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Mister Smith tells committee DGC used eminent domain at mass scale, criticizes local zoning and developer ties

Detroit Neighborhood Community Service Standing Committee · March 19, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

During public comment at the Detroit Neighborhood Community Service Standing Committee, a caller introduced as Mister Smith alleged a quasi‑governmental entity has used eminent domain broadly, raised zoning and health concerns in the Lower East Side, and accused sitting council members of siding with developers; other callers urged services and announced a community health fair.

Mister Smith told the Neighborhood Community Service Standing Committee that the DGC — which he described as a quasi‑governmental entity — “was the first entity to ever take property through eminent domain…at a mass scale,” and pointed to a site he called Jefferson Village as an example. He said residents in the Lower East Side face improper zoning and “toxic dust” from nearby industrial operations and accused some council members of accepting money from developers while ignoring neighborhood health and zoning complaints.

“...they have a lot of powers that they don't act…

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