District 3 Council Member Scott Benson is looking to Banglatown for lessons on what makes a stable neighborhood in Detroit.
Benson said the eastside neighborhood near Detroit’s border with Hamtramck has been growing in population after becoming safer, and property values are spiking upward as families stay in their homes. The broader Davison neighborhood that includes Banglatown experienced a 341% increase in home sale value from 2014 to 2022. Benson said it’s growth on a different level than anywhere else in his district.
“When I got this job, I made it very clear to my residents in Banglatown that I wanted to represent everybody,” Benson said. “Law enforcement was a big issue for them, and so we made the connections with the 11th precinct. We took now-Chief (Todd) Bettison over to Bangladesh back in 2019 just to learn more about the culture, and we’ve had great success.”
A 2021 study from economic development organization Global Detroit found tax delinquency is below the city average and property conditions are improving. The neighborhood’s commercial hub along Conant Avenue has become a shopping and service destination for residents and neighbors in Hamtramck.
Benson outlined his priorities for the upcoming year in an interview with BridgeDetroit at his office in The Matrix Center, a community hub that offers a broad array of services. Benson said improving access to jobs, safe neighborhoods and better schools is key to improving conditions in communities across District 3. Benson didn’t identify specific parts of the district that need more attention.
“Banglatown is a perfect example of when you lower crime, you bring stability, and you densify an area, the property values increase,” he said. “People want to move in. People are opening businesses.”
Benson said he’s pushing Mayor Mary Sheffield to find funding for a child savings account program similar to what’s offered by Operation HOPE in Atlanta. The fund would be available to students after graduating high school, giving them resources to start a business, pursue college or technical training. Benson said city General Fund dollars can’t be used, but he’s hoping the mayor can find other sources.
Detroit’s lack of low-cost, quality childcare forces residents to make tough decisions and pushes young families with multiple kids out of the city, Benson said. He’s exploring solutions but voiced support for expanding free pre-kindergarten programs.
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Benson is looking forward to retrying a Let’s Build More Housing zoning proposal that the council delayed voting on last year. One of the ordinance’s main goals is to create more density in residential areas.
Benson said he’s talked with Sheffield about playing a role in improving communication on what’s in the proposal. That will include working through the concerns expressed by historic neighborhoods like Boston-Edison and Indian Village, he said.
“They haven’t had the education, and we haven’t committed to them that ‘we’re not going to disturb your quality of life,’” Benson said. “I don’t think that anything that is in that ordinance runs afoul of a quality, stable neighborhood. It’s really about how do you educate people to show them that you’re right? We already have protections on board when it comes to Airbnbs, and so let’s just make sure that the historic neighborhoods feel comfortable and they get on board.”
Housing density is another feature of Banglatown that Benson said has contributed to its success.
Benson said he’s hoping to lead efforts to place a millage on the ballot in either 2026 or 2028 to create funding for Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
State lawmakers passed a package of bills allowing county commissioners to establish a museum authority that can levy taxes. The bills haven’t been signed into law due to a procedural mistake made during the 2024 lame duck session.
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