Dearborn Heights council approves temporary license for Crestwood to use Warren Valley golf-course parking

Dearborn Heights — The Dearborn Heights City Council on July 1 voted to adopt a resolution consenting to an existing nonexclusive license that allows the Crestwood School District to use portions of the Warren Valley Golf Course parking lot for parking by those affiliated with the district from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.

The resolution, moved by Councilman Ahmad and seconded by Councilman Saab, states the council’s consent is required under section 12 of the lease between the city and Grama LLC and that the consent continues only until a formal nonexclusive sublease can be negotiated and approved. The resolution also authorized the council’s special legal counsel to present the council with respect to the license and any proposed sublease.

Council members adopted the resolution after public comments and debate. The council’s action does not itself approve or execute a sublease; the resolution says any sublease would require a separate written agreement and subsequent council action.

Residents, school-board officials and legal advisers who spoke during the public comment period emphasized safety at Riverside Middle School and along Warren Avenue as the central justification for moving quickly. “Put the politics aside when it comes to our children,” said Moe Seba, identified in the meeting as president of the Crestwood School Board. Multiple parents and former board members described congested and hazardous drop-off conditions and urged the council to allow the arrangement to continue so on-site improvements and use can proceed before the next school year.

Speakers also raised procurement and transparency concerns during the meeting. Participants referred to a draft estimate for paving work that listed Al’s Asphalt Pavement at $497,318 and later remarks that engineers or others had estimated work could cost $1.2 million to $1.5 million. Members of the public and some council members said they wanted clearer documentation of bids, scopes of work and whether the Issa Brothers’ existing lease over the premises covers the parking area.

Special legal counsel Gary Miyake described the resolution as an intermediate, procedural step. “This is a step to move the process forward,” Miyake told the council, adding the resolution does not constitute the final sublease agreement.

Questions about the city’s charter and the proper role of the administration recurred in the discussion. A speaker who identified himself as a former corporation counsel said bypassing the mayor’s administration for contracts might “violate the charter.” The meeting record also includes a statement that city administration opposed the resolution on the grounds that it circumvents the administration and mayor’s office; the resolution was adopted despite that objection.

Council members and speakers clarified practical limits: the resolution grants council consent to an existing nonexclusive license already provided by Issa Brothers LLC to the district and permits the district and Issa Brothers to continue that arrangement while a written sublease is negotiated. Council discussion noted that any arrangement affecting an interest in land for more than one year will ultimately require a formal written agreement and separate council approval.

The council’s action followed a reading of the resolution in which the council recorded the consent period and the direction to special legal counsel to proceed. The motion passed with the council’s ayes declared unanimous in the meeting record.

Next steps identified at the meeting include continued review of engineering and bid details by city staff and the administration, negotiation of monetary terms among the city, Issa Brothers LLC and the school district, and the drafting of a formal sublease for future council consideration.