Heir wants Eliza Howell Park back

[Warrenite84]

Bailey, I have to agree with your comments concerning this park. If the city wants to keep this property so bad, why not trade off city owned land along Telegraph or other nearby contiguous parcels? Then have him sign-off on this covanent, keep the park abandoned to their heart's content, and his family recoups the value of the property they conditionally gave the city.

The citizens of Detroit have misplaced their anger about this. They should be angry with the city for letting park mismanagement jeopardize parkland the citizens wish to keep, and use.

Now, when the deeds are signed, this retail development should be required to be up and running within a stipulated period, under the penalty of fines and up to forefeiture of traded property. The people keep their park, AND get a viable retail development, and he gets to make some money.

[RickBeall]

This could be a double-win for Detroit.

Land is the one thing they have too much of. They could trade the guy for some land or buildings that where development would actually be a good thing. Detroit gets out of the contract, Detroit gets permanent park land, and new, desirable development.

Detroit needs to do some basic maintenance of the park though.

If someone was smart, this would be a win-win situation.

Part of the problem though, is that I think Detroit has no real plans for anything, development or parkland.

[Trainman]

I say give the park and its neighborhood to Redford TWP. They can take care it more than Detroit.

I say give the park and its neighborhood to the city of Livonia and annex Redford TWP to the city of Livonia

Then, the cities of Detroit and Livonia could team up and fight the $2 Billion Dollar NEW Freeways of the SEMCOG Regional Transportation Plan by voting NO next August 2010 to defeat the more the $400 Million slashed from public bus service from Lansing since 1995.

Or, vote YES for more Wal-Marts and more federal and state mass transit cuts and the future of taxing fast food to pay for the union bus drivers and incompetent transit officials who don't care about the high cost of public bus service or fighting the large road projects that have made this park into a wilderness by making is easy to move to Lapeer and Sanilac County and work in metro Detroit with the large M53 bypass and M24 road expansions.

You see DY'ers, We destroyed the farmlands in the thumb and have made Detroit into a wildlife preserve.

It is not Detroit versus Livonia. It is Detroit and Livonia fighting together to get Wal-Mart to pay for SMART and DDOT. Only then can we again become a great city again.

So, go ahead Danny and vote YES because you will support the loss of state funding and then voila, you will get your way if you are the majority and you are that.

It makes no difference to me because I know the facts and they will be in concrete starting in 2011 with 25 miles of new freeway lanes being built. I would rather see Lansing buy SMART and DDOT new buses which they won’t do unless people like me and maybe you fight for this by electing mass transit leaders to represent us.

Please comment on my website in DETROIT LINKS and challenge, if you can.

[jt1]

My last comment is that reading this post makes it clear why Detroit cannot put it's problems behind it. It doesn't want to. This isn't just about one park on the far edge of the city named Eliza something something. It's about an old way of thinking. By letting someone build a big box store here, Detroit is "giving up" a treasure. That's the old way of thinking. But the right way to think about it is that when desperate times come [[and they have for Detroit for decades) it's time to prioritize and put what you have on the line so that you can concentrate your efforts on what needs to be done--and do THAT exceedingly well. Focus on two regional parks--maybe Belle Isle and Palmer Park for instance.

I think that you don't get the economics of the city and the current situation. In that area there is a significant amount of empty retail space and more than ample area to build big box.

The issue is that he has no intent of doind anything in existing developments, only on easy to develop park. The end result will be that if this does not succeed then we have the same empty shopping areas and a new blighted area [[that is much more attractive as an unkept park).

The idea that people think news always means successul is ridiculous and completely devoid of any logic.

If you think being rational and assessing the end result is the 'old way' of thinking then I don't want to be associated with the 'new way' of thinking.

Your argument has no basis in reality but at least you get to point the finger and blame people for thinking th 'old way'

[Retroit]

I have to disagree with Mr. Cheyne. If his ancestor's intention was that this land should remain as a park, then why would he want to violate their wishes by developing it. It seems to me that the city has lived up to its obligation to keep the land undeveloped. The lack of maintenance is a trivial issue; it would not take much to run lawnmowers through there and pick up the garbage. What defines what a park is anyway?

"park: an area of land, usually in a largely natural state, for the enjoyment of the public, having facilities for rest and recreation, often owned, set apart, and managed by a city, state, or nation."

It seems to me a park can be anything from a treeless field with mowed grass to a dense forest with a narrow nature trail running through it.

[MichMatters]

All of this talk of giving him land somewhere else is just ridiculous. Some are talking as if he's owed some kind of compensation. This is just insane. Not only shouldn't he be given over city parkland, the city doesn't owe him a damned thing. If he wants to buy some land around the park, putting his money where his mouth is, then more power to him. For anyone to think that he's can and should come barging thinking he's entitled to anything just blows my mind.

I'm not even supporting the city letting the park go to pot, but that's an entirely seperate issue apart from this brazen and offensive power play by this obviously greedy developer shamelessly pimping out the family name to try and extort the city for free land to develop. It's very rare to find an issue where the city is not in the wrong or more than the party accusing it of wrongdoing, but this is one of those rare cases and exceptions.

The absolute gall of this man. You want to develop in the city? You do it like everyone else.

[reddog289]

I agree with Retriot,If you develope that land then would it be a park?

[Lorax]

This is just a shameless, naked land grab by a guy who seeks to profit from free land that his thoughtful forefathers wanted kept as parkland.

He said in the article that the city "wins" if he "wins" the lawsuit, which is crap. We all lose as a city when nature is mowed under for some idiot's obvious disregard for anyone involved, including his dead relatives.

There is no need for development there anyway.

If he's so interested in jobs and helping the local economy, go buy any number of vacant stores in Detroit and have at it.

These fascist freaks disgust me.

[MichMatters]

Lorax, really, just grow up. You take a post a month buried and post that? I'd spoken out against this land grab, earlier, myself. But, you're childish namecalling and hyperbole is just too much. It totally distracts from the legitimate point you make. It's sad, really. Everything is always hyperpolitical, to you. You're not different than the fringe right wing that scream "Muslim" and "communisim/socialism" at every opportunity they can get.

[Lorax]

You know, I really don't give a rat's ass what you think!

Why? I found this information elsewhere, and started to post a new thread about it, and thought I'd better look first to see if anyone has posted on it first, not seeing it before.

My post is my reaction to the lowlife suburbanite trying to get something for nothing, a view shared by everyone, it appears.

So you don't like my writing style? Tough.

If you think it "hyperpolitical", well, guess what? It is.

You may not think I'm any different from the right, as most fence-sitters love to drone on about, but the difference is that I operate with facts, not the stupid, unsubstantiated shit expoused by the right.

I don't play nice since it never got us anywhere.

[MikeM]

No name calling

nature is mowed under for some idiot's obvious disregard for anyone

my reaction to the lowlife suburbanite

These fascist freaks disgust me.

Poor Lorax - quit calling me names!

[MichMatters]

You know, I really don't give a rat's ass what you think!

Why? I found this information elsewhere, and started to post a new thread about it, and thought I'd better look first to see if anyone has posted on it first, not seeing it before.

My post is my reaction to the lowlife suburbanite trying to get something for nothing, a view shared by everyone, it appears.

So you don't like my writing style? Tough.

If you think it "hyperpolitical", well, guess what? It is.

You may not think I'm any different from the right, as most fence-sitters love to drone on about, but the difference is that I operate with facts, not the stupid, unsubstantiated shit expoused by the right.

I don't play nice since it never got us anywhere.

Someone forgot to take his/her medication...you must be a hoot at cocktail parties, or are those two bourgeois for you, too? lol

[Lorax]

Someone forgot to take his/her medication...you must be a hoot at cocktail parties, or are those two bourgeois for you, too? lol

Sorry, I don't do Rethuglican parties. They don't pay enough.

[Lorax]

Poor Lorax - quit calling me names!

You only wish these were directed at you. They weren't, and I could turn you in for calling me a "bastard" which would definitely get you suspended, but being a socialist, I'm much more charitable to the less fortunate.

[MikeM]

I could turn you in for calling me a "bastard" which would definitely get you suspended, but being a socialist, I'm much more charitable to the less fortunate.

Go ahead, crybaby.

[Lorax]

Go ahead, crybaby.

Well, crybaby is a little less harsh, I guess.

Eventhough it's still an ad hominem attack.

I'm sure you're enjoying yourself immensely.

[LuAnneKozma]

Michigan Radio recently did a story on the lawsuit over Eliza Howell Park in their Environment Report series:

http://environmentreport.org/story.php?story_id=4851

Great quotes by Friends of Eliza Howell Park president Larry Quarles and park user George Bezenar.

The links in the story bring you to some forlorn photos of the park's aging playground equipment that were posted on the Fox TV newscast [[in which the news reporter makes fun of rugby as a recreational pursuit). Unfortunately, so many times the focus of the media is on Mr. Cheyne's fake agenda: trash in the park is a problem, among others.

Trash/litter in our parks is not a major environmental problem, nor is it the real issue here. The issue the media should be focusing on is the utter destruction and obliteration of a beautiful public park that this lawsuit sets out to accomplish. Waving one's arms around about trash in parks seems to only happen in attempts to overtake urban or minority community parks.... you don't hear any outrage about the trash in Novi's parks, or Birmingham's parks, or Rochester Hills' parks, although you could bet, trash is a problem there too. And there's crime in every public park.

Eliza Howell Park is quite a beautiful park, and has incredible natural resources. What a gem for the Brightmoor community, Detroit, and all of southeast Michigan.

Before Christmas, over 60 people met to form Friends of Eliza Howell Park, and we are now incorporated as a Michigan non-profit. A website is coming soon.

[LuAnneKozma]

Here are some photos of Eliza Howell Park I took in November 2009:

[Danny]

I say give the park and its neighborhood to the city of Livonia and annex Redford TWP to the city of Livonia

Then, the cities of Detroit and Livonia could team up and fight the $2 Billion Dollar NEW Freeways of the SEMCOG Regional Transportation Plan by voting NO next August 2010 to defeat the more the $400 Million slashed from public bus service from Lansing since 1995.

Or, vote YES for more Wal-Marts and more federal and state mass transit cuts and the future of taxing fast food to pay for the union bus drivers and incompetent transit officials who don't care about the high cost of public bus service or fighting the large road projects that have made this park into a wilderness by making is easy to move to Lapeer and Sanilac County and work in metro Detroit with the large M53 bypass and M24 road expansions.

You see DY'ers, We destroyed the farmlands in the thumb and have made Detroit into a wildlife preserve.

It is not Detroit versus Livonia. It is Detroit and Livonia fighting together to get Wal-Mart to pay for SMART and DDOT. Only then can we again become a great city again.

So, go ahead Danny and vote YES because you will support the loss of state funding and then voila, you will get your way if you are the majority and you are that.

It makes no difference to me because I know the facts and they will be in concrete starting in 2011 with 25 miles of new freeway lanes being built. I would rather see Lansing buy SMART and DDOT new buses which they won’t do unless people like me and maybe you fight for this by electing mass transit leaders to represent us.

Please comment on my website in DETROIT LINKS and challenge, if you can.

Trainman,

You and your public transit blues. I WILL NOT change my vote on the SMART bus millage on 2010. Because public regional transit is a birthright. Most people will not give up in it and neither should you. So far you only provide circumstantial evidence explaing why everyone should vote no in the millage. My stongest evidence in the SMART bus millage of 2010 is .08 mills to the Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Public Transit Authority that will deliver its taxpayer dollars to SMART each year. I urge you and TRU folks to vote YES on the millage on 2010.

[econ expat]

Michigan Radio recently did a story on the lawsuit over Eliza Howell Park in their Environment Report series:

http://environmentreport.org/story.php?story_id=4851

Great quotes by Friends of Eliza Howell Park president Larry Quarles and park user George Bezenar.

The links in the story bring you to some forlorn photos of the park's aging playground equipment that were posted on the Fox TV newscast [[in which the news reporter makes fun of rugby as a recreational pursuit). Unfortunately, so many times the focus of the media is on Mr. Cheyne's fake agenda: trash in the park is a problem, among others.


Eliza Howell Park is quite a beautiful park, and has incredible natural resources. What a gem for the Brightmoor community, Detroit, and all of southeast Michigan.

Before Christmas, over 60 people met to form Friends of Eliza Howell Park, and we are now incorporated as a Michigan non-profit. A website is coming soon.

Wow- now that's 'stepping up to the plate'!

It was disappointing to read earlier news accounts that told 'Motor City Blight Busters' supported giving the park to the family for 'development'. [[non-profit,huh?)

[LuAnneKozma]

Econ expat, could you call me? I'd like to talk with you. I'm in the book.
Thanks!

LuAnne

[econ expat]

Econ expat, could you call me? I'd like to talk with you. I'm in the book.
Thanks!

LuAnne

Done.
I did not know I had a PM with phone info,
have to look at the top of the screen [[welcome)
more often, or would not have known I had a message.

[sumas]

Happy to hear there is a Friends of Eliza Howell Park org. Will pass that along to friends who live in Brightmoor who visit the park frequently. They are great folks and volunteer for many groups. Know they will want to get involved.

Really don't understand litter though. Went to Mariners Park to watch the Fishermen and enjoy the river view. The litter drove me nuts so I picked it up. A nice young man watched while I did this, then gave me hand wipes. Better, if he would have just pitched in.

Been involved in numerous clean up projects. Litter and junk dumped is a national crisis and not just an urban issue. Look at our Freeways and highways everywhere. How did we fail to teach folks about civic pride?

Lived briefly in New Mexico, went for an outing to the Pecos Wilderness. To get into the park one had to stop at the ranger station and itemize everything you were taking in and to leave you had to prove you were leaving with it. Sounds draconian but that was one fantastic park. Pristine beauty!!!

When I was little, maybe 9 or 10, a local park my friends and I played in, was a litter mess. We started a club to clean the park. We went daily for maybe a week to pick up the junk. It was daunting, no matter what we did, it was always a mess the next day. Sad really!

Maybe the city should consider turning it [[Howell Park) into an urban prairie. Then on devils night let the slash and burn type people do a controlled burn of this property.

We need our parks and certainly our kids deserve recreation. Last thing we need is another big box store selling things people do not need.

[Meddle]

Posted: Feb. 6, 2010
Namesake's heirs challenge Detroit for neglected acres

BY NAOMI R. PATTON
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER


Anecdotes abound about how Eliza Howell Park on Detroit's west side once was a glorious park.

Today, the sprawling 240-plus-acre park given to the City of Detroit in the 1930s appears abandoned. The grass is overgrown. It's used as an illegal dumping ground. Roads leading to the park are in disrepair.

The park now is at the center of a dispute between the heirs of Eliza Howell, who insist they own the park and have sued the city to remove it from the title, and Detroit officials who claim the city owns the land and has plans to revitalize the park.

Ken Cheyne, grandson of Eliza Howell, wants to restore and develop the park in the Brightmoor area. His family's business, Howell Park Properties, filed a lawsuit against the city in August 2008 to remove the city from the title. Cheyne insists the city has violated the terms of the deed to maintain it as a viable park, thus forfeiting its ownership rights.

He also has a plan to develop 30% of the property as commercial space and maintain 70% as a park. But, he says, city officials from former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's administration to the current officials have dismissed his plans.

"It's a property rights matter, not a development matter," said Cheyne, 65, of Beverly Hills. "Nobody cares about Brightmoor, and at least I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is."

Eliza Howell was a metro Detroit real estate developer. The Howell family gave the property to the city in 1936.

Charles Beckham, Mayor Dave Bing's group executive of operations who oversees the city's recreation department, said the city owns the park and has no plans to settle a suit to relinquish it.

He admits the city has not maintained the park "due to dwindling resources," but says the city is planning to launch a public-private partnership that would create a new use for at least half of the park and help maintain it.

"We just don't agree with his basic premise of ownership and his kind of development," Beckham said of Cheyne's plans, adding that the city's master plan does not allow commercial development of park land.

"You've got to have park land to be a viable city," he said.

John George, Motor City Blight Busters founder, met Cheyne at the end of 2009 and has tried to broker meetings between Cheyne and Bing administration officials.

He has seen Cheyne's plans and said the city should consider them.

"We would love for that park to be a beautiful, first-class, first-rate family park," he said. "If it cannot, then I want to see something developed there that will create jobs, create value. ... You can't let it fester."

Contact NAOMI R. PATTON: 313-223-3327 or npatton@freepress.com

Personally, I don't see what the big deal is. Compromise. Let him develop the Telegraph frontage and retain the back acres as a park. The whole south section off Schoolcraft could be parkland with the remainder of the north section turned into some kind of live greenspace learning project for school kids from the city or county.

They need to get the lawyers out of this and let people of intelligence and conscience get to work.

[econ expat]

There never was Telegraph Rd frontage to the park,the nearby Telegraph Rd. frontage is all privately owned/commercial and not in Detroit, still part of Redford Township.
Unusual boundary lines were drawn years ago- all the Telegraph frontage is still part of Redford Township from Puritan to Joy Rd. For example- Tele-Craft shopping center- the parking lot fronting Telegraph is in Redford, the stores in the strip mall were in Detroit, except for the former grocery closer to Telegraph. Fenkell-Telegraph- The Wendy's/Gas station on Telegraph is in Redford. Directly behind it, Murphy school on Fenkell is located within Detroit.

The developer is proposing commercial development/ big box type along Fenkell [[!!!!!) East of Telegraph.

The south part of the park, off Schoolcraft Rd is not part of the lawsuit- this part is not accessible to the north part of the park and also was not part of the land claimed to be formerly owned by the family. The south part of the park is more 'open land'- not as heavily wooded and mostly playground/picnic shelters.