Detroit City Council OKs controversial Moroun land transfer deal despite resident concerns

Amid intense public scrutiny, the Detroit City Council voted to approve a land transfer deal with the Detroit International Bridge Co., despite fears from residents that it will lead to the decimation of the surrounding community.

The land in question, 3085 W. Jefferson Ave., is the final piece of a 2015 agreement with the bridge company that included funds for improvements and upgrades to Riverside Park, among other conditions. Residents of the neighborhood surrounding the embattled ground, called Hubbard Richard, urged city leaders to hold off on finalizing the agreement until a Community Benefits plan has been established and to prioritize the livelihood of the neighborhood over corporate greed.

In 2015, the city entered a land exchange agreement with the bridge company that was predicated on a number of requirements from each party, including a transfer of approximately 4.8 acres of waterfront property west of Riverside Park from the company to the city and a $5 million donation from the bridge company for enhancements to the park, $3 million of which has been given. The remaining $2 million for the park is conditioned upon the transfer of the final parcel of approximately 3.8 acres of land on Jefferson Avenue, this amount would allow for upgrades including a parking lot, boat launch, and more playscapes.

While residents support the completion of Riverside Park, advocates say the remaining funding can be found from other sources, and this final parcel of land symbolizes the city's only leverage over the bridge company to secure benefits for the community. The city council previously struck down this land transfer in 2021 due to similar concerns from residents that a benefits plan had not been established. Since then, community members and city leaders have been in negotiation with DIBC.

Council President Mary Sheffield's office referred an inquiry from the Free Press on Tuesday regarding the reason why the land transfer of 3085 W. Jefferson Ave. was brought before the council again, considering a benefits plan has yet to be finalized, to the DIBC. DIBC did not respond.

Residents want a promise that if DIBC pursues another bridge — the company has previously said it intends to build another bridge linking Detroit and Windsor — that it will enter a Community Benefits agreement with residents and that it won't further displace residents and will not continue to encroach on the neighborhood and prey upon homeowners. Another benefit residents are pushing for is to transfer DIBC properties along St. Anne Street and within the neighborhood into a community land trust. Hubbard Richard community leaders estimate that if an agreement is finalized without protections, then 20% of the neighborhood will be decimated, as an expansion of the bridge company's customs plaza would flatten at least two blocks of homes.

"How we vote on this matter directly impacts the circumstances and quality of life of my residents and everyone who visits Riverside Park," said Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero, whose district includes Hubbard Richard. "I am not here to fight a park. I'm here to fight for the health and rights to breathe clean air of every single person that loves Detroit, who lives here, and who visits our beautiful city."

Ambassador Bridge owner Matthew Moroun spoke at Tuesday's meeting, highlighting the fact that the company has fulfilled its end of the agreement and now wants the city to do its part. Moroun said he does not want to enter another agreement before the 2015 deal is finalized, but he is open to continuing discussions with the community regarding a benefits agreement for Hubbard Richard residents despite his assertion that the company has no plans to pursue a second bridge. He said the land will be used as a buffer between the bridge and the park, and it will largely remain as is with some landscaping beautification.

"I'm happy to engage in talking about other agreements, I'm happy to do that, and I think there's some very positive outcomes that can be reached," Moroun said, "but I don't want to engage in talks of another agreement while this one is still outstanding in being held hostage.

"I trusted the city when I agreed to that Riverside Park agreement where I went first and spent money, property and effort. I'm asking you to trust me and finish the city's end of the agreement, and then we can move forward on other new agreements."

The city's law department has opined that the city has reached the point where it has not met its legal obligation to DIBC, putting it in breach of the 2015 land exchange agreement if it does not transfer this final piece of land. Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett outlined the potential legal ramifications if the city doesn't fulfill its end of the agreement, including DIBC demanding restitution and requiring the city to return its investments.

Negotiation talks have shown promise thus far, but both residents and city leaders emphasize that more time is needed to reach an agreement.

"We have already agreed to some things," Moroun said. "Even without the completion of this agreement. So at first there was a concern that well, what if you build a new bridge? Well, we're not going to build a new bridge. But what if you do anyways? Well, we made an agreement already done on top of this agreement that says before we do, there's a series of public meetings and community meetings that we'll have to deal with appropriately before that can even take place."

Sheffield and council members Mary Waters, Angela Whitfield-Calloway,  Coleman Young, Scott Benson and Fred Durhal voted in favor of approving the land transfer. Council members Santiago-Romero, James Tate and Latisha Johnson voted against the motion.

On Monday night, in advance of Tuesday's meeting, Hubbard Richard residents held a rally to demonstrate their opposition to the land transfer, which was attended by U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, and Councilwoman Santiago-Romero.

"All I see is them wanting to take away from our community, not invest in our community," Tlaib said, speaking before the small crowd standing in front of a tall dark pink wall that separates the neighborhood from a border protections and customs area at the foot of the Ambassador Bridge, "I am ashamed that our city would even want to give them (the Moroun family) any public spaces at all."

At Tuesday's meeting, more than 70 public commenters spoke before the council, the majority of which focused on the land transfer agreement. Some residents who spoke simply expressed a desire for the park to be completed, for it to be a crown jewel of the community, and others voiced their fears about the ramifications of allowing the DIBC to secure this final parcel without guaranteed benefits for residents.

Speaking before the council, Sam Butler, president of the Hubbard Richard Residents Association, said he is concerned that the transfer of 3085 W. Jefferson Ave. will lead to an expansion of the DBIC's plaza behind the pink wall, further resident displacement and blockbusting.

"Their eventual hope to expand the plaza is not hyperbole, this has been stated fact," Butler said. "Under the leadership of President Sheffield and Member Santiago-Romero, we've been talking with the DIBC and those talks are making progress. I genuinely feel like we are close to a deal, but a vote to transfer the land today would undo all of that hard work. So all we are asking is that you give us more time so that we can complete the land transfer. All we are asking is that you not transfer that property today without a community agreement in place."

Rogelio Landin, who grew up in Hubbard Richard, supports the land swap and appealed to council members during Tuesday's meeting to resist the temptation to make decisions “influenced by unfounded information.”

“I’m a little disappointed because that’s coming across as, 'We’ll support it but you have to give us something.’ That wasn’t the deal in 2015. The (Community Benefits ordinance) didn’t even exist.”

Detroiters voted on the Community Benefits ordinance in 2016, a law requiring developers to engage with the community to identify benefits or address concerns about their projects.

A District 6 resident who called into the meeting said she and her family enjoy Riverside Park, her kids love the basketball court and soccer field, and she wants to see the park reach its full potential.

"We ask that council honor the agreement and stop stalling," she said. "It sounds political and all we want to do is enjoy the park and have it finished. It makes us feel included with downtown Detroit and it revitalizes our city."

Free Press staff writer Dana Afana contributed to this report.

Contact Miriam Marini: mmarini@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit council OKs land transfer with owners of Ambassador Bridge