Any Chance of Other Cities Ever Being Annexed to Detroit [[Hamtramck, Highland Park)

[nain rouge]

All north Warren would need to do is take out a lane of traffic each way on 12 Mile near Van Dyke, put a Buffalo Wild Wings, Rosie O'Grady's and Dollar Castle in a little downtown with some make shift lofts and condos, and you have the new trendy place to be.

Actually, Warren did try to create its own hip downtown - I've debated making a topic about it, but I always forget. The area off of Van Dyke around the new Warren City Hall was supposed to host this new development [[right across from the Tech Center). Somewhere on my computer I have information about the proposed zoning regulations and other plans Warren had for the new neighborhood/commercial district, which was supposed to resemble Royal Oak. In reality, it probably would've panned out similar to the fake "Main St." downtown Novi built.

The only evidence you'll find today that any of this was supposed to happen is a bunch of grassy lots around City Hall with "For Sale" signs. Although I'm not exactly sure what tanked the proposed development, it appears that the economic downturn that started roughly in 2007/2008 played a fairly significant role.

On a similar note, there were talks in the '90s about GM building some larger office buildings on property it owned along Mound, but the city somehow managed to botch that, too. In the end, GM sold the land and a Meijer's, several strip malls, and fairly unsuccessful subdivision went up instead. That's not a complete failure, but talking about bunting when you could've hit a grand slam!

Just think, if Warren got those office buildings on 12 & Mound, the new downtown just a mile away probably would've came to fruition, all of which in turn could've potentially revived the "historic village" district on 13 & Mound. "North" Warren would be in way better shape. Instead, the area continues to stumble along, just hanging on as a traditional bastion of the middle class.

[Hermod]

As would be the case with L. Brooks and he's people up in Oakland County.

As much as I can't stand Watson and her folks, me thinks your baiting a line here...

No, the state of Michigan has the power can change its own constitution to permit such a consolidation. It would be difficult, but could be done. Oakland County would then be bound by the state laws. Detroit, on the other hand, can use the feds to block the consolidation because it would dilute the voting power of a "protected minority". In several cases around the country, annexations [[and de-annexations) have been blocked by the federal courts for this reason.

[Mikeg]

You might want to rethink that statement. Mayor Fouts gave Chrysler a tax-free exemption status for those properties for the next 15 years. It was part of Warren's sacrifice to help our Big 3 Automakers in their time of need when the Bush Administration and the cons failed them.

You might want to rethink your statement and do as I did: look at the City of Warren Assessing records, which are on-line and include all assessed valuations and recent tax bills for every piece of property in the city.

Whatever exemptions were given by the city are reflected in Chrysler's Winter 2011 and Summer 2012 tax bills. I added them up for all of the Chrysler parcels on the east side of Mound between 8 and 9 Mile Rd. to arrive at the $6.6 million that Chrysler will have paid the city with those two tax billings.

To put that $6.6 million number in perspective, in fiscal year 2011 Warren collected a total of $56.3 million in property taxes [source].

Only a fool would suggest that Warren could afford to let 10% of its property tax revenue get annexed away, even if in the process it takes with it a lot of the residential servicing cost burden.

[Shollin]

Actually, Warren did try to create its own hip downtown - I've debated making a topic about it, but I always forget. The area off of Van Dyke around the new Warren City Hall was supposed to host this new development [[right across from the Tech Center). Somewhere on my computer I have information about the proposed zoning regulations and other plans Warren had for the new neighborhood/commercial district, which was supposed to resemble Royal Oak. In reality, it probably would've panned out similar to the fake "Main St." downtown Novi built.

The only evidence you'll find today that any of this was supposed to happen is a bunch of grassy lots around City Hall with "For Sale" signs. Although I'm not exactly sure what tanked the proposed development, it appears that the economic downturn that started roughly in 2007/2008 played a fairly significant role.

On a similar note, there were talks in the '90s about GM building some larger office buildings on property it owned along Mound, but the city somehow managed to botch that, too. In the end, GM sold the land and a Meijer's, several strip malls, and fairly unsuccessful subdivision went up instead. That's not a complete failure, but talking about bunting when you could've hit a grand slam!

Just think, if Warren got those office buildings on 12 & Mound, the new downtown just a mile away probably would've came to fruition, all of which in turn could've potentially revived the "historic village" district on 13 & Mound. "North" Warren would be in way better shape. Instead, the area continues to stumble along, just hanging on as a traditional bastion of the middle class.

[/COLOR]

After all the reading I do on here about how bad suburban office parks are, we have someone criticizing a suburb for not building an office. If GM builds offices on Mound, who moves there? Likely GM moves their headquarters there and leaves the Ren Cen empty. Imagine the complaining on here if that happened? Poor Warren. It only attracts middle class people. The worst kind of people. They could level Tech Plaza, built a retail strip that is right on 12 Mile in the parking lot and remove the center turn lane and add street parking. The retail could wrap around the corner and along Van Dyke to the city center where you could build a public plaza and have concerts. In behind the street retail where the actual plaza used to sit, you could build the office buildings that would've been so great back in the 90's. Warren could then have a mini skyline like Troy or Southfield. Plus you have a lot of hotels in the area. Built some lofts along Van Dyke and Warren is yuppified. Better than having those middle class homeowners.

[aj3647]

I said it repeatedly when I lived in Highland Park and was asked this question and I'll say it again here. "Are you nuts? Detroit? How about annexing us with West Bloomfield or Grosse Pointe? Unite us with some city with assets not more debt obligations than us!" LOL

The goal is not to add problems, it's to remove them.

What suburban city does Highland Park border? So you're just going to arbitrarily pick a suburb [[in your example, West Bloomfield) to "merge" with the city of Highland Park, even though they are not contiguous and Highland Park is 20 miles away AND completely surrounded by another city?

Hell, if we're just going to arbitrarily join up cities that like that, why not just give HP to Lansing? And we can give Detroit to Canada!

[Islandman]

You obviously missed the LOL....LOL. Ugh.

[aj3647]

You obviously missed the LOL....LOL. Ugh.

Didn't see the LOL here:

ETA: I do like Lowell's argument about richer suburbs taking on the burden of a place like Highland Park, instead of Detroit which is only slightly better off.

Sounds like someone thinks the suggestion has merit.

[KJ5]

[QUOTE=aj3647;336854And we can give Detroit to Canada![/QUOTE]

Sounds good to me! Y'all have fun with president Romney's class warfare on behalf of the rich. I'll be taking advantage of some real socialized medicine while you're going to war with Iran.

[nain rouge]

Poor Warren. It only attracts middle class people. The worst kind of people.

Wow, you completely misunderstood me! My argument is that 12 Mile area of Warren is barely hanging on as a place that middle class people desire to live, and that the failed developments I mentioned could've made it more attractive to middle class people. Geeze!

And yes, the development of GM office buildings potentially could've been bad for Detroit, but it's the job of each mayor to do what's best for their city. Don't hate the player - hate the game!

[GUSHI]

Most of south Warren is a dump, a few possible exceptions, but none that I can think of, oh Ryan between 9 and 11 miles, isn't bad, but the rest is full of trailer parks, deq, van dyke, mound, sch, from 8 to 696, very dumpy exception are Hoover and Ryan,

[GUSHI]

East Detroit/eastpointe has nicer housing stock, than south Warren,

[Gistok]

Gushi, much of south Eastpointe [[from 8 to 9 Mile) was a large golf course until redeveloped as rather nice brick ranch housing in the 1950s. Much of south Warren is older, and generally not as high quality housing stock. Even portions of Eastpointe north of 9 Mile Rd. between Kelly and I-94 has very nice ranch housing.

[313WX]

My crystal ball doesn't work. But I do see a number of factors at play. I'll try to list them in order of immediacy

• The cost of fuel
• The development of a mass transit system and where it goes
• The die-off of the Generation of Greatest Racists
• The inevitable decline of the exurbs
• The relative prosperity of the city and the suburbs
• Immigration from other countries and other parts of the country
• Long-term stability of the federal government
• The value of fresh water
• Potential effects of climate change

OR, everyone will just move to a city like Chicago while the old folks left behind will gradually die off.

[rb336]

Wayne and Westland share a school district and now share a fire department. This is one set of cities that should just merge completely. ditto for Farmington/Farmington Hills

[Detroitnerd]

OR, everyone will just move to a city like Chicago while the old folks left behind will gradually die off.

Not all of the old folks are awful, but just enough of them to doom any effort to have the region work together. How about if we institute a tax on the suburbs to buy a dirt-cheap subdivision in Clearwater, Fla., with the idea being metro Detroit residents can move to Florida when age 65, but they can't vote in Michigan anymore?

[Lowell]

What suburban city does Highland Park border? So you're just going to arbitrarily pick a suburb [[in your example, West Bloomfield) to "merge" with the city of Highland Park, even though they are not contiguous and Highland Park is 20 miles away AND completely surrounded by another city?

Hell, if we're just going to arbitrarily join up cities that like that, why not just give HP to Lansing? And we can give Detroit to Canada!

You're catching on. Sometimes you need to put yourself in other shoes. Imagine you living there as tax-paying citizen, keeping up even improving your property like many of your neighbors putting up with all the adversity of your town being stuck caring for the poor and troubled not shared by other communities while paying out millions in legacy pension obligations to former employees who neither live in nor visit the city.

Now imagine someone being brazen enough to suggest you to join with another broke-ass city with even more problems and debt. That's the "are you nuts" part.

Then my retort makes perfect sense. Highland Park needs help from the State level on down. The demographics there make it impossible to be self-sustaining. It needs to be declared a zone where both taxes and insurance rates are reduced below the Metro average and provided public safety resource greater than the metro averages.

[Shollin]

Not all of the old folks are awful, but just enough of them to doom any effort to have the region work together. How about if we institute a tax on the suburbs to buy a dirt-cheap subdivision in Clearwater, Fla., with the idea being metro Detroit residents can move to Florida when age 65, but they can't vote in Michigan anymore?

I know Deaborn used to own property in St Petersburg I believe.

[Detroitnerd]

I know Deaborn used to own property in St Petersburg I believe.

Yeah, that was kinda the inspiration for my cynical joke. Dearborn purchased a development called Dearborn Towers down there, and, yes, it's in Clearwater.

According to a recent article: "Voters agreed to sell the 8-story, 88-unit building in 2007, provided 'a minimum sale price is established by the average of three certified appraisals.'"