Residents say they were not notified before industrial approach construction on Harmon Street; mayor negotiated later modifications

At the Oct. 20 St. Clair Shores City Council meeting, residents raised complaints about a recent approval and subsequent construction of an industrial-style approach (driveway/access) on Harmon Street. The concerns focused on a lack of direct notice to affected homeowners, the effect on property values, and the perception that prior assurances at a 2010 rezoning meant that no approach would be allowed on that street.

Rosemarie Ashland, a longtime resident and former mortgage-office business owner, told the council she and neighbors were “shocked” when they observed construction activity after a recent meeting in which, she said, council members indicated the issue was resolved. Ashland said residents had collected records and signatures demonstrating their opposition and that they expected to be notified if plans changed. She told the council the mayor had negotiated a less intrusive plan after residents objected, but she said construction began nonetheless without contacting her and other neighbors directly.

City staff responding in the meeting said the 2010 rezoning did not carry site-specific conditions forward and that the earlier site-plan approval had conditions that did not run with the land. The city manager told residents that, in his view, the project would not reduce property values; Ashland said she disagreed and asked the council to make notification mandatory in similar future circumstances.

No formal action was taken at the meeting on this item. Mayor Walbee acknowledged the residents’ concerns and said administration staff and the mayor had worked to limit the project’s intrusiveness. Residents asked the council to clarify notification practices and to consider whether notice to directly affected property owners should be required in similar cases going forward.

Public-record notes: the transcript indicates the parcel’s rezoning in 2010 did not include conditions that run with the land and that the specific site-plan approval at that time carried conditions only for that plan. Residents maintain their expectation that they would be informed if development plans affecting their street were proposed.