Ambassador Bridge owners seek to expand footprint near 137-year-old Detroit church


The bridge company seeks to expand its footprint along Fort Street to the south, West Lafayette Boulevard to the north, Ste. Anne St. to the west and 18th Street to the east, according to Sam Butler, president of the Hubbard Richard Resident Association. The expansion would be used for the plaza portion of the bridge, according to a city press release.
The proposed agreement will need various approvals from the city, including the City Council. And expanding the footprint of the Ambassador Bridge, an international span that connects the United States and Canada, may need approval from other government entities beyond the city.Matthew Moroun, chairman of the Ambassador Bridge, said in the news release Sunday: “Earlier this year, I promised to the City Council that we would make a beneficial and positive agreement with the community. It was important that we kept that promise. This agreement is the result of a lot of hard work, will provide a win-win-win for the HRRA, city and our company." HRRA refers to Hubbard Richard Resident Association. Under the proposed agreement, owners of the Ambassador Bridge agreed to:• Donate 10 properties it owns in and around Hubbard Richard to the neighborhood, along with $20,000 per property to assist in redevelopment.

• Contribute property to the city with the intent it be incorporated into the Roberto Clemente Recreation Center on Bagley Avenue.
• Demolish the former Greyhound bus station at 2300 W. Fort Street, split the property into two parcels, and donate the larger parcel to the neighborhood for non-industrial redevelopment. An entity linked to the bridge company owns the former Greyhound building.
• Construct a berm along 16th Street that buffers the neighborhood from industrial uses to the east.

• Build a new 16th Street between West Lafayette and West Fort Street to improve ingress and egress to the neighborhood.
Mayor Mike Duggan said the agreement is "a major turning point for the Hubbard-Richard community and the Bridge Company," Sunday in a release. "Their willingness to work together resulted in an agreement to build a badly needed plaza expansion in a way that respects the residential character of the community and provides it some real benefits," Duggan said.

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