Dearborn Group Calls on Muslims to Protest Terror

  A Dearborn-based group who came together on the social networking site Facebook are calling for Muslims to protest against the actions of a Nigerian man accused of trying to bring down Northwest Airlines flight 253 en route to Detroit Metro Airport on Christmas Day.

  Majed Moughni, a Dearborn attorney, told the Detroit Free Press on Sunday that Muslims across the community need to be more vocal in their opposition to terrorism.
  "It's very frustrating to know that these guys are using Islam and committing terror," he said. "Islam stands for peace."
  Moughini's Facebook group, Dearborn Area Community Members, is open to people of all faiths within Dearborn. However, they're specifically calling for local Muslims to rally during the hearing for suspected Nigerian terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. The rally is scheduled for 1:oopm on January 8th at U.S. District Court in Detroit.
  Information about the protest is being posted on the group's Facebook page. They urge, "Please bring your signs, and American flags: theme: 'NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM." And also, "Expect a large presence of the world media."
  Check out the group's Facebook page here. While it's clear not all of their 300+ members are onboard for the protest, it's a hive of healthy discussion about our city and community.

Changing Economy Changes Developer's Plans for 'Muirhead Block'

  The development envisioned by Dearborn Village Partners LLC and the city of Dearborn for the ‘Muirhead Block’ is a mammoth project that has sparked plenty of controversy across town. However, the current plan is significantly more modest in scope and cost than the original proposal.
  In a recent story for the Dearborn Times-Herald, editor J. Patrick Pepper did a great job of summing up what was initially proposed and what residents can now expect if Dearborn Village Partners get the development off the ground in 2010.
The initial $124 million project called for the following:


• 256 condominiums with midrise structures of eight to 10 stories sitting atop a three-story parking deck and including around 8,000 square feet of street-level retail space.
• An 881-space parking deck estimated at nearly $30 million built and financed by the developer. Under the project brownfield plan, the city would reimburse the developer up to $32,500 per space through tax revenues generated by the project.
• Demolition of the existing Michigan Avenue frontage, with the exception of the Oakwood Muirhead building at the northeast corner of Michigan and Military.
• Two commercial buildings with ground-level retail and rental lofts above including a theater complex at the former Bally’s Vic Tanny site.
• Civic space was envisioned in the middle of the Michigan Avenue frontage, which would require the relocation of Fidelity Bank into other space within the new project or elsewhere. The proposal was for DVP to pay $3 million for the parking lot site. In return, the city would invest the same sum into the civic space and land acquisition.
• In total, the original project called for $91.5 million in private investment and $32.5 million in public infrastructure costs.


  Of course, times have changed and the economic and real estate landscapes have changed drastically. Dearborn Village Partners and the city of Dearborn have altered the plans to better meet the new market reality.
  According to a memo by Economic and Community Development Director Barry Murray, the new configuration relies on a combination of the parking lot space and only the Michigan Avenue frontage controlled by DVP. Although a plan is yet to be fully developed, the revised project is expected to include:


• Student housing that would be privately developed to accommodate University of Michigan-Dearborn students. The housing would be built in two phases and house up to 432 students.
• A 110- to 125-room hotel valued at approximately $7.5 million and $10 million in private investment.
• A free-standing parking deck that would no longer be integrated into the retail and housing complex. The separated components would reduce significantly the cost of the deck, Murray said, noting that the Dearborn Town Center deck currently under construction is projected to cost about $21,000 per space.
• An Emagine! Theater for the Bally’s site, adjacent to the Muirhead building. A bowling alley would occupy the lower level with a multiplex movie above.
• In total, the new project would equal about $29.5 million to $38 million of private investment and $7 million in public contributions. Demolition and additional costs could add another $5 to $10 million to the price tag.


  Clearly, it’s still an ambitious project that will change downtown west Dearborn forever if the plan goes forward (and that’s a big ‘if’). However, it’s interesting to track how the breadth and cost of the development has been forced to shrink to adapt to the ever-changing economic environment.

Merry Christmas

Vacant House Used For Fire Training

  A vacant eyesore in a west Dearborn neighborhood is actually doing the community some good. The Dearborn Fire Department is using a city-owned home on Carlysle Street near Telegraph Road to conduct training exercises.
  The training offers firefighters an opportunity to work in near real conditions and practice firefighting techniques that help save lives and property during real fire emergencies.
  “Working in an actual home presents challenges to the firefighters that are hard to simulate anywhere else, so this training is very important to the continuing education of our firefighters,” said Battalion Chief Paul Spearman.
  The Fire Department regularly uses vacant homes that are scheduled for demolition in order to practice opening a roof for ventilation, running hoses up stairs and working in confined, smoke-filled rooms.
  Although the training is as real as possible, Mr. Spearman emphasized that none of the exercises done in houses like the one on Carlysle will threaten or endanger surrounding homes or residents.
  “We don’t do live burns in the city. We use fog machines to simulate smoke in the home, and we make sure to secure the home and clean up when we are done with our exercises,” Spearman said.

Theater/Bowling Complex Gets Approved-For Royal Oak

  Apparently, the new entertainment/bowling complex slated for Military and Howard by Dearborn Village Partners will not be a one-of-a-kind destination. In fact, there will be a strikingly similar multiplex just 18 miles away.
  Yesterday, Royal Oak officials approved plans for a new movie theater and bowling complex to occupy a spot once slated for loft condominiums. Emagine Entertainment is behind the project that would be built near the corner of 11 Mile and Main Street, on the north edge of downtown Royal Oak.
  Just as Dearborn's City Council was extending the Preferred Developer agreement with Hakim Fakhoury's Dearborn Village Partners in a 5-1 vote last night that would allow them to pursue plans with Emagine Entertainment, Royal Oak's city commission was approving their own bowling alley/movie theater plan by a 5-2 vote. Like many Dearborn officials, some Royal Oak politicians questioned whether there was adequate parking for the expected influx of movie and bowling patrons.
  The Royal Oak complex will feature a 10-screen movie theater, 16 lanes of bowling and accommodate a bar or lounge. When completed, it's expected to be a 73,000-square-foot building. 
  It all sounds vaguely familiar to us. Except that the Royal Oak developers expect to break ground in March with the theater opening by year's end. 

Thanks for Reading

  This site was started a year ago today. Back then, we hoped to engage Dearborn residents in a dialogue about the issues that really affect our town. From the provocative to the mundane, and everything in between.  We'd like to think we've succeeded.
  2009 has certainly been an interesting year for all of us, and has provided no shortage of conversational fodder: chihuahuas, school funding, Rick Springfield, failing businesses, rising foreclosures, a major election and who can forget the drama of "Drivewaygate?"
  When we began, we knew the most compelling thing about Dearborn News Online would be the readers and their comments. It holds true today. We've always considered the stories here to be the spark that ignites deeper conversations between neighbors, and those of you who've been kind enough to add your comments to the discourse here rarely disappoint. Our readers have proven to be a tough, incisive and knowledgeable bunch. At the end of the day, we're sure we've learned more from you than you've learned from us.
  We're happy to be included among the many voices who report on the ups and downs of our town. We hope you keep reading. The next year is sure to be a doozy.
  Thank you. 

City Grants Fakhoury and Partners Extension

  After a long meeting in the City Council Conference Room this evening, the council voted five to one to give a one year extension to the Preferred Developer agreement between the city and Hakim Fakhoury's Dearborn Village Partners (DVP). George Darany was the only holdout and Doug Thomas was not present for the meeting.
  The extension will allow DVP to further pursue a major project near Military and Howard that is expected to include retail shops, a bowling alley, a movie theater and entertainment complex. Student housing is also being proposed for the site.
  With the Preferred Developer agreement in place, the city gives DVP first rights to market and develop the property and lots.

Vote on Fakhoury's Preferred Status Today

  Whether Hakim Fakhoury's Dearborn Village Partners gets an extension as a preferred developer in the city is an issue that is as complicated as it is divisive. Some, like Councilman Abraham and many others, believe Fakhoury is a man with a vision for Dearborn. At the very least, he's seen as the only developer around willing to invest money in the city.
  His detractors, and there are many in this town, say Mr. Fakhoury has helped spur the decline of the west Dearborn business district. They cite the DVP's rancorous relationship with many tenants, their long list of decaying still-undeveloped properties and they point to unattractive new buildings (like the one on Michigan and Military) that have sat mostly empty now for years. Of course, there is also the issue of unpaid taxes on Fakhoury-held properties along Michigan Avenue. In the case of the DVP, many say nothing is actually better than something.
  The vote on the Dearborn Village Partners' preferred status extension is scheduled for tonight, Monday, December 21st at 5:35pm in the Mayor's Conference Room at Dearborn City Hall. Residents are invited to attend the meeting, ask questions and voice their opinion on this issue.
  It promises to be a spirited meeting, to say the least.

Dearborn Students Stand Out at Youth Summit

  Four students from the Dearborn Center for Mathematics, Science & Technology, (DCMST) a high school magnet program in the Dearborn Public School district, spent last spring and summer researching how to reduce greenhouse gases in Michigan. Their work was part of a Youth Policy Summit sponsored by The Keystone Center and open to all high schools in Michigan. The goal of the summit is to advance critical thinking and problem solving skills in our leaders of the future.
  The four DCMST students went to Western Michigan University along with students from six other Michigan high schools. Each student was given a stakeholder role and had to stay in that role during mediation meetings. The assignment was to draft a policy statement that reflects their research and their stakeholder. The project integrated not only a passion for science and the environment but connected science to economics and government policy.
  Senior Alaa Saab represented Fed Ex. She researched what Fed Ex is already doing to reduce CO2 emissions both with their buildings and their fleet. When the students discussed driving and building efficiencies she had to stay in role and make her Fed Ex voice heard. Not always an easy task when your personal views conflict with your role.
  “Being able to participate in this great experience allowed me to not only learn more about policymaking but to combine so many of my interests into a challenge that has made me think much more about the bigger picture and how I fit in,” commented Senior Kristin Patterson. 
  A link to the policy paper can be found here.

Inauguration Day Set for December 30th

  Dearborn will host an inaugural ceremony for city officials elected to serve in 2010-2013 at 8:00pm Wednesday, December 30th inside the Michael A. Guido Theater at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.
  The ceremony is expected to last about an hour. A reception will immediately follow in the theater lobby. The public is invited, and there is no charge for this event.
  John B. O’Reilly, Jr. will be sworn-in for his first full term as mayor. He has served as mayor since February 2007 and previously had been City Council president for 17 years.
  Also taking the oath of office for the next four years will be a host of familiar names: Council President Thomas P. Tafelski, new Council President Pro Tem Suzanne Sareini and Councilmen George T. Darany, Mark Shooshanian and Robert A. Abraham. Councilwoman Nancy A. Hubbard and City Clerk Kathleen Buda will join them, as well. Councilman Brian C. O’Donnell is the only newcomer to take the oath this year.

Councilman Abraham: Fakhoury Deserves Preferred Developer Status

Councilman Robert Abraham sent this statement to us this morning. The matter of assigning Preferred Developer Status to certain developers in Dearborn has become an increasingly contentious issue. Mr. Abraham weighs in with his opinion here.
  Dearborn has been seriously affected by the American auto industry collapse, home foreclosures and the terrible recession, which has resulted in us losing 60,000 white collar auto jobs further hurting our business districts, especially downtown west Dearborn. Meanwhile no new developers are approaching us to develop in downtown west Dearborn and projects approved during better times, now require going back to the drawing board.
  One developer is requesting a one-year extension of the preferred developer agreement with the City of Dearborn; that is Hakim Fakhoury’s – Dearborn Village Partners (DVP). The DVP project is proposed on the north side of Michigan Avenue between Military and Howard. DVP is planning a three story building with first floor retail and a bowling alley, a second and third floor movie theater offering food and alcohol, along with other amenities. In cooperation with HFCC and U of M - Dearborn, plans also include 2 - 4 bedroom college dorm housing, which could have a very positive impact.
  In order to satisfy proposed DVP tenants and loan companies, a one year extension of the preferred developer agreement is necessary so that DVM can submit revised plans for this project. The agreement would guarantee that for one year the City of Dearborn would not market that lot to anyone and allow DVP to market and develop the property and lots. There is no cost to the City of Dearborn or the taxpayers to extend this agreement.
  Mr. Fakhoury and his companies have invested multi-millions into downtown west Dearborn, he is one of the largest developers and property owners and this is an attractive opportunity at a time when there simply are not any other options; except to do nothing. No developers returned proposals on the Quality Inn property controlled by the Dearborn Historic Museum.
  Without this one year extension of DVM’s preferred developer agreement, this project would collapse at a time we cannot afford to allow this to happen.
  Therefore, I am planning to support the extension to DVP based on the proposed project, current economic conditions and facts presented to the Council by DVP, the Mayor and the Administration; as well as the important point that we have no other viable alternatives at this time.