Detroit more business friendly?

**MSUguy** · April-28-12, 11:36 AM

Small-business owners once found dealing with the City of Detroit bureaucracy "pure hell," but today a pro-business city government is much easier to work with.That was the verdict Tuesday at panel of small-business owners and experts during the Detroit Regional Chamber's first Detroit Business Conference at MotorCity Casino

http://www.freep.com/article/20120425/BUSINESS06/204250345/Small-business-owners-find-Detroit-departments-easier-to-deal-with?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs

How do others here feel? Is the city easier to work with than in the past. What does the city do well or not do well?

**stromberg2** · April-28-12, 01:20 PM

Ask Green Dot Stables how easy it is working with the city?

Stromberg2

**cpanagio** · April-28-12, 02:51 PM

When I read the headline of that article, I thought I was reading The Onion.

**rjk** · April-28-12, 03:36 PM

Originally Posted by stromberg2

Ask Green Dot Stables how easy it is working with the city?

Stromberg2

If they were asked, what would they say?

**Wesley Mouch** · April-28-12, 05:26 PM

Neither a horror story from Green Dot Stables nor a fluff conference hosted by the Chamber of Commerce are good yardsticks.

I sure do hope things are better than they were 20 years ago. I personally have experienced some horror stories in dealing with the City.

Is there an impartial source for assessing city government responsiveness to citizens, existing businesses, and new business?

Detroit is probably getting much better. Probably still has a long way to go. Keep fighting the good fight.

**stromberg2** · April-28-12, 08:42 PM

RJK, I believe they have waited a good number of months to get their liquor license.

Stromberg2

**Wesley Mouch** · April-28-12, 08:54 PM

Originally Posted by stromberg2

RJK, I believe they have waited a good number of months to get their liquor license.

The City does have some work that could hold up a liquor license, but the license is issued by the State, not the City. So this problem could be city, state, or both.

Many cities are pushing liquor license reform, in the interest of encouraging restaurants/bars. NYC has worked to reduce their timeframe for approval from months/years down to a few weeks.

**wolverine** · April-28-12, 11:58 PM

Residents of the area dont have ultimate say of liquour license? That's how I've seen it work. Most people vote yes

**Al Publican** · April-29-12, 03:16 AM

Part of the less than friendly attitude toward smaller businesses in Detroit comes from the xenophobic attitude that city and church leaders have promoted over the decades. "Them" has often been white code for blacks. But in Detroit, "them" often means any business owner that looks like an outsider. I once worked with the city with licenses and permits. Businesses could be owned by Detroiters, but it doesn't seem like a priority, unless it's a church.

**Wesley Mouch** · April-29-12, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by wolverine

Residents of the area dont have ultimate say of liquour license? That's how I've seen it work. Most people vote yes

I don't know what an 'ultimate say' is?

I am not an expert in the process, but have worked with lawyers who specialize in license transfers.

There are many steps, city, state, legal, police, inspections, etc. That's the problem. Every single step of the process is probably quite reasonable. But when you lump them together, you get a process that takes longer than it should. Each department often requires the previous department to approve. And each step might take weeks and weeks. All the while you're paying rent.

What our leadership needs to do here -- and throughout the whole process -- is streamline. I know that the permits department was doing this at one point. You get all the officials to jointly schedule their time, and they all make ONE VISIT to the applicant. And if possible they work through all the problems at once and the get out of the way.

We do need code enforcement. It can be concurrent with efficiency.

**stasu1213** · April-29-12, 08:37 PM

Originally Posted by Al Publican

Part of the less than friendly attitude toward smaller businesses in Detroit comes from the xenophobic attitude that city and church leaders have promoted over the decades. "Them" has often been white code for blacks. But in Detroit, "them" often means any business owner that looks like an outsider. I once worked with the city with licenses and permits. Businesses could be owned by Detroiters, but it doesn't seem like a priority, unless it's a church.

There are many small businesses that are owned by blacks in Detroit especially down the main drags such as The Avenue of Fashion. The complaint that I have about these businesses is that it appears that the owners only have a one track mind. Wig shops, barbershops, weave shops, african braids, clothing stores that only caters to the young "hip hop" crowd, did I mentioned a barbershop. I would love to see more small businesses open in Detroit such as the businesses in Royal Oak, Birmingham, and Grosse Pointe. Detroit small business owners has to stop having tunnel vision when it comes to delivering for the people

**Dexlin** · April-29-12, 11:02 PM

I've now seen you make two disparaging remarks about business in the city [[and generally just a lot of crap you've posted in the last few hours). If you don't like the selection of stores, and you think an Old Navy or GAP or Starbucks is appropriate for Russell Woods or Rosedale or wherever, than you can put your money down or be a little birdy in the ear of a Detroit developer. Otherwise, you can stop with this borderline cultural insensitivity about "those" businesses, okay? You want to blame someone? You can start by stopping this stupid screed of yours against people who have put down their time and hard-earned money to run a business in the city. Thanks. Shallow much? Talk about tunnel vision.

**stasu1213** · April-30-12, 05:45 AM

Originally Posted by Dexlin

I've now seen you make two disparaging remarks about business in the city [[and generally just a lot of crap you've posted in the last few hours). If you don't like the selection of stores, and you think an Old Navy or GAP or Starbucks is appropriate for Russell Woods or Rosedale or wherever, than you can put your money down or be a little birdy in the ear of a Detroit developer. Otherwise, you can stop with this borderline cultural insensitivity about "those" businesses, okay? You want to blame someone? You can start by stopping this stupid screed of yours against people who have put down their time and hard-earned money to run a business in the city. Thanks. Shallow much? Talk about tunnel vision.

There is nothing wrong with the businesses I had mentioned. I just don't like shopping at them. I had heard many times that Detroiters don't spend there money where they live. That is for there are stores in the suburbs[[malls) that caters to the consumers who are not into the trends but just want basci everyday clothing and items. I don't have the patience for opening a business in Detroit. I had given advise to businesses to help boost there clientele and sales. One business owner on the Ave of Fashion had told me personally that his business had been there for 40 years. His taxes had been raised and not had been given a break from the city. The other recently opened businesses [[that I had mentioned before) had been given many breaks".

**stasu1213** · April-30-12, 05:53 AM

I don't have a problem with someone who open a business to cater to a specific clientele. I have a problem with the lack of selections of stores and the city in the past had made it difficult for stores to open in Detroit. Remember Kilpatrick's "pay to play" policy. Let us be honest about the small busineses the city had given a green light to especially convenience stores, liquor stores, strip bars, and other certain stores that had ruined the community. I rejoice when an independent bakery, grocery store that sells good produce, and a coffee shop.