How did we get here?
As early as 2002, Crown Enterprises sought to purchase 1000 acres of land along the Detroit River waterfront in Riverview and Trenton to develop an intermodal shipping port.
Thankfully, our Congressperson at the time fought against the plan - and luckily, at that time the region was saved from even more of the issues that arose from their ownership.
For reference, 1000 acres is the size of almost 758 football fields.
4. The Bid
Even though the property has been zoned for Mixed-Use since 2002, Wayne County’s request for qualification positioned the property as “over one million square feet of Industrial building space.” And when you describe a property in that way, a business isn’t going to take the time to submit a proposal that will get rejected - after all, people don’t put in an offer to buy a house unless it’s for sale.
4 bids were submitted, and 2 were presented to the Trenton City Council
Crown Enterprises (Presented)
James Group (Presented)
Riverfront Development Inc. (Nearly word for word the same as the James Group bid)
Commercial Development Company (History of mixed-use cleanups from Brownfield Sites)
2. Mixed-Use Future - Coast Resiliency Master Plan
Fast forward to 2016 - Trenton received funding from Michigan DEQ, NOAA, and even the U.S. Department of Commerce to develop its award-winning coastal resiliency master plan - that expressly states reindustrialization would put Trenton and Downriver at risk economically and environmentally. Trenton residents made it clear that they wanted to focus on moving past industrialization on their waterfront.
During this same year, Trenton’s Planning firm, Beckett and Raeder, recommended to decline a rezoning proposal to change the property back to heavy industrial use, which the City of Trenton followed at the time.
5. The Deal
Trenton “picked” Crown Enterprises. And that was the only deal that was presented to the Wayne County Commission - where Trenton’s County Commissioner abstained because of a conflict of interest.
The purchase agreement explicitly states that the property was purchased by the current owner as-is - which includes zoning status. Even though Trenton “supported” this sale, the seller was the Wayne County Land Bank.
It’s important to note that how much this property will get cleaned up by the EPA is based on its zoning status - so why wouldn’t we use this once in a generation opportunity to clean this property up for good?
3. Right of Refusal
Trenton secured a loan to investigate the property’s environmental concerns in June of 2017 - but Wayne County had a different vision. And Trenton’s County Commissioner works at a lobbying firm that represents Crown Enterprises. And the County Executive. That pushed for the deal.
It’s not illegal in Michigan for a lobbyist to hold the County Commissioner seat - as long as it’s disclosed (which he has always done). But it begs the question - how can an elected official represent the interests of their constituents AND the person who is paying them? Especially when their wants are in direct opposition?
So Trenton gave up their right to purchase the property - which put the decision in the hands of the Wayne County Commission.
6. Rezoning
On July 22nd, 2020 at 7 p.m. over an online-only planning commission meeting, a new zoning plan for Trenton was recommended by the planning commission 5-4 in favor of rezoning to a newly constructed zoning category labelled “Industrial Waterfront.”
Several hundred Trenton residents showed up at the meeting - hundreds sent in letters in opposition, and many more residents spoke in opposition during the public comment period. Not one resident was in favor of the rezoning proposal.
And after we made our voices heard, the Trenton City Council listened, and hired an attorney to specifically address what concerns of ours that they could - they developed a new category called “Waterfront Revitalization.”
This zoning category isn’t a total fix, as it still allows intermodal shipping on the property, but it requires environmental, economic, and safety impact statements that the city must consider before granting approval. But that’s why our organization exists - to advocate on behalf of residents, and make sure our community’s future is secure against outside organizations looking to take what they can.