Citing a past history of “negative dealings,” the City Council’s legal team is urging the council to use caution as it delves into the terms of a complicated plan designed to give the billionaire owners of the Ambassador Bridge riverfront land in exchange for a rejuvenated city park.In a legal analysis released Monday, the council’s Legislative Policy Division provided an overview of the agreement between the Duggan administration and Detroit International Bridge Co., raising questions about enforceability and the risks of a potential long-term commitment to supporting the company’s quest to build a second bridge span.
The legal questions come months after the administration and bridge officials announced plans that would give the Moroun family-owned bridge company riverfront land in exchange for a revamped Riverside Park along Jefferson near West Grand Boulevard.


The deal has been criticized by some in the wake of the Moroun family’s history with the park and Michigan Central Depot, a building they own that’s languished for years and become a symbol of the city’s decline.
“[[The bridge company’s) history of negative dealings with the community in the area of the bridge is well known in the city,” the report said. “Commitments have been made by [[the bridge company) to the community on a variety of issues — with a continuing lack of follow-through.”

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/new...deal/29128907/