an incident to 90 days and providing exemptions that could be exploited by police unions.

Four pieces of city-owned property were sold to Shaker Uddin Sadeak for $30,000 to create a mosque on McNichols Avenue, east of Conant Street.

Mosques are a major source of traffic for businesses along the Conant corridor, according to a 2019 neighborhood framework plan. Many businesses stay open late and provide special deals on Friday nights for customers coming from prayer. Sadeak reportedly owns Kabob House in Hamtramck.

Transit activist Renard Monczunski said it’s an “issue of disparity” to offer free rides on the QLINE and People Mover but not city buses. Monczunski advocated for creating a reduced fare program for low-income riders.

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Artists seek theater renovation

Directors and filmmakers like Tonja Ayers asked the City Council to rebuild the Paul Robeson Performing Arts Theatre, located within the Northwest Activities Center. They want it to become an arts hub for young people but worry “it’s falling apart and nobody’s paying attention.”

Ayers, who owns her own production company, said her first stage play was at the theater. She’s since produced 25 films. Ayers said many Detroit filmmakers got their start at the theater, but lighting and seat repairs are needed to keep it alive.

Detroit playwright Je’ McClain said the theater was flourishing a decade ago. She wants to restore it so kids can learn how to make art.

“The theater is literally falling apart,” McClain said. “It’s falling by the wayside.”

Crystal Perkins, director of Detroit’s General Services Department, said the city is working to  secure funding to renovate the theater. Detroit’s grant development team is pursuing possible grants and donors, she said.

Perkins said the theater needs upgrades to seating, flooring, production equipment and curtains. It’s unclear how much funding is needed to restore the facility.

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Parking officers won’t perform housing outreach 

Detroit’s Municipal Parking Department is not permitted to perform housing outreach or wellness checks for unhoused people during their patrols.

Council Member Mary Waters requested a policy review regarding how parking officers interact with homeless residents while performing their duties.

According to a city memo, encounters with unhoused people are extremely rare and the department’s leadership recommends avoiding interactions with people.

Parking officers face verbal abuse and occasional physical violence, prompting the department to discourage unnecessary conversations with people on the street.

MPD officers are instructed to distribute business cards with contact information for city services if an encounter does occur.

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Tanya Stoudemire appointed to CFO

Tanya Stoudemire has become Detroit’s first woman Chief Financial Officer.

The council unanimously authorized her appointment, recommended by Mayor Mike Duggan this month. Stoudemire has served as acting chief financial officer since April, after the retirement of previous CFO Jay Rising.

She’s worked on the city’s finances since 1993, starting as a budget analyst.

Stoudemire displayed important leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic by executing a cost-saving plan that preserved financial stability while ensuring essential city services remained uninterrupted, Duggan wrote in her recommendation letter.

Stoudemire was also credited with being a “vital force” in managing the allocation of federal pandemic relief funds.

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ARPA spending plan set 

Eight council members have proposed uses for a pool of $9,471,312 of pandemic-relief funds split equally between them.

The funds can’t be used to create new programs, federal law requires the money to boost programs created before the end of last year. Each council member received $1,052,368 to spend.

Waters plans to allocate $526,184 to make accessibility improvements at St. Patrick’s Senior Center and $526,184 for basement backup protection.

Council Member Coleman Young II plans to allocate his full $1 million to hire additional behavioral health specialists and 911 coordinators for the city’s Mental Health Co-Response initiative.

Council President Pro Tem James Tate Jr. plans to allocate the full $1 million to a private sewer repair program that provides upgrades to homes hardest hit by the June 2021 flooding disaster.

Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway plans to allocate her full $1 million to address flooding problems at Comstock Park and replacing playground equipment at Comstock Park and Peterson Park.

Council Member Scott Benson plans to allocate $450,000 to the General Services Department for a 6,000-foot active pathway for Dorais Playground, $277,368 to the Housing and Revitalization Department for ramp installation at the homes of seniors and disabled residents, $175,000 to Hand of Hope for community violence intervention work and $150,000 to the Office of Sustainability for the Green the Block vacant land strategy.

Council Member Latisha Johnson plans to allocate $964,868 for basement backup protection in District 4 and $87,500 to a Community Violence Intervention group covering Districts 3 and 4.

Council President Mary Sheffield plans to allocate the full $1 million to the Neighborhood Beautification Fund.

Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero plans to add $900,000 to the Renew Detroit Home Repair Program for District 6 and $152,368.04 to Bridging Communities for outreach work.

Council Member Fred Durhal III plans to allocate $500,000 to expand the Grow Detroit’s Young Talent, $352,368 to support nonprofits and $200,000 to Matrix Human Services for Housing Resource Navigation.

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Bridge benefits bring bike boost

Safer bicycle connections will be built in Southwest Detroit through a community benefits agreement with a Canadian company working on the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

BNA Constructors Canada GP is providing $841,674 to Detroit for bicycle facilities on Jefferson Avenue and Campbell Street. Improvements include new benches, trash receptacles, wayfinding signs and connections to the future Joe Louis Greenway route.

The Canadian company will also install custom bike racks at Clark Park. Any leftover funds will be used for pedestrian and bicycle safety treatments along Christiancy Street and Porter Street near Clark Park.

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EV charging stations roll out 

Detroit negotiated agreements to install electric vehicle charging stations at three grocery store locations.

The new charging stations will be located at:

• 13881 Gratiot Avenue, at Dollar Daze
• 7003 Gratiot Avenue, at the Sav-Mart Marketplace
• 50 East Euclid Street, at the Detroit People’s Food Co-Op, operated by the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network

The easement agreements were secured with property owners at no cost to the city.

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Old debts forgiven 

The City Council agreed to waive $75.3 million in delinquent fees that are unlikely to be collected.

City law allows for old debts to be written off when recommended by the Office of the Treasury’s Revenue Collection Unit. Treasurer Nikhil Patel said this year’s request is lower than the $125 million in medical debt held by Detroiters that the City Council nullified last year, and the annual debt write-offs are expected to continue to shrink over time.

Patel said waiving the fees doesn’t impact the city’s budget or future revenue projections.

Most of the forgiven fines ($58 million) predate the city’s bankruptcy in 2013. Another $14.2 million comes from EMS accounts older than October 2023, and Patel said the debts are largely owed by people who are indigent or have since died.