Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett.

The door has closed on a failed plan to replace an empty stretch of the Detroit riverfront with new housing, retail, cafes and a hotel.

A $510 million development plan partly financed by Detroit native and NFL hall-of-famer Jerome Bettis promised to create the city’s largest riverfront project. The former Uniroyal tire factory site, located just west of the bridge to Belle Isle, remains a missing piece of ongoing efforts to develop vacant land along the river.

The City Council formally terminated a brownfield plan approved in 2006 to help remove environmental contamination left by the previous industrial owners. Ending the brownfield plan was a final formal step to dry the ink on a dead deal. Last year, the city terminated a 2005 development agreement with Bettis/Betters Development.

Developers received no tax dollars because they failed to meet their obligations to redevelop the site, council members were told last week. The city retains control of the 42-acre property.

A century of industrial pollution made redeveloping the site difficult, but city officials said there’s been significant environmental cleanup since.

There are not any development projects planned, but improved site conditions and recent investment to extend the Detroit Riverwalk near the property’s edge could signal better prospects in the future. 

Cora Capler, a senior brownfield program manager with the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, told council members last week that terminating the agreement would “clear the way” for a future project.

The city put out a call for developers in 1988, but found no takers. Another call went out in 2004 amid renewed interest in the site tied to a $50 million Riverwalk project funded by The Kresge Foundation.

Bettis and a Pittsburgh development partner, CJ Betters, were picked from among six groups that responded.

Plans changed several times over the years, ranging from 1,000 housing units to 2,000 units, but a dispute over who was responsible for the cleanup and the Great Recession caused the project to stall out. Developers never broke ground at at the site.

News reports from the early 2000s compared the Uniroyal site to Michigan Central, old Tiger Stadium and the Book-Cadillac Hotel as symbols of Detroit’s stagnation. It now stands alone in those examples as the train station and hotel underwent major renovations and the former stadium was demolished.

The Uniroyal site is close to the former Brodhead Armory, which has also struggled to complete a riverside development plan under a city agreement with the Detroit Parade Co. General Motors and the Rock Family of Companies are pursuing a redevelopment of the Renaissance Center to put housing, restaurants and public spaces along a western section of the riverfront.

In 2006, the Bettis/Betters team pitched a $25 million “Chene East” project aligned with Riverwalk that didn’t materialize. A similar housing project on the west side of Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre planned by former mayor Dave Mayor Bing shared a similar fate.

The city also terminated another brownfield plan for the historic Stone Soap site, situated near William Milliken State Park near the Riverwalk. Banyan Investments announced plans for a $27 million project in 2017 that would create new housing, offices and a theater space, but the buildings were ultimately demolished in 2023.

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What page are we on? 

Today’s notebook covers the March 11 formal session.

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

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Fatal bus crash results in settlement

Detroit settled a $5.8 million lawsuit with the estate of a woman who was killed by a city bus in 2023.

Janice Bauer, 61, was walking to her job at the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) when she was struck. Bauer was a clerk who ensured the bus service followed the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The driver, Geraldine Johnson, was sentenced to six months in jail and two years of probation in 2024. Johnson killed another person behind the wheel in 2015, leading to a $4.5 million settlement, and was involved in multiple other crashes.

Johnson was fired after killing Bauer.

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Mayor Young on the Renaissance Center? 

Council Member Mary Waters is proposing adding Coleman A. Young’s name to the Renaissance Center.

She sent a memo to Jared Fleisher, vice president of the Rock Family of Companies, to also “honor the legacy of Mayor Young by including his name on the redeveloped buildings so that generations to come will know that he helped establish this iconic area nearly 50 years ago.”

Waters voted against commissioning a historic review of the site last week, arguing that it “hasn’t meant much to Black people” because it was designed as a fortress separate from downtown. Waters wrote in the letter that “our community feels a strong connection to the legacy of the late, great mayor,” however. 

Fleisher said the historic designation would have made demolishing parts of the riverside complex difficult. Rock is working with General Motors to create a family-friendly entertainment district with affordable housing, retail options and a public promenade.

Two of the five towers are slated for demolition, the 300 Tower and 400 Tower. Waters asked in her letter to preserve Tower 300.

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Black-owned farm plans expansion 

A Black-owned farm in the Nolan neighborhood plans to expand its community garden on land purchased from the Detroit Land Bank Authority.

The City Council approved a sales agreement for Workin’ Roots to purchase 10 parcels of vacant land and 2 parcels containing structures. The properties are directly across the street from the farm.

Workin’ Roots was formed to address a “food apartheid” in the community, where 5,000 residents lack access to a grocery store within 2 miles. The nonprofit plans to invest $50,000 to expand the farm and renovate buildings, partly drawn from a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Founder Candius Elliott started the farm on two abandoned lots formerly owned by the land bank using a grant from the Detroit Black Farmer Land Fund.

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Police near full-strength, Detroiters wanted 

The Detroit Police Department has nearly filled all of its vacant positions, changing course after years of losing officers at a rapid clip. However, most new recruits do not live in the city.

DPD hired 715 new positions since January 2023, including 165 Detroit residents. Detroiters represent 23% of the new hires.

The City Council was told that 99% of sworn positions are filled during a Tuesday recruiting update, leaving 35 open positions. DPD is actively performing outreach to high schools, universities and trade schools, targeting veterans and athletes, and using digital billboards, cable ads, and social media campaigns and other methods to find recruits.

A DPD representative said the department has experienced a net gain of officers since raises were secured through a five-year contract that took effect in 2023.

A bonus referral program expired Dec. 31. It offered $2,000 for Detroit residents and $1,000 for non-residents. Recruits who lived two hours from the city were offered $3,000 to cover the cost of relocating.

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Repairs for historic fountain  

Renovations are coming to the historic Merrill Fountain in Palmer Park.

Originally built in 1901, the white marble fountain was once located in Campus Martius near the old Detroit Opera House. It was relocated in 1925 as part of a plan to reduce traffic congestion.

The fountain fell into disrepair over time, and has been inoperable for decades. Damage to the marble has made it more difficult to point out aquatic animals and a representation of Neptune.

A $420,929 contract with Giffels-Webster Engineers aims to restore the fountain to its original state and allow it to spray water again.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The fountain was named for Charles Merrill, a wealthy lumber baron.

Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway was a forceful advocate for restoring the fountain during budget negotiations last year. She secured $2.5 million in one-time funding for capital improvements.