Thread by @grenadine

At the State Fairgrounds public hearing again. I can tweet notes later.

The short version is: This is a wildly wasteful site plan. It's developed

1) as if it's in a greenfield, not on a historic site in a city, and
2) with tons of unplanned/spec space!!!!!

HOW ARE YOU GONNA TEAR DOWN NATIONAL REGISTER BUILDINGS WHEN HALF YOUR SITE PLAN IS NOT EVEN PLANNED YET?

It looks like they want to put the bus station where the NR buildings are now. You have so much space that isn't actually designated for anything, put it there!!!!!!

Also how thee fuck are they putting the bus station in the middle of the site?? Do they know what buses... are

and how buses..... work

??????

you can build around Meijer but you can't build around buildings the entire city and state grew up with?

oh, okay

no you don't have to explain it. I see you

Hello State Fairgrounds developers,

You don't get to throw two large historic buildings in the landfill and act like it's eco friendly.

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got excited about seeing green space on the FORMERLY PUBLIC site but it's all stormwater retention

This site will be across from the cemeteries! Woodlawn Cemetery is a big deal in Detroit! Come onnnn

I'm irritated that the Fairgrounds hearings each have a topic and won't answer questions OF DETROITERS on other topics.

I have spent two evenings on this already. Would have spent three if I didn't have a hard conflict last week.

It's too much time to ask of the public IMO

"I don't wanna be chased away from my house. I've been here twenty years."

--a nearby resident who has not received the Fairgrounds development sound studies that were promised to her

City staff emphasizes they don't know what the use for the rest of the site is. LOL

Frank Hammer requests that they preserve the old growth forest in the middle of the site. They talk around it :/

All the animals living in there don't know what's gonna hit em

There is no expectation of drones at the amazon Fairgrounds site, for whatever that's worth

Breathe Free Detroit talks about the heavy truck traffic near the former Incinerator and the particulate matter it brings. "The community should be getting something in return to offset this burden," like air purifying units, and street cleaning with water trucks

"Amazon can afford this, and Detroit residents cannot."

A commenter says "please don't sell out our history. Do you really think that's doing us right by the community?"

They really put a lot of money into this messaging, to be frank.

This guy working for the City was all "oh we've had many conversations" to this commenter and she called out that they had talked when the Land Bank took and demo'ed her neighbor's house, not as pals.

"I get the impression that the people who came up with this deal don't ride the bus. I am wondering if you did community input with people who ride the bus."

A commenter asks whether they can deconstruct the existing buildings instead of demo, they say *maybe* but the Mayor's office is rushing

Preservation architects who visited the site said the coliseum could be repurposed as a bus station!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's basically a giant, beautiful shed. That's what you need for a bus station. I mean.

A commenter who lived near the former Incinerator talked about being hospitalized because of asthma and thinking he was going to die.

He expresses serious concern that the developers claim to not have compared this facility to any other Amazon one

In case they try to cut comments off at 8:30, I have the Open Meetings Act open in another tab ☺️

"I'm just disappointed in the lack of answers being provided to community members," says Tanya Myers-Phillips. The City is answering questions people ask directly to the developers.

She's also concerned abt language being used abt "balancing" stuff against neighbors' health.

"All we have is this powerpoint and this barebones purchase agreement.... Why won't you put these things in writing?"

--Tanya Myers-Phillips

PLANNERS. DEVELOPERS. OFFICIALS YOU DON'T GET TO YELL AT THE COMMUNITY FOR NOT HAVING HEARD OF YOUR PUBLIC HEARINGS OR INFORMATION BEFORE TODAY. THAT'S YOUR PROCESS BEING FLAWED.

Danny Samson said he would have to "temper himself" in his response. Openly mad at the public??

MY FELLOW PLANNERS, I know you have done your precious and long process that you think is plenty, but guess what? You don't get to go off on or complain about people coming into the process "late" or saying you shut them out.

If they didn't hear, you didn't do enough. Period.

He really told her he would have to "temper himself" in his comments. Get over yourself and do better.

Arguing with the public for literally quoting what they said back to them. Truly embarrassing.

Tanya Myers-Phillips asks for these promises to be put into a Community Benefits Agreement.

Ray Diggs says it doesn't meet the requirements for a CBA. Sounds like City of Detroit CBA requirements are too loose.

They keep saying there has been no "feasible" plan for rehab, which is just a loud ass subtweet at the State Fairgrounds Development Coalition, who have been doing a robust, community-informed plan for the site for years.

Jennifer Baross asks about preservation and they claim the bus station can only go where the Coliseum is because it makes 8 Mile bus turns easier.

The SMART FAST bus won't be able to service this center, if memory serves, though. Why does one matter and another doesn't?

Larry Verse asks when there has been interaction with the bus riding community, saying asking DDOT alone is not enough.

Circling back, Jennifer Baross called out being addressed in a respectfully condescending" manner by the people holding the hearing.

I'm SO angry

God. They're totally gonna build some cornball vaguely Coliseum-shaped, Branson-ass, lowest quality Home Depot bricks bus station. They haven't talked about the design yet but I'm telling you now.

OOP, a random person has done the "If you personally can't buy and rehab this building, you cannot dare critique what's happening with it!!!!!" thing that every preservationist has had said to them 9,999 times per month

BRB let me just get out my wallet and buy every single building anyone has ever baitingly told me "well why don't YOU buy it" about.

Nancy Finegood says the City Planner they met with seemed to think the well-maintained building that had been unused for ten years was ~*~impossible~*~ to reuse. Ten years is nothing, she says.

Preservation architects believe the Coliseum can be reused as a transit center.

(She's being so respectful. I uhh... may have made similar arguments in a far less kind tone)

They are going into more detail for her, saying it would cost too much to heat the Coliseum and it isn't as skinny. "It's the best performing configuration."

They went with what transportation planners wanted, and I don't think spoke to preservation architects

Nancy Finegood talks about how the environment is talked about as being very green, but the greenest building is one that's already built.

Hear, hear!

Adding this as an extra note: The claim is the Coliseum would need an internal building put within it to be a bus station and it would cost too much.

This company is owned by the literal richest man on earth! He can afford it!!!! This is a Bezos-branded demolition

Any question about more preservation or a better bus station is met with "It would cost more than the proposed $7 million."

Jeff Bezos earns $215,068,493 per day.

Commentey Gary said "When we walked in the Coliseum on Tuesday, that ceiling was amazing."

He proposes using one side of the Coliseum for a bus station, the other for restaurants. It could draw international acclaim. I LOVE that idea.

Picture the Coliseum preserved as half bus station, half something like the Flint Farmers' Market inside, an open mix of food and community space! It would be a dream

Detroit public hearing drinking game:

If they butcher a Polish or other Eastern European commenter's last name, do a shot.

If the person is good natured about it, do another shot.

This hearing thus far: Four shots

Shots of jezy or bison grass vodka, preferably. Any vodka is acceptable. If you don't drink, cough syrup is close enough to jezy.

"We don't see the value because we see the large site as an abandoned site.... Why can't the little red rectangle be shifted" ???

It has the potential for "unintentional consequences" by making the giant empty rectangles smaller. LOLOLOLOLOL

The bus station is currently "sited to take out the two most significant buildings" on the site, says Sarah Cronin.

SERIOUSLY

The Dumars Fieldhouse provides "hundreds of thousands of hours of recreation at no cost to anybody," and they hope that recreation will continue to be a consideration. They don't provide 1200 jobs, says Brian Siegel, but they provide a unique service.

Brian Siegel gently says he doesn't appreciate the site being referred to as wholly vacant when the Dumars Field House has been active and providing value.

Everyone did get to comment at least once, despite Kim Tandy repeatedly making it sound like they might end the meeting before everyone spoke (which is illegal, yes I checked the OMA).

Hearing over. There will be more hearings of various natures. I'm gonna try to get the dates down.

Thanks for reading. I'm gonna look over my notes, message a few peers, and then go think about other things for a while.

One last preservation thought: The City keeps saying no one has used those buildings for ten years, but that's

1) not fully true

2) not that long in a preservation timetable

2) kind of a self-own, isn't it?