TO: CITY OF DETROIT
DETROIT BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS
2 WOODWARD AVENUE - SUITE 212
DETROIT, MI 48226
FROM: DETROIT PEOPLE’S PLATFORM
DATE: January 30, 2023
RE: BZA CASE #1-23 for 4445 LAWTON STREET, DETROIT, MI, 48208
Dear Detroit Board of Zoning Appeals,
Detroit People’s Platform (DPP) is providing this letter to declare that we do not support the appeal for the Concrete Crusher facility at 4445 Lawton.
Industrial projects such as this one only exacerbates the already low air and water quality in our neighborhoods where state of Michigan laws measure up poorly against national air quality emissions and our city’s BSEED department conducts inadequate public health impact assessments for projects of this nature. The consequences of inadequate environmental standards are felt most by Detroiters where Detroit’s air quality is rated one of the dirtiest in the nation by the American Lung Association in 2021 and 2022 (during the COVID-19 pandemic).
Furthermore, environmental quality reports approved by BSEED for industrial projects are generally insufficient - lacking important health and air quality impact data – and only citing the projects’ compliance with the aforementioned, insufficient, state laws. The BZA should also note that industrial pollution has disproportionate impacts for Black communities where these facilities are found in larger numbers – and ultimately contribute to dire health and environmental statistics.
The potential noise, pollution, and general effects on the community will not positively contribute to the quality of life for residents in the neighborhood and without proper laws and health assessments conducted by the City’s BSEED department or the state, we must reject all further industrial development in Detroit, especially projects such as this one. We hope that the BZA will reject this project and others like it to support improving community health.
Thank you,
Detroit People’s Platform (DPP)
