Crestwood superintendent asks Dearborn Heights council to consent to sublease of Warren Valley parking corner for Riverside Middle School pickup

Crestwood School District Superintendent Dr. Yousef Musalem asked the Dearborn Heights City Council on April 22 for consent to a sublease of the northeast corner of the Warren Valley Golf Course parking lot so the district can regrade and repave the area and use it for student pick‑up and drop‑off at Riverside Middle School.

The district is seeking council consent to let Issa Brothers LLC sublease that corner to the Crestwood School District, Musalem told the council. If the city consents, the school board must approve the contract, and Issa Brothers must agree; the superintendent said the district plans to fund the work through its bond program and expects to go to bid through the Michigan bid system. Musalem said the district would aim to start work June 16 and finish before the school year begins, listing an August 31 target but adding the goal was to finish two weeks earlier.

Why it matters: Riverside Middle School enrolls about 1,300 students and sits at a congested intersection on Warren Avenue. Musalem told the council the project would remove roughly 75 to 100 cars from Warren Avenue during arrival and dismissal, reduce crossings at the traffic signal and route exiting traffic westbound to smooth flow. He described the work as a student‑safety measure and said the district expects to pay for the improvements and then maintain the lot.

Musalem detailed the plan and process during a presentation that included construction managers from Axiom Construction and representatives of Issa Brothers LLC, the golf course operator. He said French & Associates prepared the design, Axiom is the construction manager and Troon Law Firm will assist with contract and bid opening. "Every job we do goes through the bid process," he said, adding the district uses sealed public bids.

The sublease terms Musalem described include a 50‑year lease in the draft contract and a clause he said would require the city to honor the district’s remaining lease term if Issa Brothers no longer held its lease with the city. Musalem told the council the district would pay for construction and maintenance: "We will maintain it. We will plow it. We will clean it up. It will be our responsibility," he said.

Musalem said Section 5 of the draft sublease sets the lease payment at $1, and he told the council the district expects the work will cost "over a half a million dollars." He also said the board of education will review the contract at its May 8 meeting and the district will not proceed unless the city, board and Issa Brothers each approve.

Jason Prassello, speaking as a golf course representative, told the council the course supports the plan and acknowledged questions about whether the course lease allows a sublease. He said the course is "really supportive of this as well. We understand the need, and we see, you know, just how dangerous it is out on the streets and the traffic congestion it causes for all of us." Later in the discussion Prassello warned the council that the course lease as written with the county and city may exclude the parking lot from the premises and that final authority over the parking lot rights could rest with the city rather than the golf course operator.

Councilmembers and residents raised questions about lease length, liability and traffic outcomes. Councilman Robert Constant suggested a shorter initial term with renewals: "50 years is a long time. I mean, who knows? ... I would only think a 10‑year period renewable," he said. Council members also asked whether the traffic study had been shared with the city police department and whether maintenance and snow removal would be the district’s responsibility; Musalem said the district would handle maintenance and that he believed the traffic study supports the proposed configuration.

Residents and former board members described a long informal history of school use of the golf course parking lot, and several urged the council to prioritize safety. Trustee Sue Kaminski told the council the school’s use dated to a county‑era handshake agreement around 2002 and characterized the current request as formalizing an existing practice.

Council action and next steps: Council moved to take the proposal to a study session for deeper review; the motion to refer to a study session passed. Council members said the administration and council attorneys should examine whether the city has authority over the parking lot under the golf‑course lease and called for a legal review of the sublease language. Musalem said the district’s board will vote May 8 and the district would not start construction without both board approval and Issa Brothers’ final agreement.

Concise details and clarifications drawn from the presentation and public comment: the district said it expects to remove about 75–100 cars from Warren Avenue; the draft sublease the superintendent described includes a 50‑year term and a $1 nominal rent clause in Section 5; the district estimates the construction cost at more than $500,000 and intends to pay for and maintain the lot; bids will be posted via the Michigan bid system and opened under legal oversight; the Crestwood board will consider the contract May 8; Musalem said the district’s goal is to start work the week after school ends (June 16) and to finish before the new school year.

The council did not approve the sublease at the April 22 meeting; it referred the item to a study session so attorneys, traffic engineers and staff can examine legal authority, lease language and traffic impacts before taking further formal action.