URGENT: Say No to the proposed Concrete Crusher in Core City!

The Detroit Board of Zoning Appeals

Industrial developer, Murray D. Wikol from CanAm International Trade Crossing, is seeking a permit from the City to operate a "Very High-Impact Manufacturing Facility" at 4445 Lawton St in Core City. He wants to crush concrete in the open air with a giant piece of equipment, pile up 32 feet mounds of concrete, and bring in 10-60 trucks per day right beside a residential area!

This project will significantly bring down the value of the area that's already struggling to be revived by creating a lot of dirt, traffic, TOXIC CONCRETE PARTICLES (called fugitive dust), and dump truck air pollution. The Detroit master plan calls for light industry at this location, not a massive outdoor concrete crushing facility.

We as a neighborhood need to URGENTLY stand against this type of heavy, high-impact industry. We're open to developers coming in but not to people who don't care about us. We want development that directly serves our underserved community. There are children who walk by that corner daily and low-income and Black families who have lived in the area for decades. We must put them first over profit. This is an environmental justice issue.

The City of Detroit has denied the requested permit as of December 21st BUT the decision is likely to be appealed by Wikol and go to the Board of Zoning for a final decision.

There are 3 ways to take action:
  1. Sign this petition and tell the Board of Zoning to uphold BSEED's decision to deny Wikol's concrete crusher. We'll deliver it to the Board of Zoning before the hearing.
  2. Send a comment to the Board of Zoning Appeals by clicking here. Make sure to include the BZA case #: 1-23 for 4445 Lawton St.
  3. RSVP to the Board of Zoning Appeals hearing on Monday, February 20th at 9am by clicking here. There are online and in-person options available.

Contact the Concerned Residents of Core City anytime to express your concerns at 313-306-6158 or email corecityfightsback@gmail.com

Read and share the latest articles that have come out about our fight: www.corecityfightsback.com/news

Sponsored by
Default_group_icon
Concerned Residents of Core City
Detroit, MI

To: The Detroit Board of Zoning Appeals
From: [Your Name]

The community of Core City is strongly opposed to any "Intensive Industrial" projects and development at 4445 Lawton St in Core City.

Please uphold BSEED's decision to deny this Mr. Wikol's proposed concrete crusher in Core City.

It will create a slew of environmental, social, and economic impacts on the Black and low-income community doing its best to revitalize the area.

Concrete crushing facilities have been shown to add “fugitive silica dust” to the air, contaminate groundwater with “concrete slurry”, and raise the pH levels of surrounding land (see “attachments”). Exposure to silica dust is directly linked to increased rates of asthma, cancer, and heart disease. The proposal also calls for 10-60 heavy industrial dump trucks per day, which would add many volatile chemicals to the air and contribute to Detroit’s air pollution.

The dust and pollution from a project like this will produce fine particle matter that will get lounged in our lungs. It's especially dangerous for children who go to school a block away from the proposed project area and the aging occupants of residences that surround the site.

Detroit currently has the highest asthma rates of any other place in Michigan. Also, Black and low-income communities have the highest rates of asthma and respiratory sickness in Detroit. It's projects like this that are the cause.

Removing the eye sore that is the concrete and rock would be beneficial for us, but a "Very High-Impact Manufacturing or Processing Facility" will not be. There are children who walk by that corner daily from school and low-income and Black families in this area. We must put them first in the Core City community, not manufacturing or profits.

Having this project move forward would be a huge disregard for the people who live here and are working to revive the area. We have the right to breathe clean, healthy air and protect our most vulnerable.

Please reject the "Intensive Industrial" permit for this project on behalf of the residents of Core City.