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Council tables site plan for 8760 Joseph Campo after community pleas to save Yemeni mural
Summary
The council heard competing arguments over a proposed one-story building at 8760 Joseph Campo that would sit in front of a well-known Yemeni mural, then voted to table the site-plan decision for two weeks so attorneys and community representatives can seek a solution.
Hamtramck — The Hamtramck City Council on Aug. 12 suspended the rules to allow extended public comment and then tabled consideration of a site plan for 8760 Joseph Campo after residents, arts advocates and the project owner debated whether a proposed building would cover a landmark Yemeni mural.
Community members and members of the groups that commissioned the mural said the artwork is an iconic, community-built piece and urged the council to block development or require preservation. “You just don't take, like, a Van Gogh painting and say, 'let's move it over here,'” said Bill Meyer, who helped organize the mural project and fundraising, stressing the mural’s cultural and community value.
The owner’s attorney and the property owner said there is no existing contract that permanently prohibits development of the lot. The owner’s representative said the Islamic Center had agreed to lease the parcel for a period (the attorney described a prior lease arrangement) but later chose to terminate the lease; the owner’s counsel told the council the prior agreement did not impose a perpetual restriction on building. The owner offered to work with community groups and said he was prepared to contribute to a replacement mural on a new facade or on another wall.
City staff from Community & Economic Development told the council their review found the proposed single-story building met the ordinance requirements for the site plan and the façade review; staff said the city’s separate agreement that had temporarily maintained the lot as leased is distinct from the site-plan determination. CED said it would like the parties to reach a solution that preserves public art, and it recommended approval of the building plans if the legal impediments could be resolved.
Council action and timing: After extended discussion and testimony from community members, the council voted to table action on Resolution 2025‑95 (the site plan for 8760 Joseph Campo) and directed city staff and the city attorney to review past agreements and to meet with the owner and community representatives. Council members set the item to return to the meeting scheduled for Aug. 26.
What residents said: Speakers described years of fundraising and volunteer work to create and maintain the mural; several recommended options such as reproducing the image on a vinyl banner, rebuilding a new painted mural on the new building facade, or finding another owner or lessee willing to preserve the wall. The mural’s original fundraiser and organizers warned that vinyl reproductions are vulnerable to vandalism and urged a permanent painted preservation. The Arts and Culture Commission signaled it can offer expertise and legal options to protect the mural as public art.
What developers said: The property owner’s attorney said the Islamic Center fulfilled its lease obligations for a period and then sought to end the lease more than a year ago. He told council that the owner has the right to develop the property now but that his clients were open to working on a replacement mural or other preservation measures.
Next steps: Council gave two weeks for the city attorney to review prior agreements, and for council members, Bill Meyer and other stakeholders to confer. Staff said they would report back at the Aug. 26 meeting, at which the council intends to take final action on the site plan.
