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The Birmingham Buzz #4
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January 18, 2002

Welcome to the fourth edition of the Birmingham Buzz. If you missed our first three editions, check out our archives at http://www.bhambuzz.org/archives.htm.

Our mission: To inform and involve all Birmingham citizens.

Visit us at http://www.bhambuzz.org.

In this edition:

1) Fuller buys Paterson Carney building.
2) City will reach out to Jacobson’s.
3) McGraw resigns Planning Board, trashes City Commission.
4) Moss cautions commission: Without growth, tax limits will bind city.
5) City considers proposed code of ethics.
6) City’s long-range planning meeting is SATURDAY.
7) Once devastated, elms start to rebound...
8) To be removed.


1) Fuller buys Paterson Carney building

Ted Fuller's Central Park Properties LLC has purchased the Pierce Street building occupied by women's clothing retailer Edward Dorian and the Paterson Carney Florist.

Paterson Carney is owned by City Commissioner Don Carney and his wife, Jacqui. Fuller declined to disclose the terms of the sale, which closed on Monday.

Fuller owns the site of the former Alvin's bridal salon next door to the florist. Construction has begun on a three-story mixed-use development that will have retail on the first floor, office on the second floor, and residential on the third floor. Fuller said he is considering moving into the third floor himself.

He said he has no plans to combine the two sites, and no immediate plans for the building housing the clothing store and florist. He said both tenants have long-term leases. "At some point in the future it would be a nice site to develop for mixed use," he said.

As Commissioner, Carney's advocacy of slower growth for downtown Birmingham, and his votes in favor of changes to the city's building ordinances, have have put him at odds with Fuller and other downtown property owners and would-be developers.

Carney said he knew of the sale, but had no further comment on it.


2) City will reach out to Jacobson's

The City of Birmingham plans to reach out to Jacobson’s Stores in the wake of the its announcement Tuesday that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and was closing five of its 23 stores.

City Manager Tom Markus said Friday that Mayor Dianne McKeon planned to contact local Jacobson’s management to “see if there’s anything we can do.” If that doesn’t work, he said, he would try to contact Jacobson’s top management in Jackson.

Jacobson’s said it would leave open – at least for now – all of its stores in Michigan.

"The handwriting was on the wall. All you had to do was walk through the store," said McKeon shortly after hearing the news on Tuesday.

Jim Weiner, of Related Retail, who has made several attempts to purchase the Jacobson's property in Birmingham and would have consolidated the two Birmingham stores as part of a proposed downtown redevelopment project, said the stores are "vital to downtown" and will most likely close unless the city "reaches out" to Jacobson's.

"I'm not sure what they could do, but the city needs to make that gesture," said Weiner. "Jacobson's is not bashful. They're very sharp people. They'll tell them what it will take."

"Nobody wants to see them go, that's for sure," said McKeon. "We all want them to stay. But maybe it's too far gone."

McKeon said the topic would almost surely arise at Saturday's long-range planning session, scheduled for 10 a.m. Jan. 19 at Baldwin Public Library.

Weiner estimated Jacobson's annual sales in Birmingham at $25 million, and said the stores are a significant source of retail customers for other downtown Birmingham businesses. He surmised that if Jacobson's closed, the real estate could be tied up in bankruptcy proceedings, and that Birmingham could drift toward an economy based more on entertainment than on retail sales.

Read the full Free Press story at http://www.freep.com/money/business/jakes16_20020116.htm.

Read the full Detroit News story at http://www.detnews.com/2002/business/0201/16/a01-392081.htm.

Read Laura Berman's column in the Detroit News (Berman lives in Birmingham) at http://www.detnews.com/2002/business/0201/16/a01-392073.htm.


3) McGraw resigns planning board, trashes CC

Lame duck Planning Board member Thomas McGraw resigned his seat last week two months before the end of his term, saying, "It appears the City Commission no longer appoints members of the Planning Board based upon their credentials and knowledge of planning and zoning... Rather, it appears to appoint those who it feels will set aside planning and zoning concepts, zoning ordinances, adopted plans or common sense, and vote solely in an anti-business and anti-development fashion."

Mayor Dianne McKeon denied the charge.

Read the report from the Jan. 13, 2002 edition of the Eccentric at http://www.bhambuzz.org/pdfs/ecc_mcgraw011302.pdf.


4) Moss: Without growth, tax limits will bind city

Former City Commissioner Chuck Moss recently cautioned city officials:

"Look to the future. The cost of providing services will inevidably increase. Headlee won't let you raise taxes; Prop A won't let you raise assessments. Preserving character is good, but without some significant growth and development, how are you going to balance your books?"

Read his column from the Jan. 13, 2002 edition of the Eccentric at http://www.bhambuzz.org/pdfs/ecc_moss011302.pdf.


5) City considers proposed ethics code

A code of ethics proposed to the city last October has been sent to the city attorney, who has been asked to prepare an acceptable draft for City Commission consideration, according to City Manager Tom Markus.

The proposed code was submitted by the Presidents Council of Homeowner Associations.

The code is available for download by clicking on the following link. If you have a slow connection, we recommend you right-click the link, and choose Save Target As… or Save Link As…

http://www.bhambuzz.org/pdfs/code_ethics_pc.pdf.

"Good municipal government should utilize a formal code of ethics that holds elected and appointed officials and staff to a universal standard of civic operation. Unfortunately, the City of Birmingham does not have such a code," said then-Presidents Council President Tim Bannister in his October letter of submission to the commission.

"In the last few years, there have been constant rumors circulating across our community regarding decisions and activities made by public officials -- both elected and appointed -- that appear to benefit special interest groups," the letter continued. "As residents, we feel it is vitally important that such a code be adopted, not only to delineate inappropriate actions, but to eliminate these ongoing rumors that have resulted in mistrust of our officials."


6) If you attend only one city meeting…

... Make it the City Commission's Long Range Planning Session this Saturday, Jan. 19, at 10 a.m. in the basement of the Baldwin Public Library. The agenda features a five-year financial forecast from the city's Finance Department, a comprehensive report from the City Engineer, a report from Public Services on implementation of the Parks Master Plan, and reports and discussion with the Community Development Department on implementations of the 2016 Plan, the Woodward Median Improvement Project, the North Old Woodward Median Project, improvements to Shain Park and other matters.


7) Once devastated, elms start to rebound...

From the New York Times

More than 70 years after Dutch elm disease began to wipe out 90 percent of the magnificent American elms that lined the streets of so many cities and towns, a handful of resistant varieties are beginning to cast their regal shade over the country's lawns and boulevards. Read the full story at http://www.bhambuzz.org/elm.htm.


8) To be removed, please send a request to info@bhambuzz.org
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