This week in Detroit development, property tax justice advocates scored a major win in City Council, which passed an ordinance to make tax assessments more transparent and easier to appeal. Elsewhere, the City of Detroit continues to struggle to hire enough bus drivers as performance lags, and Brush Park residents contest a new low-income housing development in their neighborhood.
Re-assessing assessments
City Council voted on Tuesday to approve an ordinance that a group of property tax reform advocates say will make tax assessments more fair and transparent. The proposal, developed by the Coalition for Property Tax Justice, would make it simpler to challenge assessments, update tax bills so they’re easier to understand, and require the city’s Office of the Assessor to make available all the data it used to determine property taxes. The Law Department opposed it, saying the city can’t reform its property tax administration by ordinance. The new rules will go into effect this year when tax bills are sent out. (Detroit Documenters, Coalition for Property Tax Justice)
Drive my bus
We wrote about bus driver shortages affecting service at the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) several months ago, but city officials were confident they’d be able to hire enough by the end of the year. It’s nearly December, and Detroit is still way short of the number it needs for buses to run their routes and show up on time. The city’s Interim Executive Director of Transit G. Michael Staley told City Council earlier this month there was an average of 358 active drivers from July to October. He wants a minimum of 380, but would prefer an active roster of 600 drivers by September 2024. Detroit Documenters spent 50 hours riding the city’s most popular lines this month and had some interesting things to say. Biggest takeaways? Buses are frequently late and there are few shelters, but many also had pleasant experiences and shouted out their drivers. (Outlier Media, BridgeDetroit)
NIMBYs in Brush Park?
Residents of the upscale Brush Park neighborhood are objecting to plans to build an affordable housing complex (paywalled) at the site of the former Brewster Wheeler Recreation Center. Plans call for more than 200 apartments in four new buildings surrounding the recreation center, which developer MHT Housing Inc. would also renovate. All the units would be income-restricted with many reserved for young people recently in the foster care system. During a virtual meeting with the developer and Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield last week, several residents expressed concerns about concentrating low-income residents in their neighborhood, saying the housing complex could lower property values and potentially contribute to more crime. They also criticized MHT’s outreach, saying the original plans changed after they were approved by the Brush Park Community Development Corp. (Detroit Free Press, Axios Detroit)
Finish it already
County officials and Bedrock Detroit continue to disagree over how far along the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center is. Bedrock is building the center, and there have been plenty of cost overruns and delays. Dan Gilbert’s development firm said it was “substantially complete” back in August, which means the project is 98% done. The milestone matters because it starts the timer for when warranties on some equipment begin and the county is required to move in inmates. Bedrock continued work on it for three more months, and the county hasn’t moved anyone in yet. The two parties are hoping to have the matter resolved this week. Last winter, people incarcerated at the current jail were freezing due to inadequate heating. (Freep, Detroit News)
Development news quick-hitters
The yearly rent for office space at Bedrock’s under-construction Hudson’s site development (paywalled) will be $$$$ at $59 per square foot — more than twice the average rate downtown. (Crain’s Detroit Business)
A 60-unit development for low-income older adults just opened in Piety Hill. The Holley Residences will be available to those making up to 50% of the area median income. (Urbanize Detroit)
Residents near Rouge Park want the city to reconsider the location of a proposed recreation center, saying it will destroy too many of the park’s nearly 100-year old oak trees. (BridgeDetroit)
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