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.
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well, seems as though the city knows whats best... George Darany only one not giving in. wonder if he will do an 'open letter' saying why not...
ReplyDeleteHooray for Darany. I'm truly disappointed in the shortsightedness of the other council members. I had hope Tafelski would make a stand. Guess not.
ReplyDeleteI'm shocked. I thought it would have been a lot closer. Now let's wait and see.
ReplyDeleteOur city leaders continue to fail us. They have for 25+ years. Why expect them to do the right thing now?
ReplyDeleteWHAT A JOKE!!!!!! Once again, failure gets rewarded in this town.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever consider that this might be the best thing for the city right now? A theater, apartments and stores in West dearborn? How is that a bad thing?! I don't understand all the complaining. This is a good decision.
ReplyDeleteMight have something to do with the fact that this was promised a few years ago with nothing happen then either. Once again we shall wait and see!
ReplyDeleteTwo of my favorite parts of west Dearborn are Sacred Heart Chrurch and Merchants Wine Warehouse. This silly developmental plan will negatively impact two anchors in west dearborn. Way to go, council! You should be ashamed of yourselves.
ReplyDeleteLouise, how the heck will student housing, a theater, a hotel, and more retail "negatively impact" Merchant and Sacred Heart??? And since when is Sacred Heart an anchor of downtown west Dearborn? Is is beautiful? Yes. Is it a landmark? Yes. Is it an anchor? Uh....no.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, louise, I'm trying to wrap my head around your bitching and I just can't. It makes no sense.
I'm sure there are lots of simple statements you can't wrap your head around, Johnny. If you don't see a church as an 'anchor' in a community I can't help you. If all we're concerned with in this city are stores, bars and eMaginary theaters then we can start a whole new discussion. Until then, go over to Fatburger and have lunch on me.
ReplyDeleteYou still didn't answer how a movie theater, student housing, hotel and more retail will hurt Sacred Heart and Merchant.
ReplyDeleteAnd I apologize if I was snarky, but I never attacked or insulted you. I was honestly trying to figure out how these new plans would hurt Sacred Heart and Merchants. Unfortunately you can't grant me the same courtesy, and keep the insults out. If you believe a church is an anchor of our downtown, I can assume you're a Christian? So how does insulting my intelligence fit into your idea of how Christians should act toward others? How does attacking the intelligence of someone that shares your city build up "community?"
I guess the fact that you construed my criticism as 'bitching' set me off, Johnny. My apologies.
ReplyDeleteWhat happens on Saturday afternoon when the theater is (hopefully) packed and 200 Sacred Heart parishoners try to park for 4pm Mass? And the construction mess alone will drive the final stake into the heart of Merchants-which is one of the westside's last great gems. These are my immediate concerns.
I also don't think that is the spot for a huge movie/entertainment complex. Just my opinion.
Part of the preferred developer agreement is that Fakhoury's developers build the garage or garages on the site, which is close to Sacred Heart. So there will be plenty of parking. Churchgoers can buy their wine and spirits and all will be fine. More bodies down there means more money spent.
ReplyDeleteForgive me for re-stating what I offered up on the other post relating to this issue but:
ReplyDeleteDearborn HAD a movie theater aka the Dearborn Theater at Telegraph and Michigan Avenue which is now collecting dust and is just another of the city's eyesores.
Secondly, I am not convinced, nor aware of any pent-up demand for student housing in this particular area.
If someone told me they were going to build apartments somewhere in the confines of the campus, or within walking/bike distance to it, I could understand...really, I could.
However, our naive council, anxious to avoid conflict, unwilling to do proper due diligence, curiously biased, and with a collective IQ just north of single digits, what did we expect on this vote?
For those of us who have lived elsewhere and returned to the area, often it is difficult to endure the "unevolved" mindset of the council, as well as the mayor.
In spite of the pending demolition of the failed Giulianos which was newly constructed, buildings are permanent. The architecture remains part of the city's tapestry for decades, if not centuries.
IMHO, Fakhoury's developments are, as has been noted, "garish" and reflect below average effort from a below average "developer" in a quickly decling, below average city.
As someone who was born and raised here it pains me to acknowledge that the city's my wife and I "entertain" in are: Plymouth, Ann Arbor, Windsor, Royal Oak, Wyandotte, Chelsea and Northville...
Dearborn looks nothing like any of those cities, and if Fakhoury is let loose with his plans, we can thank a lazy counil and mayor who were conned by a questionable clown and the landscape of our "town" will be forever marred.
dozer
Good for Darany. Again, Fakhoury proves that he can outfox the City. Big Surpise. Maybe, it isn't outfoxing but the greasing of palms. It wouldn't be different than his other unethical business practices.
ReplyDeleteHe is going to repay the City? Really? When he fills his other buildings and pays his taxes to get them out of foreclosure?
We will have this conversation again next year when he files for another extension. Maybe, by then the Council will be smarter. Oh, what am I thinking? They have believed him for how many years? Why should one more make any difference?
Enough said about greed and corruption.
May you all have a Blessed Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
dozer, a survey of UM-D students from less than two years ago indicated that 62% of current students were interested in student housing within 2 miles of campus. There IS a demand, and THAT is why both the city and Fakhoury are going forward with it.
ReplyDeleteAnecdotally, I was a student there less than five years ago, and most of my friends and I all wanted to have student housing either on campus or nearby.
You've got a really abrasive manner of arguing your case. You might do well to tone it down. Repeatedly insulting other people's intelligence doesn't make your case for you. You've already been called out on your tone on one message board in town. And before you keep arguing for one side of the coin, it might make sense for you to have all the facts.
Just because there's interest doesn't mean that there will be hundreds of students rushing to these apartments. When it comes down to asking their parents for the rent money to live a few miles closer to school I'm sure things will change quickly.
ReplyDeleteBesides, there's already a lot of available rental properties within 2 miles of the campus, to the east, and they're not filling up with all these students who are interested in near campus housing. That's how the student neighborhoods formed in Ann Arbor. Students moved in and slowly things were converted and some apartments were built. The Old West Side is fighting this very thing right now and the Old Fourth Ward and some of the developments on its edge formed organically like that.
At the distance that these apartments will be the students will still have to drive for the most part. Unlike Ann Arbor there's no infrastructure in place to move these students. In Ann Arbor I lived about the same distance from my classes on North Campus as these apartments will be to UM-D. The big difference is in Ann Arbor I could catch a Blue Bus 24 hours a day a few blocks from the apartment. During the day I could also choose to take AATA busses right outside my door. There were numerous options to get to school that do not exist here in Dearborn.
Fantastic bit of information Johnny! I'd love to read it when you get a chance.
ReplyDeleteIf that info made it into local news, I confess I missed it. I'm retired, and I like to read the papers.
Unfortunately, my opinion (claryifing for those who need it) remains unchanged.
A multi-story monstrosity with so much space dedicated to a movie outlet, surrounded by so-called "student housing" is not the highest and best use of that property.
Have you been to a movie at Fairlane Town Center on a Saturday night lately? Last time we were there, 4 Dearborn police cars were parked in front of the entrance...just a thought.
The proposed HK project is in fact the best that HK could come up with; as are his existing projects: cheap, ugly, and vacant. Not to mention it took, what was it? 2 years to retrofit and rebuild the bridal shop on Military at Michigan Ave.
Many thanks for your anecdotal commentary too! Strange you couldn't find an apartment/condo/house for rent within 2 miles of campus. Perhaps your tenure at the school coincided with a 100% occupancy surge?
As far as my condescending (more accurate than "abrasive") tone, I am reminded of a wonderful quote by Eleanor Roosevelt (she was the beloved wife of FDR). She is known to have said "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." I doubt I'm more intelligent than you, but if you feel that way, I do not know what to tell you; maybe some reading?
My side of the street has always been well maintained, check yours. I have shoes older than you, and your choice of allies on "one message board" reflects your shallow character.
I have watched west Dearborn deteriorate for nearly 50 years, have forgotten more Mayors and Councils than you have seen.
I have also had the privlege of working with Ford Land Development, The Taubman companies, Marriott, and others of like capability and character.
From what I have seen, learned, and heard, Hakim Fakhoury lacks creativity, is considered an awful landlord, builds garish buildings, doesn't pay taxes, and has few supporters outside of a small circle. ( I left out the dismissed case of racketeering in Federal Court)
If nothing else, HK may read the comments on here and make improvements...time will tell as we now have 12 months to observe.
Merry Christmas,
dozer
You're the very reason Dearborn can't move forward. We've got too many old timers like you saying "I've got shoes older than you" and "When I was young..."
ReplyDeleteWell have fun trying to re-create the past. With your attitude, your day has come and gone. What's happening in Dearborn is meant to attract me and my generation. So pardon me if I couldn't care less if you like the plan or not.
dozer, the fact that you think Dearborn is deteriorating so badly over the past **50 years,** but yet you moved back here honestly makes me wonder what you were thinking. You think it's this bad, and yet...nostalgia?...is what motivated you to move back? Why on earth wouldn't you move to another of those cities you and your wife frequent??
And Paul, do you think those bus lines existed before the student housing in AA was built? Of course not, so why would busses run to UM-D now without student housing in place? This is something to work for, lobby for, and make sure it happens, but to just constantly complain about student housing? Come on.
And the difference between affordable housing near a campus and "student housing" is that student housing doesn't run the risk of having deadbeat alcoholics and other undesireables living there; it's-- get this!-- all students. I (along with several other UM-D students)lived in the Dearborn Apartments, and while afforadable, there were some sketchy dudes living there at times. I know some of the female students were a bit leary of them. So, yes, we would've loved an apartment complex run by a student-housing management company near campus. We would've had no problem driving to school had there been no bus available to us. But, being activist-minded college students, we probably would've fought for student bussing as well.
I think this is a great thing for Dearborn.
If I were a student I'd actually prefer to live with more sketchy dudes and deadbeat alcoholics. Maybe they should turn Hubbard Manor into student housing.
ReplyDeleteSorry Johnny Christmas, but Blue Bus has been around for decades. At least since the opening of North Campus. The AATA has also been around for a long time. Both pre-date students moving along their routes.
ReplyDeleteThe Blue Bus Commuter route was around way before the Old West Side near it started to turn to student housing. The same goes for the AATA routes along S. Main, Pauline and Madison. They allowed the student neighborhood to expand, not the other way around.
And guess what, student housing is not ALL students. Not at first. None of the apartments I lived in in Ann Arbor were occupied by all students. It usually was half and half. But they had good management and the people living in the apartments weren't sketchy.
The apartments marketed only to students are a new development, over the last few years. There's the building that has Buffalo Wild Wings in Ann Arbor and a new one on Fifth and Washington or something like that. The developers built them because there is definitely a demand.
So, again, I'll ask why don't students start moving into the abundant supply of rental homes in east Dearborn? They could have their own house so they wouldn't have to share it with someone sketchy that they didn't know. And in most neighborhoods the students would be considered the sketchy drunks on the block.
Blogsters,
ReplyDeleteI say we all get together for a movie over the weekend, say Satruday night?
Well the Dearborn theater is closed, as is the one at Telegraph and Ford whose name escapes me, but none the less, we can meet up at Fairlane Town Center.
Anyone under age wanting to shop in the mall beforehand, just remember the curfew goes on at 5 o'clock I believe...so have a chaperone.
Oh, and if you have a bullet proof vest, you may want to wear it, holiday Saturdays are packed, and who knows what might go off.
Ahh...visions of the future on Michigan Ave...
Royal Oak's preliminary approval of it's theater/bowling alley project could not be less reflective of the HKV proposed disaster.
The complex proposed for R.O. is being introduced into a city whose context is vastly different than ours...block after block of shops, restaurants, galleries, theaters...and a speed limit for the main thoroghfare of 25 mph.
Even within that context, some in Royal Oak are voicing concern over parking already.
The west end of Dearborn where HKV et al propose to develop has effectively 8, 10? city blocks on which to build. Sacrificing one of these blocks simply because it is the only project on the table is IMHO, disastrous and will, mark my words, lessen the value of the surrounding area...economically and aesthetically.
Keep up the good work my fellow bloggers. This is my first participation in the blog-o-sphere, and some of the participants are truly delightful!
We are in Florida, but we have our laptop, so I'll be sure and check in.
Sorry I won't be able to make the movie.
May your Christmas be filled with hope,
dozer
Could not agree more with you Mr. Dozer. Your a welcome addition here!
ReplyDeleteJohnny, regardless of age I think what many of us here are responding to is the city seems to just want SOMETHING/ANYTHING built. There seems to be little long term thought put into the development ideas. AMC Southgate just shut down. Now there'll be an eMagine in Royal Oak. The whole thing's a huge bungle. If it ever gets built (it wont'), it'll be empty in 5 years and we'll be stuck with a 50,000 sq foot shell that will need to be torn down. Student housing for UMD? Come on. It's a commuter school. If they built 10 units, they couldn't sell them all. This is pie in the sky BS no matter how old you are.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to all!
Thanks Michael Adams and Merry Christmas to you and all the others.
ReplyDeleteThe world is going to end, we're all going to die, life sucks, your mother hates you, and Dearborn is the worst place on Earth. Merry Christmas!!!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to all!
ReplyDeleteIMHO, three significant projects are ongoing in Dearborn that are equally, if not more important as the movie/bowling/student housing project.
Each has a uniquely substantial potential to bring visitors to the city, and all of which could use the support of the citizenry, and most of all, the young "student activist" alliance.
1) Intermodal transportation hub proposed in the land across from Andiamos. Having noticed they removed the fencing on the lots recently, perhaps there is movement underway already.
As I see it, this hub would integrate naturally with Greenfield Village, with perhaps the Village providing day-care or schooling. (envision: UM professor takes high speed rail to Dearborn, drops kids at GV daycare, teaches at UMD, and reverses the pattern at the end of the day).
The following link is of the award winning Fenuil Hall development in Boston...while it's scale is not in keeping with the available land across from Andiamos, I find the "flavor" of the project noteworthy, and, in light of it's longevity and acclaim so have others. How cool would that be on this land?
http://info.aia.org/nwsltr_hrc.cfm?pagename=hrc_a_200903_faneuil
While it seems impossible for me to insert photos here, if one were so inclined, he/she could Google: intermodal (images) and get photos of outstanding projects in: Milwaukee, Salt Lake City, Everett Washington, Miami, Rennsselaer New York, the bus station in Slough England, and renderings of proposed stations in Orange County California, and Houston. I've always also found the Cincinnati Union Station evocative as well.
From what I have read, high-speed rail has a good chance of succeding---why not Dearborn?
The second and third projects are as follows:
2) The conference/convention center in discussion near the Hyatt. I know little about it, but to me it is fruit ripe for the plucking, and would immediately improve the city in immeasurable ways.
3) A complete re-development of the Southwest corner of the Telegraph/Michigan Avenue intersection. In my mind, this area would be a preferred location for a theater complex if the demographics can reflect the LONG-TERM success of such a project, but frankly, I have my doubts.
However, taking a wrecking ball to everything standing from the vacant Wendys to the vacant location of Stanford Cadillac (yes, even Toys r Us and Chuckie Cheese, the Big Boy and the Donut store) would give the city something very very few established suburbs have: contiguous,visible, accessible, development property where something meaningful could replace the insignificant "stuff" there now.
That property could contain bowling alleys, apartments, restaurants, retail, and could be developed in such a way that it too could win awards 25 years from now...
...though I most likely won't be aroud in 25 years, those of you that will should embrace these challenges.
FYI to all: I grew up in, own property in, have had business in, have family and grandkids residing and schooling in, vote in, and truly love this city. Make no mistake about it.
dozer
I agree completely about the intermodal station. It seems the city, in the long term, wants to redevelop that area into a transit oriented development. I think it will be very successful and do a lot to help downtown west Dearborn if the light rail and commuter rail components both fall into place.
ReplyDeleteThe convention center I'm still mixed on. My vision for it would be for it to be something really unique, an architectural attraction. Something that will make people remember that it was Dearborn. Instead I fear the city will put up a warehouse with some nice glass on the front and it will blend into being any old generic convention center, kinda like the Ford Community and Perf. Arts Center.
I also worry about the convention center because there have been hints out of Ann Arbor that a similar scale convention center is being mulled over for the site of the Blake Transit Center downtown and the surrounding parking lots. If Ann Arbor beats us to it I don't think there will be any competing with them. If we beat them to it but they continue to move ahead I worry that people will choose Ann Arbor because of its downtown location vs. the shopping mall location in Dearborn.
The Telegraph/Michigan area has a lot of potential, I agree. I'm just thinking of the Triangle District in Birmingham. It's a short way from downtown over toward the railroad tracks. There's a mixture of adaptive reuse of some existing buildings around the development which consists of town homes and live-work units. They hope to tie that into their own intermodal station a little further away at Maple Rd. and the tracks.