Sherwood Forest

November 2000

Nov 16, 2000

SPECIAL WARRINGTON EDITION

For the past several months, our neighbors on Warrington have been waging a battle to prevent blight and traffic congestion in Sherwood Forest. That battle has centered on two businesses that are planning to open soon on Seven Mile Road at and near Warrington. One is the West York Cleaners, now under construction at 4120 W. Seven Mile, at the northwest corner of Seven Mile and Warrington, and the other is Stage Grill and Barbeque, at 4140 W. Seven Mile, a carry-out restaurant located next door to the cleaners.

Our Warrington neighbors' experiences in dealing with serious violations by these two businesses provides a cautionary tale concerning the need for community vigilance to assure city enforcement of building and licensing requirements.

We start with the story of the Stage Grill and Barbeque. The owner, Isam Kashat, apparently decided to open a business and proceeded to make alterations to the building without obtaining any city permits. Concerned Warrington neighbors contacted every member of the Detroit City Council to ask that the restaurant not be allowed to open because: 1) it had not sought or received permits from the city to open a business or make alterations to the building; 2) there was no place for refuse containers on the property, and the owner publicly admitted that he intended to dispose of the restaurant's garbage by carrying it across the street to the BP gas station on the southeast corner of Livernois and W. Seven Mile; 3) the restaurant has no place for employees, customers or vendors to park, and residents were concerned that they would either park illegally on Seven Mile or park in Sherwood Forest on Warrington or Sherbourne. After an investigation by the Buildings and Safety Engineering Department, Geni Giannotti, Director, the owner was issued a violation notice for failure to secure the necessary permits. At a public hearing in September, which was attended by many Warrington residents, the owner was given time to bring the business into compliance. On October 10, 2000, the Building and Safety Engineering Department issued a written denial of the owner's request to open a carry-out restaurant. The denial states that several site improvement requirements and operational restrictions cannot be complied with, and specified:

?· no on-site parking for employees or customers;
?· no access to an on-site dumping area;
?· all loading and unloading of merchandise and rubbish to take place at the curb of Seven Mile east of Livernois, which is already a congested high-volume traffic intersection.

The written denial also stated that "use of this subject property as proposed, because of its location and limited site amenities, would be injurious to the use and enjoyment of other business and residential properties in the surrounding area."

Mr. Kashat is now appealing the October 10, 2000 ruling. A public hearing concerning his appeal has been scheduled
for Tuesday, November 21, 2000 at 11:00 a.m. in the Auditorium on the 13th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center (City-County Building) at 2 Woodward Avenue. We urge all Sherwood Forest residents to attend this crucial hearing.

The story concerning the West York Cleaners is equally disturbing. That business was issued permits by the city. The approved plans by the city specifically disallowed access to the facility from Warrington. The owner, Kye Lee, had curb cuts installed providing for Warrington access. Again, our Warrington neighbors complained to Detroit City Council, asking for: 1) the restoration of curbing along Warrington; 2) a change in the placement of the business entrance from Warrington to Seven Mile; 3) a paved, rather than a dirt, parking lot; 4) appropriate disposal and ventilation for waste, fumes and garbage, as there is no alley; 5) construction by the owner of the cleaners of a barrier between the cleaners and the home at 19131 Warrington. After an investigation, the Buildings and Safety Engineering Department issued a violation notice and directed restoration of the curbing along Warrington, warning the owner that the city would not otherwise issue a certificate of occupancy. Other violations were found after a public hearing in September, and the owner is currently working to make corrections.

Even if all corrections are made, the neighbors anticipate increased business traffic off of Seven Mile onto Warrington and into Sherwood Forest. To combat this, Warrington residents have requested the following: 1) turning Warrington into a one-way southbound street from Cambridge to Seven Mile; 2) turning Cambridge into a one-way westbound street from Berkeley to Livernois; 3) construction of a wrought iron and brick wall contiguous to the properties at 19131 Warrington and 3565 Sherbourne. A feasibility study is currently underway by the city.

Residents have talked about seeking private funding within the neighborhood for construction of the wrought iron and brick wall if that would speed city approval of the request to have a portion of Warrington turned into a one-way street. There is some concern that the city will balk at assuming the cost of constructing such a wall, and residents want to make sure that any construction is attractive and consistent with the architecture of Sherwood Forest.

Our thanks to all the Warrington neighbors who have written letters, made phone calls, held neighborhood planning sessions, contacted surrounding neighborhood associations soliciting support, attended public hearings and done all the other things that citizens apparently must do to prevent non-complying small business owners from simply opening their doors in the dead of night and then operating without restriction. Their fight is the fight of every Sherwood Forest resident. We must all be concerned about the possibility of increased traffic noise and congestion, lack of parking enforcement, the potential for crime, increased health and sanitation problems (rodents, garbage and fumes), as well as the already well-established lack of business responsibility of these two business owners.

Here is a list of what each of us can do:

1. Contact every member of the Detroit City Council and ask for an update on the status of the proposal to make part of Warrington a one-way street and to construct a wall. Ask every council member to support Sherwood Forest in this project. Addresses and telephone numbers of all council members are accessible through the Sherwood Forest web site at: www.neighborhoodlink.com/detroit/swoodforest.
2. Contact Geni Giannotti, Director of the Buildings and Safety Engineering Department, at 224-3252 and request that inspections be made on a regular basis at these two business locations both before and after the businesses open.

3. If you have contacts within the Wayne County court system, please track any court proceedings pertaining to these two businesses. The owners have the right to appeal any violations or rulings in the courts, and they may well do so.

4. Check regularly the "Talk About It" section of the Sherwood Forest web site at: www.neighborhoodlink.com/detroit/swoodforest. We will post messages there to update residents on this issue as it develops.

5. Most importantly, attend the public hearing on November 21 at 11:00 a.m. and voice your opposition to Isam Kashat's appeal of the decision of the Buildings and Safety Engineering Department's to deny his request to open a carry-out restaurant. We know that the strong voice and presence of Warrington residents at the September hearing was a factor in the initial denial of his request. It will again be a factor in his appeal. If you cannot attend the hearing, please take a few minutes to write a short letter to the Board of Zoning Appeals and tell the board members how you feel about this case. In your letter, refer to the case number, which is B&SE 103-00, and the legal description of the property, which is Lot 241, 242 and west 10 feet of 243 in the Sherwood Forest Subdivision. Letters must be submitted before or at the time of the hearing. Write to:

Board of Zoning Appeals
212 Coleman A. Young Municipal Center
2 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, MI 48226


Please join in this effort and urge your neighbors to join with you!

If you would like more information, contact Warrington resident Margie McCall at mdmmccall@aol.com or speak to any of the many Warrington friends and neighbors who are working so hard on this issue. If you have questions about the appeal, or the hearing scheduled for November 21, call the Board of Zoning Appeals inspector at 224-3595.



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OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS


Street Lights: Sherwood Forest street lights are malfunctioning on a regular basis. Many neighbors have expressed concern about our streets being dark and dangerous. Some nights the entire neighborhood seems to be dark, while other nights only selective blocks or lamp poles are affected. Members of the Board of Directors of the Sherwood Forest Association have called the Detroit Lighting Department to complain, often with frustrating results. Perhaps if more of us called more often we would get a better response. During business hours, call 267-7287. During non-business hours, call 224-0500. Mark Petty is the department's director.
Association's New Fiscal Year: The new fiscal year for the Sherwood Forest Association began on October 1. We are doing more than ever before, and we need your support more than ever before. If you have not yet mailed your $45 annual dues, please do so today. If you have questions about the status of your membership, call our treasurer, Sue McMillan, at 862-6366.


Historic Designation Update: Work continues on our efforts to obtain an historic designation for Sherwood Forest. The Historic Designation Advisory Board has almost completed its written overview of the neighborhood. Some residents and former residents have been interviewed as a part of the process. Within the next few months, we should know whether we will get the designation. Please note that the Sherwood Forest web page now has a link to the Detroit Historic Neighborhood Coalition web page.
Linda Jones
Historic Committee



Visit Our Own Web Page at: www.neighborhoodlink.com/detroit/swoodforest
I was gratified that so many neighbors contacted me after receiving last month's Tattler to say that they would like to begin receiving this newsletter online, but I would like to hear from many more. The advantage is that readers will get more up-to-date information and will get it faster, and the money spent on mailing can be spent on other worthwhile neighborhood projects instead. Please e-mail me at Rodwan@attglobal.net and tell me that you would like to begin receiving your Tattler online. Visit the Sherwood Forest web page at: www.neighborhoodlink.com/detroit/swoodforest. It includes several lovely color photographs of the neighborhood.

Gail Rodwan
Editor