There will also be Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority Local Public Meeting regarding this project next week at 5pm at the same place. Mexicantown Mercado--5pm Brownfields meeting, 6pm Community Benefits meeting.
Closing out the meeting. Will update the website with materials from this meeting within the next few days. Also DCFC NAC is now on Instagram. Also shared QR code for people to share with neighbors to get them to fill out survey.
One last neighbor comment about parking. Lots of lots in area behind Trumbull and Rosa Parks. Are these lots available to be re-activated? Area behind CPA building. Can these be activated? Wants to avoid park-opoly that used to happen during Tigers games when speculators owned spaces.
Martina Guzman of NAC encouraging people to talk with neighbors and email NAC at [email protected]. This is coming fast, and it is a time when we can make some change and get our input heard by a developer who lives in the neighborhood.
Sean Mann of DCFC: this is why have gotten land for parking garage to have 700 spots. Understands that parking is a big issue. Wants to connect Corktown & Mexicantown rather than increase problem. Want to work with existing surface parking options for times when this parking is underutilized.
Neighbor concerned that the surface parking will increase the way that SW Detroit is segregated by I-75. Most of the parking flanks I-75, and this will increase the segregation.
Neighbor concerned that 1/3 of stadium workers live below poverty line and 2/3 live paycheck-to-paycheck. Hopes that NAC will consider this. Also concerned about condition of Bowen Library, from which the stadium tax incentive pulls millages.
President of Western Corktown Association concerned about traffic. Had a few recommendations that he has talked with Sean Mann about. Loves the project and is excited. Loves DCFC. But trying to minimize the inevitable problems when it first opens.
Neighbor came up for comment. Frustrated about traffic discussion. Recommends closing Michigan to outgoing traffic to avoid back-up in Corktown. Also doesn't want parking lots to have only a tiny bit of greenspace like Ilitches' lots. Affected by heat caused by this paving with lack of green.
End of reporting out. Thanks to NAC for meeting mid-week to set up how this meeting would run. Moving on to next part of agenda-- Q&A, public comment from neighbors or NAC members.
Breakout Group #4 concerned about parking, transient residents being pushed out by building, seniors aging in place. Want space for pop-ups for local businesses, grants for local home repairs. (A bit more, but it came fast and I missed it!)
Excited about discount for local residents, setting aside space for local small businesses, connecting with local food trucks, business spaces available for local businesses at below market rates. Had conversations about worker condition.
Breakout Group #3. Concerns about securing auxiliary parking lots so that they aren't developed in the future and we lose that parking, decibel concerns, local hiring for all the jobs and not just low wage jobs, pedestrian safety, coordinating with MDOT and Michigan Ave improvements, traffic.
Breakout Group #2. (This was my group.) Excited about honoring hospital legacy, world-class and global sport in the neighborhood. Concerns: including broader neighborhood, equity in leadership, duplicating pre-existing retail, affordable restaurants, parking, construction energy benchmarking.
What was group excited about? Cultural investment in youth and soccer, Latino cultural activation, scholarships and home repair projects, cleaning up the neighborhood and getting rid of blight.
Concern that scooters and other aspects of transportation will also impact neighborhood. How can DCFC accommodate people lining up for buses or riding bikes?
Facilitator from Breakout Group One. Want to make sure there is inclusivity for neighbors who are not in the official impact zone but who will be affected.
Facilitator from Zoom breakout room is going first. There were 10-20 people on the Zoom, but only two spoke. The big picture was that everybody feels good about the DCFC stadium. Some concerns about parking. People were glad that the community was involved so deeply in the process.
