Controversial Boston-Edison apartments plan gets Detroit appeals board support

Yahoo

23-07-2025

A resident of Detroit's Boston-Edison neighborhood fell short on July 21 in his effort to halt a developer's controversial plan to transform a vacant building into 49 income-restricted apartments, despite support from other nearby residents also in opposition.
Members of the Board of Zoning Appeals voted 7 to 2 to reject the resident's request to overturn an April decision by the city's Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department, or BSEED, which gave a green light to the redevelopment project at 9851 Hamilton.
The vote capped a marathon July 21 hearing on the redevelopment proposal that ran for nearly five hours.
Although the empty three-story building is not within the Boston-Edison Historic District, it is directly adjacent to it.
More: Controversy erupts over apartments plan near Detroit's Boston-Edison neighborhood
Many who spoke against the project at the hearing were Boston-Edison homeowners, including the resident behind the formal appeal, Kegan Scannell, who lives in a house next door to the Hamilton property.
It was not immediately clear whether Scannell intends to appeal the BZA's decision by taking it to the Wayne County Circuit Court. His successful 2023 appeal of the project's earlier city approvals forced the developer to restart the process from the beginning this year.
The developer, Timeless Properties, seeks to convert the 1920 building that was once a church's community center into apartments and ground-floor retail space, including a possible cafe.
This spring's BSEED approval would allow for housing and retail at the site, where the current permitted uses are office and parking.
Timeless Properties says it is looking to enroll the development in a new city PILOT program, or Payment In Lieu of Taxes, aimed at creating "workforce housing" and in which rents would be capped, with residents allowed to earn no more than 120% of the area median income, currently $84,840 for an individual or $96,960 for two people.
Numerous Boston-Edison residents have spoken out against the project at hearings, voicing general concerns that the new apartments and retail would introduce too much density to the neighborhood, generate too much traffic and hog street parking.
While BZA members heard a mix of comments during the hearing from the project's supporters and opponents, most of the comments and written letter submissions were in opposition.
Scannell stood before the appeals board with his attorney, Charlotte McCray, who also is a Boston-Edison resident.
McCray offered a list of the project's potential negative impacts to Scannell:
Diminishment of his property values.
Having his property mere feet away from the apartment building's dumpster.
The possibility of the dumpster attracting rats.
A reduction in privacy, with some of the building's windows directly facing his house's windows.
The current lack of screening, such as a wall, between the building and his property.
His expected loss of enjoyment from his property if the development proceeds.
Scannell told the BZA members that he definitely believes the development will negatively affect the value of his property.
'I wouldn't have bought the house if I knew there was going to be 49 apartments behind it," he said.
Scannell also said that his dogs as well as one of his neighbors suffered respiratory problems after one of the project's contractors — who was later fired — was caught dumping debris out of the building's windows.
Later in the hearing, Scannell accused the city of having "developer favoritism" when granting approvals for this project and others throughout Detroit, and of minimizing concerns from neighboring residents like himself.
'This process has been immensely difficult for me personally," he said, "but I love my neighborhood and want to protect it.
'Rather than holding the applicant to the standards of the zoning ordinance, the city has bent over backwards to justify a noncompliant project while disregarding the lived experiences of the residents most directly affected.'
Among the Boston-Edison residents who spoke against the project July 21 was Alan Brown, who owns the Motown Mansion once belonging to Berry Gordy and which is located on the opposite side of Hamilton from the proposed apartments.
Brown said he disputes BSEED's contention that the development wouldn't change the character of the immediate neighborhood.
"What I am witnessing today is the systematic bias of the city of Detroit in favor of this developer," Brown said, "and frankly, I think it's shocking.'
Timeless Properties' co-owner Adam Noel defended the redevelopment during the hearing and questioned whether Scannell truly fits the legal definition of having been "aggrieved" by the BSEED decision.
He noted how much of the debate during the hearing centered on parking, even though Scannell's house has a garage and a sizable driveway that could accommodate many vehicles.
"This building existed 100 years before the applicant (Scannell) bought his home," Noel said.
He also emphasized that Timeless Properties' aim is to restore and bring an empty building back to life.
'This is not a new development taking away a field next to a community, or tearing down existing structures that (don't) fit the neighborhood or its surroundings," Noel said.
'Rather, this building is a time capsule to what Detroit used to be 100 years ago and a testament to the architecture of the early 20th century," he said. "By renovating this building, we are removing blight from the neighborhood, eliminating a potential fire hazard and enhancing the livability of the community.'
Contact JC Reindl: 313-378-5460 or [e-mail]. Follow him on X @jcreindl
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Controversial Boston-Edison apartments plan gets appeals board support