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THE BIRMINGHAM BUZZ
"It's the 2016 Plan, stupid."
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Buzz # 40 -- March 4, 2003

Promoting intelligence and reason in city government. Our mission: To inform and involve all Birmingham citizens.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE at http://www.bhambuzz.org for:
-- Up-to-date news items
-- Resources such as the 2016 Plan.
-- A lively and (usually) intelligent discussion group

We want to hear from you! Please send questions, suggestions and feedback to info@bhambuzz.org
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In this edition:

1) Pierce garage improvements planned
2) Big Rock loses bid for new hall -- again
3) Opinion: Stop tinkering with the PSD
4) Quarton Lake Park plan delayed a year
5) Debate heats up over PSD control
6) Opinion: Losing Maskill's a bitter blow
7) Opinion: PSD power grab unfair to Hockman
8) To be removed, send mail to info@bhambuzz.org
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1) Pierce garage improvements planned

March 2, 2003

>From the Birmingham Eccentric

Planned improvements to the Pierce Street parking garage will make getting in and out easier.

"Sure I think it will be good for the city," said Birmingham Mayor Seth Chafetz. "Anything that makes the garage more user friendly has got to be good."

The garage, located on the west side of Pierce between Merrill and Brown street, is the busiest parking garage in the city but filling it up with cars isn't easy. Always open is the Pierce street entrance and cars stream in and out. But the more unwieldy Brown-Street entrance is often closed. And even when it's open, making the sharp turn in isn't easy.

Planned improvements, which were approved by the Birmingham Planning Board Wednesday, include redesigned driveways, relocation of the cashier booth and the installation of pedestrian walkways and public art. A new cashier booth will also be installed at the Pierce Street entrance.

The work will cost some $400,000, said Paul O'Meara, city engineer, and the job is expected to begin in August.

"There will be a two-month period where the only access to the garage will be from the Pierce Street entrance," said O'Meara.

The board approved the design after eliminating trees from the plan to give more space for public art. O'Meara will now put the project out for bids and the Birmingham City Commission will have to approve the final contract.


2) Big Rock loses bid for new hall -- again

March 2, 2003

>From the Birmingham Eccentric

By Larry Ruehlen

The fourth time wasn't a charm for Big Rock Chop and Brew House owner Norman LePage as he was once again turned down on a proposed banquet hall at 325 S. Eton.

"We were obviously disappointed, but encouraged that three of them went with us this time," said LePage of the Birmingham Planning Board. "... I just had a talk with my attorney, and we have two weeks to decide how to react."

LePage went before the board Wednesday for the fourth time in three years and once again parking was the major topic of discussion.

"You are really stealing spaces from the train station to accommodate this use," said Planning Board Member Willem Tazelaar. "And I have a problem with that."

LePage wants to open an 8,100-square-foot banquet facility for 300 people where the current Erb Lumber building sits adjacent to the Big Rock restaurant. Across the parking lot sits a small train station terminal that would have to be moved to make way for more parking spaces.

Tazelaar said he was concerned the number of parking spaces for the station would be reduced. But that was just one concern with LePage's latest design, said Planning Board Chairman Gary Kulak.

"The board felt comfortable with a 6,000-square-foot building," said Kulak. "... I'm not going to recommend a variance on top of a special land use permit."

The board makes recommendations to the Birmingham City Commission. In this case, LePage was seeking preliminary site plan approval but it was turned down with a 3-3 vote. To get approval, LePage needed a host of concessions from the city.

He needed a variance for a shortage of 15 parking spaces, a variance for 60 spaces that were too small and a special land use permit to allow the banquet facility to stay open until 2 a.m. and the construction of a bigger building than 6,000 square feet, which is the limit for buildings in the mixed-use zoning classification.

The area has a large parking lot that already serves an office building, the restaurant and the train stop. LePage proposed using a shared parking provision that the city occasionally allows when neighboring buildings contain businesses with different hours of operation. He said the banquet facility would be busy on weekends, when the office building would be closed.

He also said valet parking would use space more efficiently, thus requiring fewer overall spaces.

"There is a need in the community for this," said LePage. "I am looking forward to offering a banquet facility that will fit in right between what the Townsend and The Community House offer."

LePage commissioned a marketing study that identified a niche for a mid-priced hall that could seat some 250 people. He isn't willing to reduce the size of the project because making a profit would prove difficult, said LePage.

Another concern raised by board members was that banquet users would have to use a local street to navigate from aisle to aisle while looking for a parking space.

LePage's daughter in-law Suzanne LePage said she went door-to-door in the nearby neighborhood and people didn't object once they learned the facts. But Greg Blake, a member of the Torry Homeowners Association, which is further down the road, did object.

"Everyone in our neighborhood is worried about this place closing at 2 a.m.," said Blake. "These people aren't coming from a Bible meeting, they are coming from a banquet hall."

LePage hired a court reporter to record the proceedings Wednesday.


3) Opinion: Stop tinkering with the PSD

Feb. 24, 2003

>From the Birmingham Eccentric

Leave the PSD alone.

There is a movement among some city commissioners to restructure Birmingham's Principal Shopping District board and essentially turn it into an arm of the commission.

This is misguided and inappropriate.

The PSD was formed nearly 10 years ago to help the city's main shopping area deal with the threat posed by the area shopping malls, especially the Somerset Collection.

The PSD offers a variety of services and programs to enhance the shopping district. It is a quasi-governmental agency, funded by a special tax on merchants and businesses in the district's boundaries.

It is overseen by a 12-member board, and it has been proposed that the board be cut to nine members and that they be appointed by the mayor, not the city manager, as is currently the case.

Perhaps an argument could be made to reduce the size of the board to nine members and perhaps there is a need for some new faces on the board. But there is no need to take the appointments away from the city manager. Indeed, the more distance there is between the city commission and the PSD the better.

Since the last election, the PSD has become more and more politicized - through no fault of its own. It's true that some member merchants took an active stance in the election, supporting certain candidates. Those candidates lost and their victorious opponents have not forgotten who supported whom.

The fact the merchants supported certain candidates should have no bearing on the PSD itself. Those folks had every right to support whoever they wished in the election.

And for a commissioner to imply that PSD board members who don't have the same views as the commissioners shouldn't be on the board is absurd. Even PSD members have a right to an opinion.

With the economy wilting, Birmingham's businesses need all the help they can get. Tinkering with the PSD now would be counterproductive.

Leave the PSD alone.


4) Quarton Lake Park plan delayed a year

Feb. 23, 2003

>From the Birmingham Eccentric

By Larry Ruehlen

The remodeling of Quarton Lake park will be delayed a year so the city can repair a dam and apply for a grant.

"We don't think we can delay construction of the dam," said Birmingham City Manager Tom Markus. "It's something we need to address. It didn't make sense to fix up the park then tear apart the dam."

The dam, which keeps the water of Quarton Lake in place, needs $1.3 million in repairs. City officials didn't plan to make the repairs this year, but the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality forced the issue.

"There won't be a noticeable drop in the lake level," said Dennis Dembiec, director of engineering and public services. "We intend to go out for bids in August and complete the project by the end of the year."

In 1996, part of the dam failed and the city made partial repairs. Dembiec said the city had always intended to finish the job, but the MDEQ's insistence that the repairs occur in 2003 was a surprise.

In Nov. 6, 2001, voters approved $25 million in bonds for park improvements. The city subsequently purchased the Beaumont Rehabilitation and Health Center, commonly known as the Barnum Center, for $8.5 million and announced plans for a new community center.

An ambitious $2.5 million project to dredge Quarton Lake and improve the surrounding park also began. The city received $834,500 in state and federal grants to cover half of the $1.6 million dredging cost and that part of the project recently concluded. Some $900,000 in park improvements were to begin this spring, including new park seating, landscaping and recreational features.

Those improvements will be delayed about a year to give the city time to repair the dam and apply for a Michigan Department of Natural Resources grant that would, if approved, cover less than half the cost of park improvements.

Grant are awarded due to factors that include population, household incomes and how much local money the city is willing to spend on a project. The city was recently turned down on a similar application for Booth Park, but officials believe planned improvements to the lake, such as planting marsh grasses, will give the city an edge this time.

"We stand a better chance with this application, but there are no guarantees," said Bob Fox, assistant director of public services.

Markus said the city plans to use $300,000 of bond money to repair the dam, though members of the Birmingham City Commission raised the possibility that voters might not be pleased because they thought the bonds were to go only to park improvements.

"We think there is some legitimacy for taking $300,000 because there are some recreational uses considered here," said Markus.

Markus was referring to a dam overlook included in the park improvement plan.

The Birmingham City Commission will have to hold a public hearing on the grant application. That hearing is expected to take place at the regular 8 p.m., March 17, commission meeting at City Hall, located at 151 Martin.


5) Debate heats up over PSD control

Feb.23, 2003

>From the Birmingham Eccentric

By Larry Ruehlen

Agree with me, be quiet or risk getting replaced - that's basically what Birmingham City Commissioner Donald Carney said to the Principal Shopping District Board Wednesday.

"I don't think (the commission) should be able to say the board can't make a point," said Carney. "But we, as the elected officials, ought to have the ability to change the composition of the board if it does that."

Weeks ago, Carney, citing political unrest between the board and commission, suggested sweeping changes that would reduce the number of board members and remove the city manager from the appointment process. The possible impact of those changes was discussed at a joint meeting of the commission and PSD board Wednesday.

City Attorney Tim Currier said the key points of Carney's plan would be legal if adopted by the commission. Though no formal action was taken, the mere possibility rankled attendees.

"You don't want us to think," said PSD board member Richard Astrein. "You don't want us to have an opinion of our own. These are the merchants' funds and you don't have control over them. That's what you want, control."

Individual members of other boards often express opinions on commission actions at public meetings without question, but Carney has not let members of the PSD forget two incidents.

In the 2001 city election, many retailers in the PSD supported a slate of candidates that opposed Carney and displayed the political signs of his opponents in their store windows.

In addition, the PSD officially opposed reducing the maximum allowable heights of buildings downtown - a move the city commission later approved. Since then, Carney has said the board needs to be revamped because it is too political.

After Currier spoke, Carney made a brief speech about the need to bring the PSD under the commission's "umbrella" of control. The commission has not reappointed board members who disagreed with commission policy in the past.

The possibility of that happening again had other PSD members spewing vitriol in Carney's direction.

"We need to make sure retailers want to come to this town, and the only way to do that is to revitalize this town," said Jayme Leib Kirschner. "If we don't do something to keep up, our town is going down the tubes. Do you know what that's going to do to property values? Å I'm so frustrated because this is just ridiculous."

Kirschner said reducing the size of the board is a bad idea because it has too much work to do.

Currently, City Manager Tom Markus chooses appointees and the commission gets a final vote. Carney wants the mayor to be in charge of future PSD appointments. In Birmingham, the mayor is chosen on a rotational basis and Carney is slated to be the next mayor.

Kirschner, Cheryl Daskas and Geoffrey Hockman are seeking reappointment and no one else has applied. A vote on the reappointments was delayed while the commission considers Carney's suggestions.

Carney said a lack of turnover on the board has hurt the retail scene downtown, and he encouraged members to step down to make room for new faces and new ideas. He also wants the majority of PSD board members to be people who lease rather than own property.

Carney's wife leased a store in the heart of the PSD district for years and recently moved it to the PSD's secondary area, where taxes are lower. Several PSD members have privately questioned whether Carney has a conflict of interest that should preclude him from setting PSD policy, but the matter has not been discussed at a public meeting.

SETTING DIRECTIONS

For members of the PSD, control of the board is important because it sets the marketing, advertising and recruiting direction for the merchants downtown.

The PSD is funded by special assessment of 37 cents per square foot for businesses on the first floor and 14 cents for businesses located on other floors. Businesses outside the primary area downtown are taxed at half the rates.

Most small-business owners pay less than a $1,000 per year to the PSD and the tax is capped at just over $11,000 per year.

It was formed 10 years ago in response to the planned opening of Troy's Somerset Collection mall. The PSD has a 12-member board and four founding members remain. The department, which runs on a budget of some $900,000 per year, employs a full-time director and three part-time employees.

PSD board member Cheryl Daskas said she didn't want the commission hand-picking people who would control the downtown shopping scene.

"Whether it be the planning board or another appointment, I've seen very qualified people get up there and read a resume that's a mile long and all of the sudden, (the commission says) 'Oh, we'll take that dermatologist over there,'" said Daskas. "I'm sorry, but I've seen it over and over and over."

DEMOCRATIC PROCESS

Birmingham City Commissioner Dante Lanzetta Jr. said the commission's appointment process for all other boards is more democratic than the PSD process because positions are posted and anyone can apply and show up for a public interview before the commission.

Three members of the commission, Rackeline Hoff, Russell Dixon and Dianne Mckeon, have opposed Carney's proposed changes to the PSD.

There will likely be an action item on a future commission agenda. Carney assured everyone that changes wouldn't occur without a public vote.

PSD board member Douglas Fehan summed up his opinion.

"You (Carney) are being the judge and jury and that's the part I don't like," said Fehan. "The reality is we are powerless. You are going to do what you want to do, and we have to sit back and suffer the result of it."


6) Opinion: Losing Maskill's a bitter blow

Feb. 20, 2003

>From the Birmingham Eccentric

It's heartbreaking when a store like Maskill's hardware goes out of business,

Stores come and go. That's the nature of any community. But there are some that become so ingrained into the soul of a town that their loss is especially wrenching. Even losing Crowley's or Jacobson's does not have the impact of the loss of Maskill's, at least from an emotional standpoint. The big chain stores were in Birmingham for decades, but ultimately they were just that -- branches of big stores.

Stores like Maskill's, Neighborhood Hardware and some select others find their way into people's hearts in a way that no big store ever can. They become extensions of the people who own and run them. And losing them is like losing an old friend.

The closing of Maskill's is just another bump in the overall Birmingham business scene. But it is a gaping hole in the hearts of many who worked at the store as high school kids, embarked on their first do-it-yourself project or salvaged that home project from near disaster because the part that suddenly became essential was only a few minutes away on the shelves of Maskill's.

So long, guys, you will be missed.


7) Opinion: PSD power grab unfair to Hockman

Feb. 20, 2003

>From the Birmingham Eccentric

By Judith Doner Berne

It's hard to see competent people who volunteer to make a difference publicly humiliated.

Birmingham is guilty of political maneuvering that may cause the community to lose one of its most valuable assets.

In an obvious power grab, some anti-development members of the Birmingham City Commission are seeking as much control as possible over the Principal Shopping District that recruits businesses and markets Birmingham's downtown.

Funded by a special assessment on the owners of these downtown properties, the PSD has responsibility for how the approximately $900,000 per year it collects is spent.

One way to better control those funds is by knocking strong people off and reducing the membership of the PSD board. The suggestion has been made to shift the power to make future appointments from the city manager to the mayor and to cut the number of board seats from 12 to nine.

PSD president Geoffrey Hockman, whose term is up for renewal, would be one of the board members eliminated. That is both cruel to Hockman, who has for years been a leader in both the business and community life of Birmingham, and to the Birmingham community.

Now president of the Empire Investments Corporation, based in Bloomfield Hills, Hockman is a co-founder and co-developer of The Townsend Hotel. The Four Star, 4 Diamond hotel is a focal point of downtown Birmingham.

Hockman will leave the Birmingham School Board after 16 years in June. He is currently its president - for the fourth time. He has also served six years on the very city commission that is trying to oust him, including a term as mayor.

Beyond that, Hockman is chairman of the Beaumont Foundation and a director of Beaumont Hospital. It's no secret that Hockman was a key person in Birmingham's purchase of the hospital's Barnum rehabilitation facility for a future recreation center.

Hockman says that the other two board members - Jayme Leib Kirschner and Cheryl Daskas - whose reappointments are also in question are critical to the PSD's efforts.

"I'm frustrated," he says. "This isn't about ego. I've got plenty of other things to do. But the community's good will and needs are being subordinated to the will of three or four people."

Elected officials must be held accountable when they put narrow political interests before community interests and hurt good people in the process.

8) To be removed, send mail to info@bhambuzz.org
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