Dearborn City Officials Say Plan Commission Vote 'Isn't Controversial'

Tafelski, who voted against Deep, said he would make a good candidate for another city commission.

After a perfect storm of events at Tuesday night's Dearborn City Council meeting led to the voting down of local blogger Said Deep's reappointment for City Plan Commission, city officials are stressing that this case is simply part of the democratic process. The meeting was attended by five council members, and Council President Pro Tem Suzanne Sareini left early because of an illness. Deep's reappointment was voted on shortly after and, with only one vote against—casted by Council President Tom Tafelski, the measure fell short of the four votes required to pass. Nonetheless, Mayor Jack O'Reilly, who had nominated Deep for reappointment, said the instance was just a part of city government. “I don't want this issue to be construed as …

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Dearborn City Plan Commissioner's Reappointment Denied by Council Vote

Council President Tom Tafelski denied Said Deep from reappointment with a single vote at the shorthanded council meeting after refusing to table the resolution.

Dearborn resident, former journalist and local blogger Said Deep will no longer be a part of the Dearborn City Plan Commission–but it wasn't because of overwhelming disapproval of his reappointment by the Dearborn City Council. Rather, Deep's departure is the result of a single "nay" vote from council president Tom Tafelski and the absences of three councilmembers at Tuesday's council meeting. The regular meeting started with councilmembers Mark Shooshanian and Brian O'Donnell absent, and Council President Pro-Tem Suzanne Sareini left early, as she was feeling ill. Tafelski had previously requested a role-call vote on the issue of Deep's reappointment to the commission, which Mayor Jack O'Reilly said—in an interview after the meeting—meant…

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Armain Pilbossiann

2:22 pm on Friday, July 27, 2012

Peder, Tom has shown he is not one of O'Reilly's flunkies, i.e. Shooshenian, Hubbard etc. I personally hope he runs against Bluto O'Reilly, because it would be nice to have a leader who will lead our City the proper way, not the way its been run the past few years. Give him hell Tom, you will have a lot of people in your corner,   more ›

Dearborn Plan Commission Approves Expansion of Divine Child Athletic Facilities

Despite resident-voiced concern, the Catholic high school got the green light to move forward with a project that will enhance and enlarge their football and track field.

Plans to expand athletic facilities at Divine Child High School were approved Monday by the Dearborn City Plan Commission, but not without debate from nearby residents. According to the City Plan Department, the Catholic school in west Dearborn came before the commission in 1997 and had a site plan approved. But improvements the school hopes to have in place by the fall of 2013 required a Special Land Use approval. Those plans include the expansion and shifting of the school’s athletic fields; adding two lanes to the outdoor track; adding bleachers to both sides; and building several small outdoor structures to be used for team meetings, storage and concessions. The biggest of those changes–expanding the field–would allow the school to …

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Dearborn Zoning Board Approves Goodwill Store Plan

The metro Detroit arm of the nonprofit is moving forward with efforts to open a store in Dearborn by fall of 2012.

Goodwill Industries of Metro Detroit received its final OK to move forward with plans to open a retail store in west Dearborn. The effort passed the City Plan Commission April 9 after four months of debate. The plan–requesting a zoning variance to allow a secondhand store within 700 feet of residences and a school–came before the Zoning Board of Appeals, where it was approved with a 3-1 vote Wednesday evening by the five-person board. Board member Susan Binder was held from voting because she had already voted on the issue as a City Plan commissioner. According to Goodwill Director of Donated Goods Jeffrey Ukrainec, it was a relatively smooth process. "It was not a circus like it has been," he said. "It was controlled. They all had …

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Dearborn College Student Housing Plan Approved

Construction is expected to start in June for apartments and a student union across the street from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

As soon as next year, students at the University of Michigan-Dearborn could have a new housing option in Dearborn that is geared directly toward them. The Dearborn City Plan Commission unanimously approved a site plan for student housing at their Monday night meeting. The plan, presented by Bowers and Associates architectural firm President Scott Bowers, detailed the latest plans to renovate several former Ford Land properties on Town Center Drive into living space for local college students. The project would include not only apartments, but also a student union with a fitness center, offices, cafeteria and theater. Former plans integrated the two purposes more closely. But Bower explained that a market study conducted by developer Urban …

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Plan Commission Discusses Attendance Policy After Goodwill Issue Tabled Again

"It's an embarrassment to the city," Commissioner Susan Binder said of the fact that the commission has not been able to reach an agreement on Goodwill for three months.

Goodwill’s Dearborn store will likely have to wait at least another month­ to learn its fate. A Special Land Use request that has been before the City Plan Commission since January in an effort to bring Goodwill to Dearborn was tabled for a third time at the commission’s Monday night meeting at City Hall. But unlike January and February’s meetings, the request to table was not made by the commission, but by Goodwill. “Goodwill remains hopeful that we’ll be able to become a part of your community,” said attorney LeRoy Asher, speaking on behalf of Goodwill. But with just five of the commission’s nine members in attendance–and knowing that only four of those five would vote in favor of their request–Goodwill opted to wait. Goodwill's request …

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Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Goodwill in Dearborn?

A resident discusses his reasons for supporting Goodwill's plan to open a store in west Dearborn.

Last week I walked out of City Hall after the meeting of the City Plan Commission after the dead lock vote on Goodwill opening a new “upscale” resale store in the old Inca building downtown west Dearborn, with anger, surprise and a lot of questions regarding the survival and future of my beloved city. I read a statement from Councilman Robert A. Abraham in discussions about west Dearborn, paid parking, and future plans. “If you run your business today, like you did five years ago, you will most likely go out of business.” And this reflects all of west Dearborn. A successful business has to re-invent itself time and time again, to follow the times, changes in economic circumstances, change in demographics, etc. It is imperative to follow …

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Goodwill Dearborn Petition Held Up Again by City Plan Commission

The commission vote was split–four in favor, four against–on Goodwill's special land use request for a Dearborn store.

Goodwill's endeavor to open a retail store in Dearborn is at a standstill for the second month in a row, failing to gain adequate support from the City Plan Commission on Monday. At City Hall Monday evening, the commission heard debate from residents, business owners and Goodwill representatives on the nonprofit's plan to open a resale retail shop in west downtown Dearborn. But at the end of the night, Commissioner Said Deep's motion to deny the nonprofit's Special Land Use request garnered four votes in favor and for against–and with Commissioner Tawfic Hassan absent, that put the issue in gridlock. Goodwill's request faced a similar fate in January. At that City Plan meeting, only five of nine commissioners were present, and a vote on …

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Goodwill Aims to Secure Dearborn Store Approval

The metro Detroit nonprofit's plan will be heard before Dearborn's City Plan Commission on Feb. 13.

Goodwill of Metro Detroit has made it clear: Their Dearborn store will open in the former Inca Computer spot on Newman Street, or it won't open at all. Director of Public Relations and Dearborn resident Mark Lane said that the pressure to move the controversial plan to open a Goodwill store in the city to a different location outside of west downtown–say, Ford Road–has come from residents and city officials. But it's not an option. "We're not looking at other locations (in Dearborn)," Lane said, responding to comments that a second-hand store would be better situated away from downtown, and that it could have a negative impact on the direction the district moves toward. He added that failure to get approval to move the project forward …

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Today in Dearborn: Sept. 12

Five things you need to know to start your day in Dearborn.

Ready to start your day? Here's what you need to know. 1. The National Weather Service says the sunny skies will likely stick around most of today. The high will hit over 80 degrees, and a slight chance of rain might resurface in the evening. 2. Dearborn held many events yesterday to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11. From a vigil to community volunteerism to interfaith activities, check out our complete coverage on how Dearborn honored lives lost and condemned terrorism here. 3. The City Plan Commission meets tonight at Dearborn City Hall. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. 4. Also tonight, the Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education meets at the Administrative Services Center on Audette. That meeting also begins at 7 p.m. 5. In honor…

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