[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6267694,"mediaKeyId","3066749-082d1cf084c768783f1b76b18807d520","parentId",3066749,"title","Votes at a glance: Planning & Economic Development committee actions, April 17, 2025","audioSeconds",1352,"startMs",3963000,"endMs",5315000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3066749-082d1cf084c768783f1b76b18807d520&start=3963&end=5315","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3066749-082d1cf084c768783f1b76b18807d520/thumbnail_3963000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6267694/Detroit/Wayne-County/Michigan/Votes-at-a-glance-Planning-Economic-Development-committee-actions-April-17-2025","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267694-c85c6a575d7c0981f99afde5a948d275/orig.mp4?Expires=1771084371&Signature=G1Y3-j6PrM9V3RQzTLO6A2WH7dO3lelvvkWMvlhrmzqtYQU20OofJK1sCE72n2DMtoR3xNmZr1iIfHg0ywdT3P3ZZO7a8QogcLEATilpxjtxmglDS4DBWWjlTsZiXDu64jiUN4-W6Sk7H0ydxwUoS3wXrpPX1~3z1rTFZY0PbjK8tcnv4H3jcToFz8RBy6ipikDIlsdFuigq2p6sZlU0dHY6UoTE6k~DN3TuhwdmPI8XZ1HIL2U8jHX9RmGxvJ5mnIelyT3gYSnzIkpWDYd~xCMpSogw3SwVfSy4GcYGsTryYp8vHVkHtVocrtsSNHii3ywkZs68tBffMGIeiBiJPA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Detroit, MI ","date","2025-04-17T00:00:00Z","article","The Planning & Economic Development Standing Committee took several motions on April 17, 2025. Most motions were carried by voice vote with no recorded objections. The committee used the formal-referral process (sending items to the formal City Council agenda) for multiple property sales, planning items and the Baobab Fair commercial-redevelopment-district request. Where the transcript did not name a mover, the committee record used a neutral description.

Votes at a glance (committee action; outcome):

- Line item 5 — Establish commercial facilities redevelopment district for Baobab Fair (16900 East Warren): Motion to send to formal with recommendation to approve; committee approved by voice vote with no objections.

- Line item 7.1 — Status of Planning & Development Department property sales on East McNichols: Motion to bring back in 2 weeks; committee approved.

- Line items 7.3 and 8.4 — Memos regarding Detroit Land Bank Authority (member Waters): Motion to receive and file both items; committee approved.

- Line item 7.2 — Status of memorandum regarding past funding and staffing of Planning Department: Motion to bring back in 3 weeks; committee approved.

- Line item 7.4 — Sale of 19427 and 19435 West Warren Avenue (amended purchase and sale): Motion to send to formal with recommendation to approve as amended (facade and signage conditions noted); committee approved.

- Line item 8.1 — City Planning Commission 2025–26 Homeless Solutions funding schedule and list of applicants: Motion to send to formal with recommendation to approve; committee approved.

- Line items 8.2 and 8.3 — Oak Grove AME Church historic designation study and ad hoc appointments: Motion to send to formal with recommendation to approve; committee approved.

- Line item 8.5 — Amendment/extension to quit claim deed for Trumbull Properties LLC (10 townhomes): Motion to send to formal with recommendation to approve (36-month extension to close financing); committee approved.

- Line item 8.6 — Property sale for laundromat project at 12400 Kelly Road: Motion to approve and send to formal with recommendation to approve; committee approved.

- Line item 8.7 — Property sale at 13033 Puritan Avenue: Motion to send to formal with recommendation to approve; committee approved.

- Line item 8.8 — Property sale at 7619 and 7639 Mac: Motion to send to formal with recommendation to approve; committee approved.

- Line item 8.9 — Property sale at 1123 East 7 Mile Road: Motion to send to formal with recommendation to approve; committee approved.

- (Transcript item titled \"line item 8.1\" later in sequence) — Property sale at 18468 and 18472 Mount Elliott Street: Motion to send to formal with recommendation to approve; committee approved.

- Line item 8.11 — Property sale at 9,413 West Grand River (adjacent lot for Poetry Café expansion/outdoor seating): Motion to send to formal with recommendation to approve; committee approved.

- Line item 8.12 — Property sale at 2202 Wilkins Street: Motion to send to formal with recommendation to approve; committee approved.

- Line item 8.13 — Transfer of jurisdiction and sale of vacated alley adjacent to Barthwell Stewart Park (sale to adjacent landowner Latimer): Motion to send to formal with recommendation to approve; committee approved.

Notes on procedure and outcomes: Most motions were carried by voice vote and recorded as “Seeing no objections, that action shall be taken.” Where the committee amended a sale (for example, façade/signage conditions in item 7.4), the amendment was recorded in the committee’s discussion and incorporated into the motion. Several items were continued for short returns to committee (7.1 and 7.2). The Baobab Fair item (line 5) was a substantive public hearing and was sent to formal with a recommendation to approve; the committee did not grant a tax-exemption certificate at this meeting — any abatement certificate must be separately applied for and approved by City Council and the Michigan State Tax Commission.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Detroit City Council Planning Economics 04-17-2025","oneSentenceSummary","The committee recorded a set of procedural and project motions — primarily to send items to formal with recommendations to approve, and to schedule several items to return to committee — during its April 17 meeting. This roundup lists each motion and the committee outcome.","taxTitle","Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan","taxId",48464,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6267699,"Committee hears 5-year strategic plan for Detroit homelessness response; officials outline immediate and next steps",1755,4024000,5779000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3066749-082d1cf084c768783f1b76b18807d520&start=4024&end=5779","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3066749-082d1cf084c768783f1b76b18807d520/thumbnail_4024000.jpg","/articles/6267699/Detroit/Wayne-County/Michigan/Committee-hears-5-year-strategic-plan-for-Detroit-homelessness-response-officials-outline-immediate-and-next-steps","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267699-4e5324525c34d88df3d03eac7f51f9f4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771084371&Signature=GSL5s8usXmXCBWvtQv7ufUxyLzS9kamxaBwMvqQiOKFIV129Yz9rv0PXCt3MkrZGcQW72DwWu-v2rIRCL~SoFDeu-xI~V5Mr9bDPHbY1ooNb-l4uGc-goPC4mMjtAiaZBM6h1wrd0aphlX4z2hCMFIaPVqINp720gGK3HYKMbM~lQWnhRRTEtxjZ6b0a0ThMOoV2Sw4~kNG7kJG9pGa8R0~iY04B3Mpk5BoskhaRELft03-3-Hm2EWbA4iTSCixzwVGPnLmMI9Aa-nsPVKLadz5zGKO5FmGf7k0MiXROVXI5Yi~Vh2f5uLLjdNJvHnoSPKHkk2agXWfypFVcrhunmw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Planning & Economic Development Standing Committee on April 17 heard a briefing on the Strategic System Improvement Plan for Detroit’s homelessness response system, a multi-year roadmap presented by city staff and Continuum of Care partners.

Tara Lindsner, Homelessness Solutions Director in the Housing and Revitalization Department, and Chelsea Neblett, chief of Housing Solutions and Supportive Services, introduced the session. Tasha Gray, executive director of the Homeless Action Network of Detroit, and Candice Morgan of the Housing and Revitalization Department gave a detailed overview of the plan’s structure, goals and early progress.

The plan (issued in August 2024, as presenters noted) sets six strategic goals, including centering people with lived experience, ensuring households receive services based on need, expanding housing resources, strengthening partnerships and coordinating funding and prevention services. Gray described how the local Continuum of Care (CoC) coordinates emergency shelter, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing and supportive services across Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck.

“What CAM is not,” Gray told the committee, “is a shelter or an emergency response; it is the coordinated referral system that links people to the housing resources that may be available.” CAM is the city’s coordinated assessment model for making shelter and housing referrals.

Presenters listed improvement action areas and early steps already underway: a retooled coordinated helpline and after-hours outreach routing, a rapid shelter-exit program to move residents into housing more quickly, recovery and peer supports in shelters, and an affordable-housing Notice of Funding Availability the city released to provide $2,000,000 for permanent supportive housing. Candice Morgan said the plan also calls for establishing structures to implement the plan, expanding staffing and capacity across the system, advocating for resources and strengthening or reimagining shelter operations.

Staff gave several progress updates the committee can expect to track: in February 2025 staff reported 114 new permanent supportive-housing (PSH) units opened and an additional 51 units expected to open soon; the city reported adding “2 30 drop in center beds” (language as presented) to provide immediate shelter access for people found unsheltered; recovery housing beds funded through opioid settlement funds are being coordinated with the Homeless Management Information System; and a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes pilot ordinance to incentivize deeply affordable housing had passed.

Committee members pressed for detail about how the plan will reduce inflow into the homelessness system and produce durable exits to stable housing. Councilmember Leticia Johnson asked whether shelters must fill vacancies through the coordinated entry system; staff replied that shelters are required to fill through CAM and that the drop-in center beds were established in part to address people who need immediate, same-night access. Officials emphasized cross-sector work — aligning workforce services, behavioral and physical health, Detroit Housing Services programs and school liaisons — to reduce new entries into homelessness and to support households after placement.

Staff described next steps for implementation: creating or revising CoC committees, staffing those committees, building work plans, using CDBG funds to repair shelters damaged by flooding, publishing regular progress reporting and soliciting broad membership for the committees. Officials asked the committee for continued Council support and public help: outreach requests from residents identifying unsheltered neighbors are routed to outreach teams; staff said they would make the outreach-request form available to Councilmembers and the public.

No formal committee vote was taken on the plan during the meeting. Committee members thanked staff and asked for ongoing updates as the plan moves into implementation and as housing resources come online.","City staff and the Detroit Continuum of Care presented the Strategic System Improvement Plan for Detroit’s homelessness response, detailing goals, existing actions and next steps including new committees, funding alignments and expanded outreach and shelter capacity.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6267704,"Committee sends Baobab Fair redevelopment-district request to formal, recommends approval",2637,1348000,3985000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3066749-082d1cf084c768783f1b76b18807d520&start=1348&end=3985","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3066749-082d1cf084c768783f1b76b18807d520/thumbnail_1348000.jpg","/articles/6267704/Detroit/Wayne-County/Michigan/Committee-sends-Baobab-Fair-redevelopment-district-request-to-formal-recommends-approval","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267704-cc31529c2a0ae9fdb4fa05b62a32a91f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771084371&Signature=C9yMWeG8WLgSxHwW9C-Vw7Pjgg1I9l400hjs7h6C7kR60y4ce~zTouulkFfyXz3G6REFW~xaLHcbuCNRHtIxSPYPZt5tD3Qao8JsPduN6P-i9xxVFp-KCXsYOgIVX59IizC1ex2GvT75TYtGFG01kB3hdmB-baTj~qxU5d9oFgxL19SOeYpQpHoUtoeWC7WzMYMyuFmMTueiVHKkOh-MqegFmLyvJ4b8Zqv2GyOhm1ccCtBb92STum6fl9erBu74gyGghzQtAwbmg58KLotIDxriEZsN8GhYU5Nvx7RmSlS-RmH-8neugUf8rBiOLYP4B5RH8ljWJt5NdksHVLKovQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Planning & Economic Development Standing Committee on April 17 moved to send a request to establish a Commercial Facilities Redevelopment District for Baobab Fair, R.E. LLC, at 16900 East Warren to formal with a recommendation to approve.

The district request, filed under the Commercial Facilities Exemption Act (Public Act 255 of 1978), was presented by Nicole Scott of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and Justice Cook of the Housing and Revitalization Department. Scott told the committee the project’s “total development costs are $1,600,000” for a 3,104-square-foot restaurant space, and that the developer estimates about 20 construction jobs and 30 post-construction jobs tied to the project. Scott said the assessor’s office had confirmed eligibility on Feb. 3, 2025, and that the abatement request itself would come later if the property owner applies for a certificate.

Why it matters: establishing a commercial redevelopment district only creates eligibility to request a tax-exemption certificate; it does not itself grant the tax abatement. Scott explained the estimated annual tax burden to the developer in the first full year would be about $5,000, with the abated portion roughly $7,000 a year; once any abatement ends the full tax bill would be just under $14,000 (figures presented by DEGC).

Developer Hammis Namba, identified in the hearing as the co-founder and co-owner of Baobab Fair, described the business and its local roots: “Baobab Fair is more than just a restaurant. It’s a place where I celebrate East African culture, provide jobs, and bring people together,” he said, adding the project would be the company’s third Detroit restaurant and that construction could start if the committee’s actions and financing proceed as expected. Architect Cassandra Kale and consultant Omar Uddin joined the presentation to describe building repairs, ADA accessibility upgrades, insulation and energy-efficiency measures, window and roof replacement, Energy Star appliances and accessible restrooms.

Committee members and public commenters asked about timeline, parking, accessibility and local hiring. Councilmember Leticia Johnson asked when the community would see on-site activity; Namba said the team was about “85%” finished with preconstruction and hoped to start work in October (year given by presenter as “this year”). Johnson pressed for stronger universal-design features and suggested automatic doors; Cassandra Kale said automatic doors could be added but would increase cost. On hiring, Namba said the team planned to recruit locally and attend neighborhood job events; he said several current staff live on the East Side and that the project has already generated local interest.

Members of the public who spoke during the project’s public hearing included Chase Cantrell of Building Community Value, who urged approval and described the developer’s participation in neighborhood development training; several callers expressed support for the restaurant and for bringing dining options to the East Warren corridor.

A motion by Councilmember Leticia Johnson to send the district request to formal with a recommendation to approve passed by voice vote with no objections.

Next steps: if a property owner in the proposed district later applies for an exemption certificate, that certificate must be approved by Detroit City Council and by the Michigan State Tax Commission before any tax abatement takes effect. The district designation alone does not change tax liability until a certificate is issued and approved.","The committee voted to send a request to establish a Commercial Facilities Redevelopment District for Baobab Fair at 16900 East Warren to formal with a recommendation to approve; the district would allow future tax-exemption certificates to be requested after the developer completes the investment.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Planning & Economic Development committee actions, April 17, 2025

Committee hears 5-year strategic plan for Detroit homelessness response; officials outline immediate and next steps

Committee sends Baobab Fair redevelopment-district request to formal, recommends approval