03/22/2026
ATTENTION: TVP RESIDENTS & SUPPORTERS
**Updated**
Why Friends Of Parkside Opposed the Zoning Changes — and Why You Should Too.
Based on feedback and concerns raised directly by residents, Friends Of Parkside (FOP) opposed two zoning changes requested by the Detroit Housing
Commission (DHC) and Ginosko Development Company (GDC). These changes
would directly affect the future homes and quality of life of current Parkside residents.
Five Reasons Friends Of Parkside (FOP) Took a Stand
1. A vegetative buffer does not protect residents from contaminated soil.
2. Making a building shorter is not the same as making it narrower.
3. The notice process was unfair and inconsistent.
4. What gets approved now affects Phases 1, 2, & 5 and may affect future phases.
5. What Friends Of Parkside asked — and how DHC/GDC responded.
⇒ See below the full explanation of each point ⇐
⚡ How to Participate in the BZA Hearing ⚡
MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2026 | 9:45 A.M.
• ATTEND IN PERSON: Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, 2 Woodward Ave
• JOIN BY ZOOM: https://cityofdetroit.zoom.us/j/89200132622 | Mtg ID: 892 0013 2622
(Mobile phone select Reactions or More (three dots in bottom right corner, and tap Raise Hand)
• CALL BY PHONE: (312) 626-6799 or (213) 338-8477 | Meeting ID: 89200132622 (To
raise and lower your hand, press *9)
• LET US KNOW IF YOU PLAN TO SPEAK AT THE BZA @ bit.ly/fopbza
ATTEND FOP WATCH PARTY @ FOP Offices
Coffee & pastries. Doors open 9:15 a.m. |
Need help joining the meeting? Call (313) 822-0311
For more info: (313) 822-0311 | 5000 Conner Street, Suite 103, Detroit, MI |
www.friendsofparkside.org
THE FIVE REASONS EXPLAINED WITH TALKING POINTS
What every Parkside resident should know for the March 23 BZA Meeting
1. A vegetative buffer does not protect residents from contaminated soil.
The State of Michigan’s own soil testing found benzo(a)pyrene — a known carcinogen —
above direct contact levels. EGLE officially designated the site a contaminated facility (Facility
#82009094). No remediation plan has even been submitted to EGLE for the solar field area
where the vegetative buffer would sit. Yet the official BZA notice lists the only reason for this
variance as “adjacent property being a park.” A solid screen wall is a permanent barrier built
over clean soil. Trees invite kids in — with nothing to stop them from digging — and roots can
grow through any protective cap. A row of trees is not a barrier. It is a welcome mat.
2. Making a building shorter is not the same as making it narrower.
DHC's own presentation confirms that PDD's feedback was about building length and street alignment
— not unit width. DHC responded by adjusting the street grid and reducing the number of townhomes.
Narrowing the width of every remaining unit was DHC's choice — not a City requirement and not a City
suggestion. The BZA should require DHC to explain why narrower units were necessary when fewer
units was already the documented response to PDD's feedback.
3. The notice process was unfair and inconsistent.
DHC filed this application on January 21, 2026 — 61 days before the March 23 hearing. Despite having
two full months, the notice was still unfair and inconsistent. Some residents received it by email, others
by mail or door hangers, and some only saw flyers left in the community center lobby. Friends Of
Parkside — located at 5000 Conner Street, Suite 103, literally across the street — never received any
official notice at all, even though we formally requested in writing twice to be added to the stakeholder
distribution list. We only learned about the hearing when one resident emailed us her personal copy.
Many residents only got notice on March 9 — just 14 days before the hearing. This left the community
without a real chance to understand and respond.
4. What gets approved now affects Phases 1, 2, & 5 and may affect future phases.
This BZA case covers Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 5 in a single request. Dimensional variances run
with the land — they are permanent. What the BZA approves today cannot easily be undone for Phases
1, 2, or 5. And what is approved for three phases is difficult to deny for the remaining two. Today’s
decision is not just about one building. It is about the standard that follows this entire development.
5. What Friends Of Parkside asked — and how DHC/GDC responded.
FOP asked DHC and GDC to postpone — give residents 14 days' notice, two community meetings, a
real presentation, and actual Q&A. Residents would decide if FOP should withdraw the opposition or
keep it.
DHC and GDC’s response: "We will review and respond in a reasonable manner and timeframe." That
is not a commitment.
• Your voice matters. Show up. Speak up. Let us know if we can count on you @ bit.ly/fopbza
