Metro Times Calls Out Grosse Pointe’s “NIMBY-ism”

Jan. 25, Metro Times called out a plan by Grosse Pointe City Council to move a public works facility to a warehouse in Detroit as thinly-veiled, NIMBY-style classicism. Grosse Pointe residents had complained of a rat problem caused by the existing city facility, located in Grosse Pointe proper. The story about the council meeting, as reported by the Grosse Pointe Times - and partly because of the way the Times uncritically reported the story - made MT editor Michael Jackman see red.

In his initial piece, he questioned the facility's benefit to Detroit and excoriated Grosse Pointe’s lack of sensitivity, writing “everybody in the story seems utterly dead to the irony of putting a wealthy community's trash operations in the poorest big city in the country.” Jackman’s first post got traction, and now the city of Detroit has put a pin in Grosse Pointe’s plans for the warehouse build at 4849 Canyon Rd., just across Mack Avenue from Grosse Pointe and Grosse Pointe Park. Detroit says Grosse Pointe may have misrepresented its intent, and that Detroit will not permit Grosse Pointe to park garbage trucks in the city, period.

While Jackman’s current piece on the issue bears the headline “Grosse Pointe officials point to benefits in plan to park garbage trucks in Detroit,” Grosse Pointe Councilmember Sheila Tomkowiak actually told Jackman, as quoted in his piece, “The warehouse would house vehicles, materials and offices for public works employees. The facility is fully enclosed, and the pest-prevention program would continue. None of our trucks would drive down a Detroit residential street.” This seems to imply that garbage trucks wouldn’t be kept in Detroit, however, Tomkowiak and the council may consider Mack Ave and Canyon Rd “commercial” streets.

Tomkowiak also admits to Jackman that the move was presented poorly and not communicated well - if at all - to Detroit residents. She says Grosse Pointe will reach out to community groups and that Grosse Pointe still hopes to continue with the plan, which she says will include investing $4 million into the new facility and continuing a pest-control program public Works began in 2013.

Image via City of Grosse Pointe.