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Island View residents urge council to preserve Butzel Family Center parking and playground
Summary
Multiple Island View residents told the Neighborhood Community Service Committee they oppose a proposed apartment project that would use part of the Fred Butzel Family Center parking lot and asked council members to meet the neighborhood and preserve the existing parking and playground.
Island View residents told Detroit's Neighborhood Community Service Standing Committee that city-owned parking at the Fred Butzel Family Center should be preserved for community use, not partially given over to a proposed apartment development. Speakers said seniors and community events rely on the lot and said they had not received clear notices about any plan to remove parking.
Daisy Jackson, vice president of the Field Street Block Club and a long-time Island View resident, said the center and its parking have been a community hub since the center opened and asked council members Coleman Young and Reneta Miller to meet with neighbors for an update on plans. "We want to keep Butzel parking lot," Jackson said, adding that seniors in the neighborhood do not always have the ability to access online meeting materials.
Other callers echoed the concern that a developer was proposing to reallocate part of the parking area for residential units and asked the council and Planning and Development Department to explain why nearby city-owned vacant property was not being considered instead. Chair Coleman Young said no formal council vote on Butzel had taken place and that the administration would be asked to provide further information; he said the council would help arrange presentations from planning staff if a formal item is scheduled.
The committee did not take formal action on the Butzel matter during the meeting but staff and council members committed to follow up with planning and development and to meet with residents to share updates. Several speakers asked the council to consider fee waivers or additional outreach to ensure seniors and block clubs can participate in hearings and community planning.
What happens next: residents requested direct meetings with council members and asked the administration to clarify whether a formal planning item will be scheduled; the committee agreed to help facilitate follow-up with Planning and Development staff.
