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APRIL 2022

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DOWNTOWN04.22 46 MICHIGAN AS A CLIMATE HAVEN Michigan's vast freshwater resources, relatively calm environment free of severe drought, fires and hurricanes, and sea-level rise beg the question: Does the state have what it takes to be a climate change haven?

FROM THE PUBLISHER

CRIME LOCATOR

OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL

THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS

Voters may well be able to decide two important issues on the November ballot – refining the current term limits law and finally forcing financial transparency for state officials, including lawmakers.

A recap of select categories of crime occurring in the past month in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills, presented in map format.

Battle for endorsements; entering the election cagematch; breaking the MO for the GOP; family dynasties are challenged; the flock lands at Mar-A-Lago; House candidate spins his wheels; plus more.

A detailed look at the three local fire departments where the members are willing to throw on heavy equipment and forge ahead into a burning building as everyone else runs out.

Photo by Linda Parton/Dreamstime

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DOWNTOWN04.22 67 MUNICIPAL Old Woodward project phase three; new sewer/water rate method; Birmingham Schools budget amendments; liquor licenses held; outdoor dining in Birmingham; next township budget; plus more.

85 FROM THE BSD Executive Director Sean Kammer updates readers on programs the BSD has developed to help both shoppers in downtown Birmingham and members of the business community.

87 COMMUNITY HOUSE William D. Seklar brings readers up to date on an upcoming April 30 event at The Community House — The Bates Street Society Dinner which will honor the 2022 Pillars of Vibrancy.

90 METRO INTELLIGENCER Gigi Nichols provides readers with quick takes on what is happening in the world of food and drink in the metro Detroit area.

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94 ENDNOTE Our thoughts on the serious budget problems now facing officials in the Birmingham school district, and why the mix of businesses in downtown Birmingham is important. Photo by Mark Dawsy

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FROM THE PUBLISHER hen voters in 1992 were asked to approve Proposal B to usher in term limits for Michigan lawmakers and members of the administration, 69 percent of those casting ballots said yes to what is considered the most stringent in the nation. I was not among them. Not a supporter then. Still not, 30 years later. Willing, however, to accept some modification of what we now have as a compromise.

Those who wrote the amendment to the Michigan Constitution made a convincing case to many that lawmakers and those holding the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state should be limited to how long they could hold those positions. Those of us who have for any length of time followed the machinations in Lansing can all name any number of House or Senate members who simply stayed around too long – amassed too much individual power, strayed across that fine line that separates ethical lawmakers from those who would benefit themselves, figuratively and literally, without a second thought. But the backers of the term limit amendment assured voters that restricting how long someone could stick around in Lansing would usher in a new era of fresh ideas, bold decisions and reduced corruption. Sorry, we have yet to see all of these promises fulfilled. Certainly the corruption and questionable ethics still persist – think the current Chatfield or Courser-Gamrat affairs, just for starters, or a number of self-dealing or conflict of interest votes in past years. The ideas? For the most part they are no more fresh than in the past. As for bold decisions? Ask any member of the House and Senate and most will privately concede that term limits need to be revised but no one has the fortitude to lead the charge for fear of threatening their time in office. Now comes a bipartisan group with a proposal to revise – not eliminate – the current legislature term limits and at the same time provide financial disclosure regulations for the administrative offices and for lawmakers. The folks behind this push – Voters For Transparency & Term Limits – include Democrat Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, former Republican House Speaker Jase Bulger, Richard Studley, retired CEO of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, as well as members of organized labor. The bi-partisan group has submitted a petition to the Michigan Board of Canvassers. If it clears the board process, a petition drive to collect 425,000 signatures by July 11 will begin. If successful, voters will decide this amendment to the Constitution when they cast ballots in November. Yes, the legislature could be asked to place the amendment on the ballot but good luck with that, especially given the financial disclosure portion of this ballot proposal. Here's the skinny when it comes to the term limits part of this amendment. Under the current system, dictated by the Constitution, House members may serve up to three two-year terms and Senate members can serve two four-year terms. If someone wanted to serve in the House and then the Senate, they would be allowed to be a lawmaker for 14 years. The proposal by the Voters For Transparency & Term Limits group would allow a candidate for the House to serve up to 12 years in that chamber – six two-year terms. Members of the Senate could serve three four-year terms for a total of 12 years in that chamber.

In essence, the maximum time in the legislature would be 12 years instead of the current 14 years. The logic behind this is to give House and Senate members added time to thoroughly understand their jobs and build relationships with other lawmakers with the intent of creating a more collaborative atmosphere in Lansing. In turn, it would also help minimize the imbalanced sway lobbyists and full-time staffers have over the legislative process because they have gained power by default over elected lawmakers who are forced from office in six or eight years, thanks to the current term limits. An admirable goal to have elected lawmakers with the upper hand over lobbyists and special interests when writing legislation we all must live under. Now for the financial disclosure portion of this proposed constitutional amendment. The House in the last couple of sessions has made a valiant attempt to push the financial disclosure issue as a means of adding some transparency to the legislative and administrative process. Each time the move draws media headlines. After all, our state ranks near the bottom in national surveys when it comes to transparency so some acknowledgement is in order. But here's how it has gone more than once – House passes a less-thanperfect financial disclosure package of bills. Senate kills it by sending the bills to committee where they are never heard about again. The failure of late has to do with the Senate leader each of the recent terms, who does not support financial disclosure. Not sure which analogy is more applicable – someone who has the appetite for political power, as well as the preservation of the same once achieved or the old adage that laws are made by the winners to preserve victory over the losers. As for the House package of bills, I say less-than-perfect because the latest financial disclosure proposal was mostly right on the mark, except all financial information would be filed with a special legislatureappointed committee and not available for public review unless the panel thought there was a violation and maybe some of the information would be released. Maybe. A seriously flawed proposal if there ever was one. The Voters For Transparency & Term Limits amendment would force lawmakers, the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state to electronically file with the Department of State each year reports about assets and unearned income; purchases, sales or exchanges of real property; earned income; liabilities; gifts; travel payments and reimbursements; and a few other items. All reports would be available online to the public. No limitations. Knowing that some lawmakers would attempt to subvert this amendment should voters adopt it, the proposal also provides that if the legislature fails by the end of December 2023 to adopt implementation legislation for the required disclosure, any resident can file suit with the Michigan Supreme Court to force the requirements to be enacted. So do we wait even longer for House and Senate members to finally address either of these issues? I say enough. We need to get behind the bi-partisan effort to both fix the shortcomings of the current term limits and provide financial disclosure. Take the power granted to us for petitioning for change at the ballot box. Now. David Hohendorf Publisher DavidHohendorf@DowntownPublications.com

271 West Maple

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BIRMINGHAM | BLOOMFIELD

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News editor Lisa Brody

PhotograPhy/CoNtributors Laurie Tennent | Mackenzie O'Brien | Chris Ward Laurie Tennent Studio

advertisiNg direCtor David Hohendorf

advertisiNg sales Mark Grablowski

graPhiCs/it MaNager Chris Grammer

offiCe 124 W. Maple, Birmingham MI 48009 248.792.6464 DOWNTOWN NEWSMAGAZINE GOALS/MISSION The personnel at Downtown Newsmagazine bring a special commitment to the publishing effort, reinvesting in the local communities and working to make sure the Birmingham/Bloomfield area reaches its highest potential. Our mission dictates that we strive each month to provide a solid news and advertising product that local residents look forward to reading. Our goal is to build a community of informed citizens through the efforts of our passionate team. We are innovators producing products that go well beyond what others offer. DISTRIBUTION/SUBSCRIPTIONS Mailed monthly at no charge to most homes in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills. Additional free copies distributed at high foot-traffic locations in Birmingham/Bloomfield. For those not receiving a free mail copy, paid subscriptions are available. To secure a paid subscription, go to our website (downtownpublications.com) and click on “subscriptions” in the top index and place your order or scan the QR Code here.

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CRIME LOCATOR

NORTH

Map key

Sexual assault

Assault

Murder/Homicide

Robbery

Breaking/entering

Larceny

Larceny from vehicle

Vehicle theft

Vandalism

Drug offenses

Arson

These are the crimes reported under select categories by police officials in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills through March 24, 2022. Placement of codes is approximate.

INCOMING Gobal warming falsehoods The Coal Ash article (March/ Downtown) is based on the premise that there is global warming and that we, humans, can control it. Both assumptions are wrong. Statistics show that there is no increase in storms, heat waves, wildfires and floods in the last 100 years. Planet earth was formed 4.5 trillion years ago and climate timeline cannot be measured in days but by years,1,000 years timeline at least. No "climate control" measures implemented today will show tomorrow and we will not know for a 100 years if these measures are indeed successful. Why is there an emergency? Corporations and some governments are interested in making it a "pandemic of fear" now that Covid-19 is over, and make money, a lot of money, too. Advocated is a revolution which will replace, at very high cost, everything that we have now with new technology, even electrical lawn mowers. The climate "change" cult believes in the need to "save the planet" — becoming a cult/religious revolution in a godless society. In past years we did put all in the “hand of God.” Now technology replaced abstract god with climate change, globalization and no borders. We owe nothing to this new god, certainly not a need for a moral foundation. While COP26 is ongoing, the kahuna of climate change are careful not to "blame" nature for climate changes, all are man-made disasters for them. The article did not mention volcanos such as the 35 days active Cumbre Vieja volcano in Canary Island La Palma. It produced clouds of sulfur dioxide (11.5 tons/day) and carbon dioxide (1.147 tons/day). Forty eight volcanoes are

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active globally as of October 15, 2021. It is widely believed that the enormous ash plume, blocking out the sun's life-giving rays, had such an effect on agriculture that the subsequent starvation was a direct contributor to the French Revolution in 1789. Indeed, volcanic ash creates a vail which does not permit sunshine to reach our planet and there is a drop in temperature, cooling by one-two degrees centigrade the climate in Europe when the Iceland volcano erupted. At present, volcanoes emit between 130 and 380 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. This dwarfs by far the quasi effort to control "carbon footsteps" and fossil energy. A bunch of politicians from around the world fly their private jets and play god, an illusion, as if they can affect god-given winter, spring summer and fall. Isaac Barr MD Bloomfield Township

Complete cannabis story Wow. Downtown did its due diligence on the cannabis legalization topic (February). It is an incredibly robust article. Thank you again for including us. Ahren Hoffman Crazy Aaron’s Norristown, PA

Cannabis legalization What an awesome article that Lisa Brody wrote (Cannabis legalization/February). This is probably the best one written about this industry. Thanks for including me. Michelle R.E. Donovan Senior Legal Counsel Clark Hill Detroit

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DUKES UP: So far, just one Republican has thrown his hat into the ring to try to take on the winner of the Levin/Stevens Democratic primary to try to take the 11th District in November and flip it red. However, that candidate – Josh Bitterman – knows what it’s like to get into a ring and battle it out. Bitterman, of Pontiac, is a Bloomfield Hills native, attending Way Elementary and Lahser High School, then University of Michigan, and grew up across the street from Kirk in the Hills Presbyterian Church – and then became a champion mixed martial arts fighter, with an 8-1 record in 2013 in Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting. In 2022, he graduated from BITTERMAN U-M’s Ross School of Business, and is currently a small business owner, the co-owner of multiple Goldfish Swim School franchise locations after founding a financial firm, Insignia Wealth Management. Can his experience in business and martial arts prepare him to brawl against one of two two-term Congress folk geared up after a primary struggle? While the district is Democrat-learning, get your gloves on. This will be one to watch – in both August and November.

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SEAL OF APPROVAL: As Democratic Congress members Andy Levin (Bloomfield Township, Royal Oak, Huntington Woods, Ferndale, parts of Macomb County) and Haley Stevens (Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Troy, Clawson, parts of western Oakland and Wayne counties) are fighting a turf war for the voters’ nod in the upcoming August primary for the redistricted 11th District, they’re also battling it out in who has the most – and most notable – endorsements. It’s a story of one-two punches, with Stevens receiving outgoing Congresswoman Brenda LEVIN Lawrence’s nod, for her current sizable portion – equalling one-third – of Oakland County. Stevens has also received endorsements from 14 other Democratic members of Congress, including Eddie Bernice Johnson, Annie Kuster, Brad Schneider, Colin Allred, Lois Frankel, Jackie Speier, Susie Lee, Susan Wild, STEVENS Cindy Axne, Linda Sanchez, Chris Pappas, Susan DelBene and Joyce Beatty, the Congressional Black Caucus and AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a powerhouse pro-Israel group which has contributed about $2,900 to Stevens’ campaign directly and also collected $280,000 in individual contributions earmarked for her campaign. As for Levin, he’s crushing it on endorsements, as well, receiving backing from progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren and House Financial Services Chair Maxine Waters, along with Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, Reps. Jerry Nadler, Raúl Grijalva, Nydia Velázquez, Mark Pocan, Steve Cohen, Lloyd Doggett, Dwight Evans, Jesús “Chuy” García, Al Green, Eleanor Holmes Norton and Jamie Raskin, along with the liberal Jewish organization J Street and the Muslim-American civil rights group Emgage. Levin also has a whole coterie of union endorsements.

TROUBLE ON BOARD: What’s going on with former Detroit Police Chief James Craig’s campaign for governor? The “presumed” Republican frontrunner – and we say that because GOP leadership continues to call him the frontrunner – and his fellow – at this count – 10 other GOP candidates, if they all file by April 19, aren’t really giving him much of a challenge. And that’s not saying much. Craig is hydroplaning among voters, especially the Republican electorate. His campaign has been undergoing a “reboot” this winter, as Craig alleged that fundraising mailers where he attacked Michigan State Police as “weakkneed...underlings” during his campaign launch had been sabotaged by

DOWNTOWN

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someone in his own organization. Now, for the second time, on March 21, the manager of his campaign submitted his resignation. This time it is Adam Wright who has hit the exit. Former campaign manager Anthony Sarros said goodbye in December, and well-known political consultant John Yob, who helped launched the Craig campaign, moved on in November to spearhead fellow GOP gubernatorial candidate ‘Quality Guru’ Perry Johnson’s campaign. PRIMARY REP SHOWDOWN: Although the April 19 filing deadline for 2020 candidates is still a couple of weeks off, there are already a number of races that will be worth following, among them the August primary contest for the new Michigan state House 54th district (parts of Auburn Hills, Bloomfield Hills and Bloomfield Township, and all of Orion Township) on the Democrat side of the ballot. So far there are two seeking to be the standard bearer for the Democrats – Gary Gerson and Shadia Martini, both from the Bloomfield area. Gerson, a former teacher at Cranbrook Schools, author of two books and Uber driver, was considered at one time a possible 2020 primary candidate against state Rep. Mari Manoogian. He actually filed to run last time around but we are told party officials asked him to withdraw, leaving the field to the incumbent House member. Shadia, originally from Syria where she taught at the university level and was a TV reporter, is now a realtor and builder. She ran in the 2020 primary against Democrat incumbent state Representative Kyra Harris Bolden (Beverly Hills) who took over 90 percent of the August vote in a blow-out then. The winner of the 2022 primary contest will likely face Republican Donni Steele, whose bonafides include four years on the Orion Township board as trustee and now five years in the saddle as Orion Township treasurer. Steele, who formed her state election committee last April, has already piled up an impressive list of endorsements from current/past local and state officials. From what we could tell from a SOS website that was onagain/off-again on the fritz at press time, Steele has not racked up a great amount of money – in the neighborhood of $20,000 with $12,500 in debt. OUT OF BOUNDS: Traditionally, local, state and national party chairs stay out of the endorsement game during primary season, not wanting to put their finger on the scale for one candidate over another of their own party. But – in so many ways – this year is not like other years. And one key reason is it seems Michigan GOP co-chair Meshawn Maddock is playing with her own playbook. An example is her recent endorsements of Republican Secretary of State candidate Kristina Karamo and attorney general candidate Matt DePerno, who are both supported by former President Donald Trump because they perpetuate the falsehood that he won the last presidential election. Reading from the same playbook, MADDOCK Bernadette Smith, Michigan GOP Ethnic Vice Chairwoman, also announced she is backing DePerno. While a GOP spokesperson told Gongwer Michigan, a Lansing insider’s newsletter, that Maddock was endorsing them “personally,” as we all know, when you’re in a leadership capacity, your voice is always as a leader. And unlike other positions, voters do not pick the Republican or Democratic candidate to represent the party for attorney general or secretary of state – they’re picked at the party endorsement convention, which for Republicans is April 23. DePerno is facing former state Speaker of the House Tom Leonard, who ran for attorney general in 2018, losing by just under three percent, and Commerce Rep. Ryan Berman to challenge Democrat incumbent Dana Nessel. Besides Karamo are state Rep. Beau LaFave (R-Iron Mountain), Cindy Berry, Chesterfield Township Clerk, and Cathleen Postmus, Plainfield Township Clerk, all hoping to challenge Democratic incumbent Jocelyn Benson in the general election. BIRDS OF A FEATHER: Speaking of Matt DePerno, at a fundraiser for the AG hopeful at Trump’s Mar-A-Lago estate in March the crowd included the ex-prez and Pillow Guy (and conspiracy theorist) Mike Lindell, both of whom spoke, and Meshawn Maddock, of course. But there were a number of other Michigan hopefuls, among them 24

Republican gubernatorial candidate Perry Johnson of Bloomfield Township, as well as top spot contenders Ralph Rebandt and Ryan Kelley. Johnson, it should be noted, threw his endorsement at the beginning of March to DePerno and has asked other gubernatorial wannabes to do the same. So much for bringing Johnson’s supposed ‘Quality Guru’ talents to the 2022 election scrum.

DEPERNO

DYNASTIES CHALLENGED: Two county family dynasties from the west Oakland lakes area are being challenged at the county commission level in the August 2020 election – the Long family in Commerce and the Kowall family in White Lake, both with a long Republican history. Christine Long is currently on the county board and has filed to run in the newly configured 12th district. First elected as county commissioner in 2002, she hails from a family that has been holding public office for decades. Her husband, Rob Long, served as a Commerce Township trustee and his father, Robert Long, was the township supervisor for decades and was considered the guiding light (a most ethical one) during the formative LONG years of the community. The Long Family Orchard, Farm (think corn and strawberries) and Cider Mill has long been a local attraction, and is worth considerable percentage points when it comes to name recognition. Christine is being challenged in the GOP primary this coming August by Commerce resident Monica Yatooma, a newcomer unknown in the political sphere until the pandemic hit and she hitched her wagon to the anti-CRT, ‘jail Fauci’ and anti-mask movement as a founding member of the Parents Against Mandates group. Forget that those issues are mostly not under the purview of the county board – they are 2022 GOP playbook pablum designed to grab attention. Combine that with a strong social media campaign, what appears early on to be a potential big fundraising drive, and her billing herself as KOWALL the “female voice from the Middle Eastern community,” and Christine Long, who in two decades has usually filed campaign reporting waivers by raising/spending less than $1,000 on a race, could have her hands full. Too early to take bets on this one. In neighboring White Lake, Republican incumbent Eileen Kowall has been tossed in the newly redrawn District 7 with GOP incumbent Bob Hoffman, who has been on the board since 2010. Eileen Kowall was a commissioner from 2003-2008, then state Representative (2009-2014) and then back again on the county board since 2015. In her own right, she is widely known and respected. But it certainly helps that her spouse, Mike, was also a member of the state House and Senate, as well was township supervisor. Our money is on the Kowall legacy surviving. SAY WHAT?: Like a bald tire in a winter snowstorm, Michigan House 19th district Republican candidate Anthony Paesano of Bloomfield Township got little traction in the media with his early March publicity release calling for the resignation of Birmingham Public Schools Superintendent Embekka Roberson, blaming her for the $14 million budget deficit now facing the district. And for good cause, no doubt. Roberson took over in early summer of 2021; the deficit was discovered several months after her arrival, a deficit caused by revenue/expense calculation errors, including over misestimation of student counts that generate annual state revenues for school districts, a friggen budgetary mess that had been going on for two school years and which she brought to the district’s attention. Not one media outlet (print/broadcast), of which we are aware, picked up the resignation call by Paesano, who said in his release that he has two children in the Birmingham school district. Paesano is being challenged by Carolyn E. Shettler from Farmington Hills in the August primary. Assuming no one else files for this race, the primary winner will in November face Democrat Rep. Samantha Steckloff, who is in her first term in the House and is a former Farmington Hills City Council member.

DOWNTOWN

04.22

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FACES James Haefner rchitectural photographer James Haefner seemed destined to be the creative mind behind the camera. “I started taking pics in high school and people liked them, so I kept doing it,” he said. “I had a dark room. I was really into it.” What began with capturing images of rock concerts and friends would become a lifelong career for the Bloomfield Hills resident, who earned a degree in photography from the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. His impressive body of work has graced the pages of books and magazines for decades. Haefner started his photography business in 1979, doing automotive advertising work for 40 years as he traveled the world and shot images around the country. About 20 years ago, he diversified with architecture at the request of Somerset Collection, that remains a client today. “It was quite a nice diversion,” he said. That happens to be the same time he made the switch to digital photography. As Haefner explained, “My goal is to try to find my client’s intention through the use of light, composition and lensing.” Residential architects and interior designer clients include Young & Young Architects, DesRosiers Architects and Stephen Knollenberg. He also works on educational, hospitality and corporate projects for companies such as SmithGroup, Rossetti, HED and Anderson/Miller, Ltd. His iconic images have appeared in books, such as “Michigan Modern: Design that Shaped America,” by Amy L. Arnold and Brian D. Conway, and “Where Today Meets Tomorrow: Eero Saarinen and the General Motors Technical Center,” by Susan Skarsgard. His recent exhibition at Cranbrook: James Haefner: Michigan Modern – based on the book, “Michigan Modern: An Architectural Legacy,” by Brian D. Conway – featured 50 of his images from the title published in 2018, that is now in its third printing. For the exhibition, Haefner handled the printing of the images and other logistics from the suppliers to the shipping crates. “The pandemic gave me the time to do all this,” said Haefner. Other recent Michigan exhibitions include the Dennos Museum in Traverse City and the Marshall M. Fredericks Museum in Saginaw. “It was a huge honor to have my work viewed by so many people,” said Haefner, who plans to do more exhibitions in the future. “I hope people can appreciate the images and learn from them to understand Michigan’s role in the modern design movement.” For one of his current projects, he has been documenting the restoration of Michigan Central Station in Detroit for Ford Motor Company. “Every nine or 10 months, I spend a day or two there,” he said. For another ongoing endeavor, Haefner collaborates with Library Street Collective, a contemporary art gallery in downtown Detroit. “It’s a virtual exhibit,” he explained. “I photograph significant structures and they have their artists select images of artwork to combine everything together so it looks like the art is in the space.” Examples include Frank Lloyd Wright’s Turkel House and Michigan Central Station back when the building was partially renovated. Another historic project he began in 2015 features the Douglas House in Harbor Springs designed by Richard Meier (douglashouse.org). Family remains a big part of his life, too. Daughter Jessica will soon graduate from University of Michigan Medical School and son Grant is working on his MBA at Jacksonville University, where he plays Division 1 golf, as he is one of Michigan’s top amateur golfers. “I see them often,” Haefner said. After all this time, he still feels grateful for his creative career. “It’s the only job I’ve ever had,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate.” Instagram: @haefnerphoto Website: jameshaefner.com

Story: Jeanine Matlow

Photo: Laurie Tennent

FIRE POWER AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE BIRMINGHAM, BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP AND BLOOMFIELD HILLS FIRE DEPARTMENTS BY LISA BRODY

irefighters have an air of mystery about them. How many of us are willing to throw on heavy equipment and forge ahead into a burning building as everyone else runs out, struggling to breathe and in fear for their lives? They're the embodiment of heroes, along with police. They were our national idols on 9/11, where of the 415 emergency workers who climbed up the burning towers of the World Trade Center, 343 firefighters were lost rescuing others. Danger surrounds the work of firefighters, whether in fighting a fire, coming to the aid of car accidents and other emergency rescues, helping with medical emergencies, as well as other forms of community assistance, where in 2019, 62 firefighters died while on duty across the country. Of that, 33 died from heart attacks, 18 from activities at a fire, and 12 from activities at a non-fire scene, according to the U.S. Fire Administration, a drop from 84 fatalities in 2018. Other than in 2001, because of 9/11, the highest toll of fatalities occurred in 2013 nationally, when there were 109 firefighter fatalities. As a country, we're fascinated by firefighters. Visit a Halloween store, and there is always a run on children's fireman costumes. Who doesn't want to be a hero? Witness the high television ratings for long running shows like “Chicago Fire,” “Station 19,” “911” and “911 Lone Star.”

Bloomfield Township has a main fire station and three out stations, with a total of 60 full-time personnel. The department budget is about $16.5 million annually, funded by four public safety millages and the township's general fund.

However, when local fire chiefs are asked how realistic these television shows are, they could only laugh. Perhaps there aren’t as many catastrophic events as there on TV, or as much romantic entanglements that keep eyeballs glued week after week, but they all assure that their officers’ commitment is as strong as portrayed on the shows. And fire hall grub ? It’s definitely a thing – a very delicious, nutritious and increasingly healthy thing. Regular, demanding training and certification are high expectations for firefighters and paramedics in Bloomfield Township, Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills, which is a public safety department. A public safety department, of which there are only a few around the state anymore, is a hybrid combination of both police and fire, and every officer must be dually-certified in both. They also split shifts in both fire and police, whereas in Birmingham and Bloomfield Township, each fire officer is certified as both a fireman and a paramedic. All three departments note that what was once hundreds of candidates seeking positions from each graduating class at the academy, today it is a competitive hiring process, with fewer qualified candidates to choose from. The local departments each have highest qualifications and requirements. Bloomfield Township Fire Department The spotlight was laser-focused on the Bloomfield Township Fire Department and Fire Chief John LeRoy on Thursday, February 17, when the iconic Oakland Hills Country Club went up in flames. LeRoy was tasked with managing not only his fire department, but 18 other departments as well, which he said he did with a careful plan, relying on training. “There were over 100 firefighters at one point,” he said. With the first flame called in shortly after 9 a.m., and the hot spots not tampered down until late Sunday or into Monday, it was truly a community-wide, mutual aid, “all hands on deck” effort. “I may be chief, but I let the battalion chiefs run the fire,” he said, noting he checked in with each local department’s battalion chief who was accountable for their own firefighters’ safety. “I’ll plug in wherever I’m needed. They’re coordinating and I’m checking in to see what their needs are. Your job is to make sure they’re safe.” LeRoy is a second-generation firefighter, who has been “going to fires since I was in middle school. I was hooked,” the son of the former fire chief in Oxford. He noted a lot of firefighters are second, third or fourth generation firefighters, not because of nepotism, “but they’ve been exposed to it at a young age. It’s cool, it’s exciting. “What is it that compels people to run into burning buildings? They’re different,” LeRoy acknowledged. “A lot of it is an overwhelming sense of wanting to help people, and they gravitate towards this way.” LeRoy, who has been with Bloomfield Township Fire Department for 20 years, after attending Lake Superior State University for fire science, a four-year firefighting-based degree which also gave him a background in fire investigation, operations, administration and “the broad scope of the entire fire service.” He was first a paid-oncall firefighter for Oxford before being hired for his first full time job in Bloomfield Township, where he rose through the ranks until he became assistant chief in 2017 or 2018, and chief 18 months ago. He said someone usually remains in a chief position for about five or six years before retiring. Bloomfield Township has a main fire station and three out stations, with a total of 60 full-time personnel. The fire department budget is about $16.5 million annually, funded by four Bloomfield Township public safety millages as well as the township’s general fund. LeRoy noted they are still down employees through attrition,

and he works with township finance director Jason Theis to address capital need requirements versus personnel expenses as well as retirement benefits. “Every fire truck is custom manufactured,” he said, noting they are at the whim of the global supply chain like everyone else, unable to replace an outdated ambulance. “In November we were told it would be 520 days, so we’re trying to buy for the fiscal year 2024 budget, and trying to do that for all of our trucks.” Each of the four stations has an engine rescue truck as well as a rescue truck, which has all of the equipment of an ambulance, providing the flexibility for all kinds of medical calls if there is a wait for an ambulance. Bloomfield Township provides all of its own ambulance service, with no outsourcing. The main station at 1155 Exeter Road also has an engine/ladder truck as well as a rescue truck, for low frequency, high risk rescues in situations where someone may be trapped in a confined space, a trench, or a building collapse. LeRoy said the trucks are used regularly as part of their mutual aid arrangement, along with hazmat equipment. The other stations are located at 1063 Westview; 4151 W. Maple Road; and 2389 Franklin Road. Bloomfield Township firefighters work 24-hour shifts 10 to 11 days a month, with a lieutenant and three firefighter/paramedics at each out stations as well as the main station. “There’s no set national standards for staffing recommendations. When I started, there were 21 on a shift; now we’re at 18,” LeRoy said. “We lost nine positions over the last 20 years, all through attrition, but we just haven’t replaced them because of our budget. The level of service is the same, but we don’t have enough people for a house fire.” At that point, the department relies on OAKWAY, a group of 10 Oakland County departments that provide mutual aid for fire, EMS, hazmat, tech rescue, peer support and other services. They include Bloomfield Township, Birmingham, West Bloomfield, Southfield, Waterford, Madison Heights, Rochester Hills, Farmington Hills, Ferndale and Royal Oak. Bloomfield Township Fire Department requires every firefighter to have basic emergency medical training (EMT) and state of Michigan firefighter certification, which is 15 credits at Oakland Community College, and within the first three years they are on the job, to receive basic paramedic certification, which is another 30 credits, as well as 15 credits on anything of their choosing, which equals an associate’s degree. “They used to be taught on the job, but now there is heavy training and certification that is required,” LeRoy said. “They have to be trained in the combination just to start, followed by a complete physical and multiple oral interviews.” In most departments, firefighters are on probation for the first year, and it is not unheard of for a “probie” to wash out, especially in a demanding local department, where “the best of the best” is not just a saying. To maintain their position as a firefighter, every firefighter has to maintain their paramedic license every three years with the state of Michigan, as well as updated state of Michigan firefighting rules, which include 12 hours of annual training. LeRoy said they provide all of the training in-house. “We are between 10,000 and 12,000 hours of training a year. Every day is a training day here, whether organized or not,” he said. “If something isn’t scheduled, they’re expected to improve,” he said. “Every day they’re doing training, deep maintenance.” The starting pay for a firefighter/paramedic in Bloomfield Township is $46,000 a year, with stepped increases over the years to $79,000 on the fifth year.

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The Fire and Life Safety Division (FLSD), administered by the fire marshal and two inspectors, does annual inspections of all commercial buildings in Bloomfield Township to make sure they remain up to code.

What has changed over the years is the increasing amount of medical and service calls rather than fire calls, largely due to the importance of fire safety. Increasingly, in suburban bedroom communities, calls to 911 and the fire department are trending up for medical and service rather than fires. “Back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, they had a big problem with fires, and the federal government focused on the prevention aspect. They called it ‘America’s Burning.’ It taught American kids to not play with lighters, forest fires, and other things, and it’s really grown from there,” LeRoy said. In December 2021, there were 88 fire-related calls, which included home or business fires, car fires, and fire alarm calls, LeRoy said. In contrast, there were 330 EMS calls, where patients were transported to the hospital, and 130 calls for service. LeRoy said those were for everything from wires down, traffic assistance, helping an elderly person who may have fallen and assisting them back to bed, smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detector chirping, or numerous other ways of aiding residents. “Often we’re helping residents age at home,” he said. The average response time from dispatch until they get on scene is five to six minutes, he said, while national recommendation is to be under eight minutes. In addition, the Fire and Life Safety Division (FLSD), administered by the fire marshal and two inspectors, does annual inspections of all commercial buildings in Bloomfield Township to make sure they remain up to code, to work around issuing tickets, if possible, and reinspect buildings if they do receive code violations. In addition, the FLSD has a second grade safety program for all second graders in Bloomfield Hills Schools, where they go into the classroom once a week over a period of time over four to six weeks and provide fire safety and general safety information. Their busiest times of the day, LeRoy said, begin at 7 a.m., “peak at noon, then there’s another peak at 4 p.m. until dinner time, then it trends down over the course of the evening. Weekends are a little lighter, 10-15 percent lighter, because of the kind of community we are.” Then, while not relaxing, they do eat together as a group. “Some of the best cooks you can imagine are in the firehouse,” LeRoy confirmed. During the week, they eat together for lunch and dinner; weekends, breakfast and dinner. Some firefighters are assigned to shop, storing the cart if they get a call, and others to cook, rotating it, with healthier fare and workouts at the in-station workout rooms as higher priorities than in the old days. “They don’t make the huge grand meals anymore,” he said. “In reality, there’s only 15-18 people on call at a time, which is only three to five people at an out station. “The biggest misconception is that they eat and sit around and watch TV all day,” LeRoy noted. “They don’t sit down til dinner.” Birmingham Fire Department As in Bloomfield Township, all 36 personnel in the Birmingham Fire Department are full-time employees – there are 33 firefighters on shift, a fire marshal, assistant fire chief, and fire chief. With two fire stations, the main station on Adams; the other on W. Maple at Chesterfield, they have a requirement to have a minimum of 10 personnel per day, said assistant fire chief Matt Bartalino, which they’ve been running for 24-hour shifts since 2019. Their days run 8 a.m.-8 a.m., with three-day cycles. Why is that? “A lot of times it was what was in place before,” he said. “You grow up into it so it becomes a preference.” Birmingham firefighters are also required, trained and certified

as paramedics, and have been putting basic EMTs through paramedic school, an eight-10 month school. “It provides a lot more schooling, a lot more skills, in things like cardiology training, EMT, practice and performing more clinical practice,” Bartalino said. This year, with no experience, a beginner firefighter will start at $50,000 without benefits, and they will give a two-year stepped paramedic premium of eight percent. Since 1979, there has been a continual evolution in pre-hospital emergency medicine that has taken place, which the department is determined to keep up with. They note on their website, “We have invested in training and equipment for a 12-lead ECG program. This new program allows paramedics out in the field to identify a patient who is having chest pain and determine whether the patient is having an active myocardial infarction (MI), (heart attack) and, if so, notify the receiving hospital of this information along with a 12 lead ECG. This will set into motion a Cardiac Alert notification at the hospital where they will assemble a cardiac team to be waiting for the patient arrival. The patient will then bypass the emergency room and go directly to the Cardiac Catheterization Department for definitive care. This new program has been heavily supported by William Beaumont Hospital. We have also added to our already well stocked arsenal of medical emergency equipment to include three automated external defibrillators (AED’s). These AED’s have been well supported by the American Heart Association for the purpose of early defibrillation in cardiac arrest. This equipment will allow nonparamedic firefighters to administer this life saving treatment to patients in cardiac arrest prior to the arrival of a paramedic.” Average response time for the department is three minutes. “It’s very difficult right now to hire public safety. The candidate pool is much smaller,” he said. “It used to be when testing you were going up against hundreds, if not thousands, of people. A lot of it is there seems not be as much of an appeal, because the pay is good.” Birmingham Fire Department has an annual budget of just over $7.1 million for fiscal year 2021-2022, which ends June 30, 2022. Birmingham Fire Department requires ongoing training, and the state requires continual certification, of 240 hours of training per employee, per year. “We do more, and we do the majority of it inhouse,” Bartalino said. “Through OAKWAY, there are a lot of opportunities to train together. The group as a whole will do RIT – rapid intervention training. There is elevation training and other training. We try to get as much of our personnel to train together as possible.” OAKWAY, a group of 10 Oakland County departments that provide mutual aid for fire, EMS, hazmat, tech rescue, peer support and other services, is an important piece of the training and budget puzzle for Birmingham. The communities include Bloomfield Township, Birmingham, West Bloomfield, Southfield, Waterford, Madison Heights, Rochester Hills, Farmington Hills, Ferndale and Royal Oak. “Birmingham is pretty centralized – our equipment is all lined and ready to go. Everyone is trained on all the equipment,” Bartalino said. Birmingham, like Bloomfield Township, does not outsource its ambulance service, providing it themselves for residents and others in need. They have two rescue trucks, or ambulances, one each day at each of their stations, and two engine trucks. A squad at Engine 1 at the Adams Road station is a pumper truck, which is a smaller version of the engine truck, “to mitigate the wear and tear of the engine truck. Our ladder truck is in service everyday with two personnel per truck. There is a back up engine truck at station

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The biggest problem Birmingham has encountered is an old water supply. As improvements have been made to remediate old water lines and improve old streets, city fire officials plan on having its national safety rating reviewed.

2 (Chesterfield), and one back up rescue truck at station 1 (Adams) in case of repairs,” Bartalino explained. In addition, the newly-rebuilt and expanded Chesterfield station houses equipment for OAKWAYS, including a hazmat truck. The Adams station has an OAKWAY foam trailer, which he said has been used on big tanker fires on the freeway, or on leaks. “With the amount of rail, freeways and Woodward going through the communities, we’re trained,” he said. “Everyone on the hazmat team in OAKWAY is trained, but because it’s housed here, we’ve mandated everyone here be trained on it. If there’s a worst-case scenario, they’re ready to go.” As in Bloomfield Township, the call volume is up every year. In 2021, EMS comprised 65 percent of all calls. They had only 43 total fire incidents; the rest were “almost anything you can imagine,” Bartalino said, from false alarms, power outages, concerns about appliances, odor investigations, hazards in roads, trees that came down, random pets or strays, and other “good intent and/or public service” calls. In addition to fire, EMS and service calls, the fire marshal, Jack Pesha, is in charge of enforcing all of the fire codes throughout the city, and provides annual inspections of commercial properties in Birmingham. He or trained shift inspectors inspect pre-plans in tandem with the city’s engineering and building department for commercial and multi-family building projects. “Public education is a big part of what we do. We’ve done a lot of speaking engagements at NEXT (Birmingham Senior Services),” Bartalino said. During the COVID pandemic, Bartalino and chief Paul Wells earned emergency management certification from Michigan State Police, designed for dealing with large incidents. “They were a huge help in applying directly with state grants,” he said, as well as teaching the best practices, ins and outs of software and documentation. “Having that relationship made handling the pandemic a little easier.” He said they offer public education at the schools if scheduling can be arranged between the department and individual classroom teachers. “We coordinate as best we can. We get crews out there, especially in October, which is fire safety month, because it’s important to do.” The fire department holds an annual department open house, which is a fun and popular family day “where we can show kids how to protect themselves,” he said. They also provide home carbon monoxide and smoke detector checks, home safety checks, assist homeowners on how to reduce home risks, offer annual fire inspections, and help with other fire and safety issues. Community Risk Reduction (CRR), a part of FEMA and U.S. Fire Administration, is an important part of the department’s training and outreach, and an area that Insurance Services Organization (ISO), an independent, for-profit organization scores fire departments every four to five years on how they are doing against its organization’s standards to determine property insurance costs. Bartalino said ISO looks at four different categories: emergency communications; the fire department in general; water supply of the community; and public education, which can be both community education and/or community service. ISO is ranked on a one-to-10 ranking, with one the highest. “Right now Birmingham is a three – the goal is to be a one, the best classification,” Bartalino said. The biggest problem Birmingham has encountered? An old water supply. As improvements have been made to remediate old water lines and improve old streets, “we’ve made a lot of

improvements with the water supply,” he said. “We’re going to have ISO come out early, and we hope to improve to a two or better. “We do really well with our emergency communications and we have a good dispatch,” Bartalino noted. “There have been good improvements with mutual aid, like with Bloomfield Township. We’re not far off from getting a two. The thing we’re hoping for should have been accomplished with the city improvements with the water supply. “The only one department in the state with a one is Grand Rapids.” Bartalino, who has been assistant fire chief since 2019, noted that he and fire chief Paul Wells are the same age – “He started ahead of me, in 1998. I started in 2003. One battalion chief started a few years after. We all understand each other, make similar decisions, and we get along very well. It’s all very productive. Former chief John Donohue was a big mentor for a lot of us. It started before a lot of us considered thinking about going up the ranks, to increase our education, finish our degrees. He was a big motivator. I enjoyed the education, whether I got the spots wasn’t the goal. It was helpful.” Bartalino, who spoke to Downtown Newsmagazine as Wells was out of town, said that like a lot of young people, when he began college, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. Then he took a CPR/EMS class. “Between the instructor and what I was learning, I was instantly hooked,” he said. “I didn’t immediately think of fire, but I already liked this. I said I’d give firefighting a chance. It sounded great – and I loved it. I was hooked. “This is the first and only place I’ve worked. It was very difficult to get a position. I wanted to do this since 2003 – I’ve been here for 19 years.” Like LeRoy in Bloomfield Township, he said the myth about firehouse meals is true. “We have a lot of surprisingly good cooks here – but no one shares their recipes. It’s that competitiveness,” he laughed. While cooks spend just 20 to 25 minutes to prep a meal – after all, time is precious at a fire station – “The meals are huge here, just the time to spend together, to eat together. “Our crews built their own kitchen table back in the ‘90s. Then they’ve built a bigger one. That’s the pride and importance they put on the meals and the station,” Bartalino noted. “It’s one of those places firefighters will say, if you want to solve all the worlds problems, come to a firefighters’ kitchen. Sitting and talking after a meal. Dinner time is probably the best time of their day, all shift. It builds bonds that lasts a lifetime. We make sure everyone checks on everyone. It’s a mental health check-in.” An update from the “old days” are transformed spaces into training rooms. “We’ve adjusted our work days so they could start their day with a work out,” Bartalino said. “Some stay late after shift to work out, or get one in before dinner.” Bloomfield Hills Public Safety Bloomfield Hills differs from Birmingham and Bloomfield Township because it is a public safety department – which means its department is a combination of both police and fire. “People are familiar with police and fire, but not so much with public safety,” noted Bloomfield Hills Chief Noel Clason, who said it is a trend in the midwest. “There are just a handful of us in Michigan – besides Bloomfield Hills, there is Oak Park, Huntington Woods, the Grosse Pointes, Centerline, Grand Rapids.”

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A public safety department providing combined police and fire is a cost savings to a community because you get officers cross-trained and certified in police, fire and medical first responders in the state of Michigan.

According to Michigan Townships Association, “Public safety in some communities means that personnel are cross-trained to perform law enforcement, fire suppression and emergency medical services and that a unified department coordinates all three services. However, public safety more often means the delivery of services related to these functions with specialized departments. Communities that provide both fire suppression and emergency medical services most often combine these functions, and a few entities have combined law enforcement and emergency medical services.” Clason said a public safety department that provides combined police and fire is a cost savings to their community, “because you get officers cross-trained and certified in police, fire and medical first responders in the state of Michigan. Our officers have been to all the academies. “We’re medical first responders – not EMTs, so we can’t start IVs, can’t administer medications and can’t transport patients. But we can give first aid and CPR. We can splint and resuscitate and assist with licensed EMTs,” Clason said. Bloomfield Hills contracts out their medical services to Star Ambulance, but assures it does not cost the community because it is strictly off individuals’ medical insurance. “We have an ambulance designated for the Bloomfield Hills area, and we also supply multiple ambulances for any mass casualty event,” he said. Bloomfield Hills is not part of OAKWAY, because public safety is different, and operate off of Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS), which is the fire department portion of public safety departments, as well as Troy Fire Department, an on-call fire department, which work together. Clason said Bloomfield Hills trains with Troy, especially on large scale mass casualty events on the Cranbrook Education Community grounds. “Some of the challenges are communications and coordinating between departments,” he said. “We also have an agreement with Bloomfield Township, if we have a large structure fire or a large incident, we can call them and they have been more than willing to help us. It allows us to fight the fire with all the tools, as the township has all the tools.” While Bloomfield Hills is primarily residential with minimal commercial, Clason notes that “when we fight some of our residential fires – fighting those large residential homes are like fighting a commercial fire. “The safety of the resident is number one, but keeping the safety of the firefighter is also very important,” he emphasized. “Everything else is just property. Then it comes down to just stuff.” Bloomfield Hills has 24 sworn full-time officers, 16 of which are public safety officers, seven command officers, and the chief, “and I’m still sworn for police and fire,” Clason said. He said he has 20some years of working for Bloomfield Hills Public Safety, “working from the bottom to the top, and I’ll be retiring this year,” after becoming chief in 2017. “Bloomfield Hills has been wonderful to me and my family.” Clason’s career began as a military police officer in the U.S. Navy in Japan on a naval carrier, before receiving an honorable discharge in 1995. “And then I immediately went to the police academy.” He first worked part time at both the Lapeer and Clarkston police departments before being hired by the Centerline Public Safety Department, where they sent him to the fire academy and he learned to fight fires. But at his heart, “I’m a cop,” he laughed. He was hired by Bloomfield Hills public safety in 1998, and

climbed the ranks, including responding to Ground Zero following the attacks on 9/11. He said Bloomfield Hills’ hiring process is very demanding – and difficult, where candidates have to be both a police and fire officer. “I had two last year in our probationary period who didn’t make it,” he said, noting that is why probation is a good thing. “We have extremely talented, excellent trained officers.” Clason said officers must attend both the police and fire academies, receive medical first responder training and pass all of the state tests, which amounts to more than half a year or more of education. They then must maintain a certain amount of annual credits for their medical first responder license, as well as recertify annually in everything from CPR and first aid, training on rifles, handguns, Tasers, hand-to-hand fighting, dispatch and every other aspect of both departments. “We do a lot of training in house, although we do contract some out, such as we have someone from Brandon Township come in for our medical training annually,” Clason said. “Everyone here has to operate every piece of equipment – and be good at it. If I need you to operate the pump or drive the truck, you have to be certified,” he said. “Everyday you train on equipment. What’s unique about our guys is you have know how to operate, and be certified, on every piece of equipment. It’s a lot of work.” Officers work 24-hour shifts, nine days a month, where there are typically five to six guys on a shift working eight hours police, eight hours of fire, and eight hours of fire standby during the midnight hours. “We cannot have less than two men on a structure fire, and we always have two at the station,” Clason said. The current contract calls for starting pay for a public safety officer at $51,000 plus benefits, with top pay at $74,266 plus benefits. There is one main station in Bloomfield Hills. “Our response time is under one minute,” he said, before a public safety officer can get to any home or business in the city, “and it’s within a few minutes of a fire, where you can lose control of it.” The public safety budget is around $5 million. Clason said police carry their fire gear in the back of their squad car, so if they get a call they can quickly change clothes and they’re ready to jump into action. All squad cars have fire extinguishers. They have a 75-foot aerial truck, able to reach the highest point at any commercial building in the city; a pumper truck carrying 1,000 gallons of water which also carries all key pieces of equipment; and a first responder/mini pumper truck with all medical equipment. Clason said they also have rescue, jaws of life and a unique fire pumper that pumps out concentrated foam to extinguish a fire, such as a car fire, with a foam blanket. “We’ve had some incredible car fires over the years on Woodward,” he said. EMS runs account for about 80 percent of runs in Bloomfield Hills, with the rest of calls car accidents, smoke investigations, fire alarms, with structure fires and car fires accounting for about five percent of calls. As in the other departments, Clason said, “these guy eat pretty well, and the younger guys eat healthier.” Quieter days, they eat lunch and dinner together. Clason, who is winding down his career, is a big fan of all the area departments. “I’m just fortunate to be the chief in the best city in the country.”

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FACES

Zoe Kalapos rowing up in Beverly Hills, USA Olympian Zoe Kalapos learned to ski Up North at age two with her parents, Steve and Maria Kalapos, as her instructors. Three years later she tried snowboarding and was hooked. “That night I said, ‘That was the best day ever!’ And I’ve been snowboarding ever since,” Kalapos explains. Her father, also a snowboarder, fueled his children’s love of snowboarding by building a mini snow park in their Beverly Hills backyard each winter. By age nine, Kalapos began entering snowboarding competitions in Michigan with great success. This led to the desire to compete nationally, where she experienced continued success. To further elevate her competitive snowboarding skills, the next step would be to train at one of the few Olympic-sized superpipes in the U.S. In 2010, the family made the difficult decision for 13-year-old Kalapos, her father, and brother, Ian, to move to Colorado, where she could attend Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy and fully pursue her passion for the sport. Her mother stayed in Michigan to continuing working as a teacher to provide income and benefits for the family. She regularly traveled to Colorado until about five years ago, when she was able to retire and join the family permanently in Colorado. “Not having my mom around was really hard – there were a lot of tears, but we spent a lot of time on FaceTime, and it was so great when we were all together,” Kalapos says. “I’m so grateful for the sacrifice my parents made…It’s been a dream of mine since I was a little girl to go to the Olympics. [Their sacrifice] drove me to believe in myself because I felt if my parents believed in me this much, I knew I could do this.” Despite years of demanding training, travel and competitions, Kalapos was able to graduate with a marketing degree from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah – a location that allowed her to continue snowboarding during the school year. The snowboarder’s drive, determination and talent finally led her to qualify and compete for Team USA’s Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe in the 2022 Olympics held in Beijing, China in February. She ranked in the top three in the U.S. and, ultimately, placed 17th at the Olympics. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, her family was unable to join her in Beijing, but held a watch party with family and friends in Colorado instead. “Not being able to share the experience with my family and all the people who helped us get here was hard…To see on FaceTime all these people together cheering and supporting me – and the posters – it really hit me in the moment, and I was crying happy tears.” After returning from Beijing, Kalapos says, “It still feels so surreal. It has been my purpose and dream for so long. It’s still setting in. I’m taking some downtime to refocus, work with my private coach, and learn some new tricks before the first official camp in May.” Kalapos adds, “I love escaping to the mountain and riding my snowboard. It’s an addicting feeling. Nothing else matters at the time.” The Olympian now has her eye on competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, where she hopes to have a more typical Olympic experience with her loved ones around her. She’d also like to work part-time in marketing as she continues to train and compete. And, while her home base is now Colorado, she and her family regularly return to Michigan during summer and fall. Kalapos reflects, “Don’t listen to those who tell you that you can’t have your dream. Follow your heart, work hard, and prove them wrong.”

Story: Tracy Donohue

Photo: Jeff Urbahn

CLIMATE REFUGE MICHIGAN AMONG MIDWEST STATES CONSIDERED AS POTENTIAL HAVEN WHEN THE MIGRATION BEGINS BY STACY GITTLEMAN

ach Welcker would rather not call himself a climate change refugee. The environmental lawyer who spent more than a decade fighting for tribal water rights in the Pacific Northwest has moved back to his Great Lakes roots doing similar work as the new legal director at For Love of Water (FLOW), an environmental nonprofit based in Traverse City. After living and working in Oregon and Washington for 20 years, Welcker said that he and his family enjoyed the West's large mountain ranges and open spaces. But things began to change. Welcker said when people think of Washington, the rainy, temperate climate of Seattle comes to mind. But eastward of the Cascade Mountains, the terrain surrounding Spokane is a high desert. Welcker said in the last five summers, he and his family experienced more days of fire and smoke than "bluebird skies" that used to be the norm. "The first 10 years I lived out west, the forest fires were new to me, but they weren't too bad," recalled Welcker over the phone as he spent a late February lunch break cross country skiing near his Sutton's Bay home. "There were a few smoky days a year. But more recently, we have lost whole portions of our summer to forest fires, including canceled summer camp and days at the public pool. I don't want to sound like moving from Washington to Michigan was a dramatic decision because we could no longer handle the fires. But it was definitely a factor. We've had very bad fires and the fire season kept getting longer. There were months without rain." So, last summer, as west coast states broiled in triple-digit temperatures and endured unprecedented fires, Welcker and his family moved to Michigan. Here, they experienced more rain in just a few days than they had encountered in four summers in eastern Washington. And although he was told that the air quality in northern Michigan was not as clear as it had been in years past, also due to fires in Canada and even California, it was an improvement over the west's air quality issues.

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Though Welcker said he did not move to Michigan specifically thinking of it as a climate haven, the increasingly dire water shortage out west makes him believe that more people will think twice about moving or living in places of the country prone to wildfires, drought, coastal flooding, and sea-level rise. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in February 2022 released its most grim report yet on climate change. Depicting an "Atlas of Human Suffering," the report said that climate change, which is already taking place, will drastically worsen within 18 years. The U.N. report says that already at least 3.3 billion people "are highly vulnerable to climate change" and 15 times more likely to die from extreme weather. Already, there are large numbers of people, mostly from the poorest rungs of society, who are being hit the hardest and will likely see the greatest upheaval. By 2050, a billion people will face coastal flooding risks, and more will be forced out of their homes from flooding, rising sea-levels and tropical cyclones. In its timeline, the U.N. predicts that between 2021 and 2040, an average global temperature rise of 1.5 degrees C would cause unavoidable increases in multiple climate hazards and present multiple risks to ecosystems and humans. There is high confidence that rising sea levels will invade coastal settlements and infrastructure and submerge low-lying coastal ecosystems. Continued development of these fragile coastal areas – such as building on Florida's Intracoastal waterway – will only make things worse. Americans, especially the 130 million who live within 60 miles of the ocean by 2050, will see ocean levels rise by one foot. Flooding that was once considered a nuisance will make coastal regions uninhabitable. Michigan's vast freshwater resources, relatively calm

AT LEAST 3.3 BILLION PEOPLE "ARE HIGHLY VULNERABLE TO CLIMATE CHANGE" AND 15 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DIE FROM EXTREME WEATHER...THERE ARE LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE FROM THE POOREST RUNGS OF SOCIETY BEING HIT THE HARDEST. environment free of severe drought, fires and hurricanes, and sea-level rise beg the question: Does the state have what it takes to be a climate change haven? The notion was acknowledged by the Michigan Environment Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) in the January 2022 draft release of the MI Healthy Climate Plan. In its introduction, EGLE Director Liesl Eichler Clark wrote: "…it is easy to understand why people might migrate to Michigan to be buffered from the most dramatic impacts of climate change. However, while Michigan may experience the impacts of the climate crisis differently from other places, the threats from a changing climate are already posing a range of risks to our environment and economy and inflicting real harm on our health and well-being." The report points to increased power outages, flooding and sewer backups, struggling farmers grappling with dramatic thaw-freeze temperature fluctuations, and an influx of diseasecarrying mosquitos and ticks. Since biblical times, people have migrated. It is the human condition to pick up and move, either to follow roaming herds of animals for food, to escape drought and famine, or in more modern times, to pursue religious freedom or economic opportunity, or escape the perils of war. The migration shifts in the last 100 years have shaped the United States as we know it. Perhaps the greatest domestic population shift due to climate upheaval is the Dust Bowl Era of the 1930s. Thousands from the southwest and the Great Plains, known as "Oakies," made their way to the west coast, leaving behind parched farmland in hopes of a new start in California's

verdant landscape. Researchers from a 2019 Yale University study show that with climate change, the type of heat waves that powered the Dust Bowl and the hottest summer on record – in 1936 – is now 2.5 times more likely to happen again. What was once considered a one in 100-year heatwave event is more likely to become a one-in-40-year event due to trapped greenhouse gasses. As the American west burns and the southeast floods, where are Americans left to turn? More and more media outlets are pointing right here – to Michigan. Whether Michigan truly becomes a climate change haven is a question put to climate change experts, researchers who have published multi-disciplinary studies on the intersection of climate change, socioeconomic trends, real estate, and public health. Though some say the needle is slowly moving where people will begin to factor in climate change risks into their next planned move, in the coming decades there may be many Americans relocating while in crisis mode, having lost everything to a fire or flood. Whether Michigan will have the capacity to absorb tens of thousands of people in decades to come depends on how we start managing our resources and adapting our infrastructure now. For right now, the 2020 U.S. Census tells the opposite story. Between 2010 and 2020, Michigan's population, now at 10 million, experienced the second slowest rate of growth in the country at two percent. In 2010, Michigan was the only state in the country to have a population decrease and to lose a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Michigan is one of seven states that will lose a seat again, based on the 2020 census data. Conversely, more people are still moving into states that are already experiencing the devastation of climate change. California's population since 2010 grew 6.1 percent; Florida grew by 7.1 percent; and Texas saw a 7.4 percent population increase. Reynolds Farley, University of Michigan Population Studies Center Research Professor Emeritus, said he was unaware demographers have begun to study how climate change and population shifts are linked. From a historical standpoint, Farley said people in the United States move in great numbers because of job opportunities and affordable housing. "Migration within the United States has been driven by economic opportunities,” he said. “People are most likely to move either when they are young, or when they reach retirement age. As far as the question of whether climate change is going to be a major driver of migration, demographers have yet to factor this in on a large scale in their research. Climate change may be one reason people take into account when they move, but I still think it is fairly far down their priority list. History shows that people move mainly for housing and employment, but that could change in the future." From a demographic perspective, Foley said that Michigan's low birth rate and high mortality rate reflect that its population will decrease in decades to come, though he understands that the state's relatively low risk of natural disasters and freshwater resources make it a plus for those looking to relocate. "Michigan's many amenities, plus the fact that we are generally free of horrendous severe weather events, might make Michigan somewhat more attractive to a lot of people,” he noted. “But I think they would only come if there is an employment opportunity. And pitching Michigan as a place to retire? I think that's a pretty hard sell." For Love of Water Executive Director Liz Kirkwood said the idea of Michigan becoming a climate change haven has a lot to do with maintaining the health of the Great Lakes. She pointed to research by University of Wisconsin Professor J. Val Klump, who concluded that Great Lakes, because of their relatively young age and still-evolving ecosystems, are more vulnerable than people think. Kirkwood said that Lake Michigan is under the constant strain of development, invasive species such as the Asian Carp, agricultural runoff, and the threat of a rupture in the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline that runs beneath the Straits of Mackinac. "At only 10,000 years old, the Great Lakes are considered a young ecosystem that is less complex than others and therefore

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T H E A G E N CY R E .C O M

it may not be able to rapidly adapt to changes. Plus, unlike the ocean, it is a closed system. Once pollution gets in, it is unlikely that it will cycle out." Kirkwood said the Great Lakes water supply is protected from being siphoned out of the region thanks to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact, signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2008. Kirkwood said her organization is working to increase the power of the compact and to assure that in the coming decades, it cannot be overridden to divert water from the Great Lakes to increasingly parched regions of the country. With climate change, new disciplines such as climate adaptation and resilience professions are emerging. One of the country's most sought-after experts and thinkers on the convergence of climate change adaption in urban environments is Jesse Keenan, associate professor of real estate within the faculty of the School of Architecture at Tulane University in New Orleans. He was among the first scholars to study the relationship between climate change and real estate and was among the first to publish peer-reviewed evidence of the existence of a climate change signal in real estate and mortgage markets. Keenan's theory of climate gentrification has gone on to shape a global discourse on the relationship between climate change, social equity and applied economics. "The idea of a climate haven is a bit of a misnomer because no one is immune," said Keenan. "Some places in the country will fare better or worse than others, and certainly, the Great Lakes region has a long-term advantage in terms of natural resources and fresh water. I think Michigan is well positioned, though it will have its challenges – like aging urban infrastructures and

MICHIGAN'S LOW BIRTH RATE AND HIGH MORTALITY RATE REFLECT THAT ITS POPULATION WILL DECREASE IN DECADES TO COME, THOUGH ITS RELATIVELY LOW RISK OF NATURAL DISASTERS AND FRESHWATER RESOURCES MAKE IT A PLUS FOR THOSE LOOKING TO RELOCATE. maintaining the quality of its freshwater resources. These will not just evaporate with new people moving in who could very well exacerbate these challenges." Keenan said if Michigan is to be considered a climate change haven, it must be viewed as three distinct geographic areas: the rural west and Upper Peninsula, the Detroit suburbs, and Detroit itself. Keenan noted that with its relatively affordable housing and large amounts of empty acreage poised for renewal and development, Detroit has a lot going for it to take in newcomers. He pointed to development, such as the $740 million Ford Motor Company's Michigan Central project, an inclusive, walkable mobility development in Corktown anchored by the historic Central Train Station, as an example. "Detroit can be an accessible place for many who would want to start fresh and rebuild. The cultural dimension at work here means that depending on their age, people are going to want to put down roots and build their own community. In many ways, there's a bit of a tabula rasa (clean slate) attitude towards Detroit by outsiders. People who live in Detroit may not think that way, but there is the opportunity for people to bring in new ideas that will be hopefully synchronized with people who have been longtime Detroit residents. Within Detroit, there's a willingness to do something different." But outward towards the more rural areas, Keenan said it is unlikely that insular, rural farming areas would seem attractive to diverse, more progressive populations fleeing eroding coastlines. Keenan said outside of Detroit, Michigan culturally

melds in with other Midwestern states like Wisconsin, with communities that cling to insular and increasingly segregated and partitioned ideologies that may make it less appealing as a relocation spot to diverse populations living on the coasts. "The idea of the diverse bunch of people from the coasts moving to Middle America is more culturally challenging." When he's not teaching in New Orleans, Keenan spends time in his second home in Miami. Census statistics aside, he said that the long-term prognosis of Florida's housing market, especially in Miami-Dade County, is not good as there is a "mass exodus" of native Floridians to Atlanta, Nashville and Charlotte. He explained, "Miami-Dade County is experiencing a net loss if you don't include foreign-born immigration, which was greatly cut under the Trump Administration. When it comes to real estate, people balance several factors: affordability, accessibility, school systems, tax base and wage growth. Then there are environmental amenities that people will pay a premium for, such as sunshine. So, climate may not always be the first or second consideration, but that also is changing." Keenan referred to an August 2021 report from data-driven real estate brokerage Redfin.com, which announced it would begin publishing climate risk information for every location page on its website to factor in the risks of fire, heat, drought, and storm flooding over 30 years, the typical length of a mortgage. In a 2021 survey, Redfin reported that 80 percent of 2,000 respondents would hesitate to buy a home in an area that experienced an increase in natural disasters. New Michiganders such as Emily Schoerning believe that counties and municipalities need to prepare for 2100 and beyond by harnessing the power of climate modeling data. She is the founder of the fledgling nonprofit called American Resiliency, which aims to provide consulting resources on creating customized response plans for municipalities by developing a "stakeholder team" of local representatives and community leaders invested in climate adaptation, gathering future forecasting information specific to their locality and then helping the stakeholders get an adaptation plan up and running with follow up consults along the way. A climate refugee herself, Schoerning in 2005 was about to begin her doctorate research in infectious diseases at Tulane University. Then Hurricane Katrina struck. She transferred her graduate research lab to Arizona State University, where she earned a doctorate in microbiology and then specialized in science education research. She loved taking time off to hike through the Grand Canyon state's desert terrain. However, she was troubled by Arizona's out-of-check development and dwindling water supply. In her climate research, she learned that by 2050, Arizona will experience approximately two more months of intense triple-digit heat, and farmers there stand to see their water allotments cut in half. Schoerning said climate change is already prompting people to relocate, or at least give serious consideration on where they will move next to places that will be less severely impacted as the planet warms. Looking at climate modeling, Schoerning said that Michigan's wetter weather is putting a strain on farmers who have fewer ideal planting conditions. More drastic temperature fluctuations in late winter and early spring are endangering fruit tree crops. But she said while there are agricultural changes, she is hopeful that innovations will help farmers adapt. Schoerning said that in decades to come, the climate in the state will be less hospitable to wintry conditions and activities that are much a part of the state's culture, and Michigan will feel more like the eastern seaboard states of Maryland. "The character of the place will feel substantially warmer and swampier," said Schoerning. "There will be a need to set more areas aside for wetlands, substantially more drainage work. And there will be changes in the forests. For a place that cares very much about trees, about tree agriculture, this outlook is serious and should push Michigan towards action." In helping regular residents and community leaders alike better visualize what their surroundings, especially the urban ones, can look like to adapt to climate change, Derek Van Berkel,

University of Michigan Professor of Data Science, Geovizualization and Design, and colleague Mark Lindquist, University of Michigan Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at the School for Environment and Sustainability, in 2019 were awarded a $300,000 grant by the National Science Foundation to launch land.info. Part computer game, part landscape design simulator, land.info is being used by community planning leaders in Detroit and New Orleans to help them understand the connection between community needs and green spaces. It was first tested out by residents in Detroit's Mack Avenue Chandler Park community as a collaborative tool in transforming vacant spaces in their neighborhood, with the plans implemented starting in 2018. Van Berkel said Detroit, with many blocks once populated with homes or apartments that were demolished, may have the potential to welcome newcomers. But based on peer research, he remains skeptical whether climate refugees of the future will flock to Michigan in great numbers. "There are cities around the Great Lakes that are anticipating a rise in population due to climate refugees,” said Van Berkel, pointing to Buffalo, New York, as a model city gearing up for this potential trend. "City planners in Buffalo are looking at the wildfires out west and record heat in the south and are thinking, 'Becoming a climate haven can be something that happens in our future.' Cities like Buffalo (which in decades past have been part of the Rust Belt) are explicitly planning for it. So, for Detroit, maybe this will also be an actuality." Van Berkel said if that is to happen, development should be practiced with as much equity as possible to minimize gentrification that could lead to the displacement of people

SCHOERNING SAID CLIMATE CHANGE IS ALREADY PROMPTING PEOPLE TO RELOCATE, OR AT LEAST GIVE SERIOUS CONSIDERATION ON WHERE THEY WILL MOVE NEXT TO PLACES THAT WILL BE LESS SEVERELY IMPACTED AS THE PLANET WARMS. already living in the neighborhoods. Additionally, infilling existing urban and suburban areas is a far more optimal plan than continuing to eat up more land with suburban sprawl, which has been the trend in western states like Nevada, Arizona and California. "Planners need to consider against replicating these practices in the name of sustainability and climate resiliency. " Van Berkel said as Detroit looks ahead to more possible flooding events with climate change, improving its aging infrastructure that has been hurt by a flight to the suburbs and a decreasing tax base is essential to create a lively vibrant city. And getting input from existing residents through using planning tools like land.info is a great way to get these conversations started. "When we plan for Detroit's sustainable future, it is important to engage residents and community leaders and city leaders who are currently living there," said Van Berkel. "Ultimately, the premise of our project shows that before Michigan's cities can become climate havens – if they should even be called that – we have a lot of work to do. Each city has different improvement needs. Detroit looks a lot different than Grand Haven. Can we revitalize communities through migration from climate change? This is not something that we have had a conversation about with Detroiters we have been working with. Our research makes us uncertain that we can alleviate and revitalize communities in Detroit through migration, but it is something to think about and examine in terms of how it will impact existing residents from an equity standpoint."

Also addressing the issue of how to prepare urban and suburban infrastructures for a possible influx of climate change refugees is Beth Gibbons, executive director of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP). The organization is a national network of 1,000 government, nonprofit and consultancy professionals focusing on the challenge of climate change adaption and resilience professionals. "We believe that climate change adaptation is going to happen, and we know it is in human nature for humans to be adaptive," said Gibbons, who was previously director of the University of Michigan Climate Center researching sustainability issues in the Great Lakes. "But we need to adapt to what's coming in ways that will take care of our natural environment as well as our social systems. The way we are going to live, work, and play as our climate changes will need a holistic approach." Gibbons said that adaptation professionals teamed with Aaron Ferguson at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) in creating a three-year climate adaptation program in Marquette County beginning in 2017. The detailed adaptation and health plan involved interdisciplinary collaboration among over thirty local units of government, agencies,and organizations and serves as a case study within the 71-page guidebook: Climate and Health Adaptation Planning Guide For Michigan Communities. The guidebook is based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Climate and Health Program and developed through MDHHS, the Michigan State University School of Public Planning, Design and Construction, and MSU Extension. It is designed to help Great Lakes communities develop a climate and health adaptation plan. Ferguson said the MDHHS is currently working on developing a climate adaptation and mitigation plan with Kalamazoo County and has been approached by officials in Washtenaw County to begin their plan. "MDHHS is coming in to assure that whether a community is starting from scratch or is incorporating something into an existing master or infrastructure plan, that elements such as health and equity are central to their climate adaptation plans." Ferguson said as the state's climate adaptation guidelines evolve, it is also important to consider how increasingly intense storms put strains on mental health. Heavier rains that cause flooding and sewer backups can also cause water and insectborne diseases. "We are also focusing on the notion that climate change has an impact on mental as well as physical health,” said Ferguson. "When people in southeast Michigan worry that their basements are going to flood year after year, that has a mental health toll. When it comes to vector-borne diseases (such as Lyme Disease from ticks and equine encephalitis caused by mosquitos), we take data collected by other DHHS departments to learn what specific areas in the state are going to be more susceptible while at the same time educating the public on how to prevent getting sick. Yes, we will be seeing more cases of Lyme Disease than we may be used to, but we want to educate, not be alarmist. We want people to still go outdoors and enjoy themselves." Gibbons explained that much of climate adaptation has to do with just how much excessive heat a certain population can cope with and that people living in northern reaches of the state, like Marquette, for example, may have a different "heat threshold" than those who live in the southern part of the state or other parts of the Midwest. Gibbons said climate adaptation professionals worked with Marquette's health and human services professionals, including hospital administrators. One area of concern was the issue of heat. The question posed to Marquette's hospital officials was how their facilities could handle increased patient hospitalizations due to extended periods of heat in an area known for being cool. When it comes to getting used to heat, Gibbons said it is all relative. "Heat events, meaning continuous days of elevated temperatures, are going to be tolerated differently from place to place," stated Gibbons. "What is an intolerable temperature in a

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place like Marquette may be tolerable in a city like Cincinnati." Back in Detroit, Gibbons said adaptation professionals are at work at the Great Lakes Water Authority and Detroit Sewerage Water Department. She pointed to an $8.6 million green infrastructure project in the city's Oakman Boulevard community to alleviate street and basement flooding as an example. Set to be the city's largest investment so far in green infrastructure, a median of rain gardens and retention ponds will divert about 37 million gallons of stormwater from the city's combined sewer system each year. "Detroit has a unique challenge of having a combined stormwater and sewer water system, meaning stormwater and wastewater flow into the same system. In extreme storms, the system overloads, and you end up with a contaminated backup. This is a big problem in Great Lakes cities," Gibbons said. To adapt, Gibbons said that water authorities will need to decouple storm and wastewater systems and add green infrastructure. Gibbons said in urban landscapes, increased tree and garden plantings have a greater value than just being aesthetically pleasing. All that vegetation is designed to put more water back into the ground instead of running water off of the pavement into the sewer system. Although the need to create more robust green infrastructures may lead to job creation, Gibbons could not say for certain if that is going to attract more people to move to Michigan. Right now, she said the idea of masses of people moving to Michigan to escape harsh climate change conditions is just an idea. "The idea of people moving to Michigan because they've lost everything to climate change is heart-wrenching. Michigan is a

MUCH OF CLIMATE ADAPTATION HAS TO DO WITH JUST HOW MUCH EXCESSIVE HEAT A CERTAIN POPULATION CAN COPE WITH AND THAT PEOPLE LIVING IN NORTHERN REACHES OF MICHIGAN MAY HAVE A DIFFERENT "HEAT THRESHOLD” THAN THOSE LIVING FURTHER SOUTH. relatively climate-safe space. There will be increased days of heat and more precipitation, but when you factor in that we are sitting on most of the country's surface freshwater, and the biggest challenge that we face from climate change is that more rain is going to fall? I think we can do this. We can work with this challenge," she said. Gibbons and Van Berkel of University of Michigan are two of the authors of Planning for Climate Migration in Great Lake Legacy Cities, a forthcoming report submitted to Future Earth for publication. The report cautions that there is a great possibility that the eight states and Ontario, Canada, that make up the Great Lakes Region, may become a favorable place to live in the face of climate change. However, the region needs to prepare by improving its infrastructure and conserving and improving its natural resources. The paper said that one way to prepare for a resilient and adaptive future is by treating climate migration as a long-term adaptation rather than a hazard. The paper states: "The possibility of climate migration should be an opportunity to explore how planning ahead can holistically consider risks and opportunities of responding to climate impact in a context of sustainable and just solutions." The report stresses that there are many complexities in anticipating population fluctuations in the Great Lakes. In the last five decades, Great Lakes population trends in some cities were shaped by the loss of manufacturing jobs and "white flight" to the suburbs, but other, touristy, coastal cities might have a draw in the coming decades and see increases in the population of people enjoying future Great Lakes temperatures that more

resemble current temperatures of Kansas or Tennessee. "When we can expect people escaping climate change arriving in Michigan and how many will come – that is the million-dollar question," said Van Berkel, commenting about the forthcoming publication. "Unfortunately, we don't yet have a robust method for predicting how many people could come and when this might happen." Migration predictions aside, Larissa Larsen, chair of urban and regional planning at the University of Michigan Taubman College, said to accommodate future Michiganders, older buildings will need a sustainability overhaul, if not a complete rebuild from the bottom up. "A lot of my work revolves around studying extreme heat in urban areas," said Larsen. "In Detroit, we have lots of structures built before World War II that probably will need some changes to them to be more hospitable. And it can't always just be air conditioning because that's a pretty energyintensive source." In the summer of 2016, Larsen and a team of university researchers, along with Detroit community activists, analyzed interior temperatures from 50 homes, and participants wore wearable personal sensors to collect data during their daily activities. Findings revealed that at times, the temperature in these homes was higher than outside on the street. As she wrote in a 2015 paper published in Frontiers in Ecology by the Ecological Society for America, from 1975 to 1995, Detroit experienced nine days of temperatures of 90 and above. Right now, thermometers in Detroit's summer reach 90 degrees or above 20 days annually. Between 2070–2099, Detroiters will experience 30-60 days when temperatures will hit 90 and over. As many Detroiters live at or below the poverty line and are renters in older, unairconditioned buildings, this is a formula for increased heat-related illnesses – and even deaths – in the coming decades. Larsen concluded that to alleviate the urban heat island effect, cities should opt for green infrastructures – parks, ample trees, retention ponds and rain gardens, and green roofs over gray infrastructures of traditional plumbing, concrete, asphalt, or other impervious surfaces. According to think tank Detroit Future City, 42 percent of Detroit is covered with impervious surfaces – rooftops, concrete, and asphalt – that do not allow water to penetrate the ground and instead overburdens storm drains. Not only does adding more vegetation clean the air by emitting oxygen and absorbing carbon and provide a cooling tree canopy, but green infrastructure absorbs falling precipitation where it lands, sending it back into the ground rather than surging into overburdened sewer systems. Larsen said it will take this kind of forward adaptive planning by a city if they want to prove they are amenable to an influx of residents because of climate change. "Cities like Detroit will have to help people see they have a mix of affordable housing, and economic and education opportunities," said Larsen. "This goes beyond stating that one state's weather is better than others. When people relocate, they are looking for a place that will positively contribute to their quality of life. I think that many people moving for climate change issues will not probably go to the biggest cities, but they'll go to smaller ones with populations under 100,000. " Either way, Larsen lamented that when the time comes, people will most likely migrate due to climate change only after experiencing a traumatic and life-changing disaster. Larsen said, "When we think of American mobility, we think of people who relocate by selling one property to purchase another. But in the decades to come, and just like what we have witnessed in recent years from the fires out west, is that people fleeing natural disasters may arrive in Michigan having lost everything they had. Insurance is probably not going to pay out for all the losses. So we must think: 'How are we as a state going to ready ourselves to accept Americans but who have suffered and lost as much as refugees you would see from a faraway country? How will we prepare ourselves for the Americans who may arrive to Michigan with almost nothing?'"

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Steve Tobocman teve Tobocman has a long history of helping others. Though he will soon no longer serve as executive director for Global Detroit due to a recent move to California with his family, he will continue to support the organization that creates strategies to strengthen the region through immigrant inclusion, a cause that means a lot to him. Tobocman has also led the creation and growth of the Welcoming Economies Global Network (WE Network) that strengthens, maximizes and sustains the impact of inclusive economic development initiatives in the Rust Belt. Growing up in Farmington Hills – and in Birmingham and Bloomfield where his father lived following his parents’ divorce – Tobocman would go on to earn a law degree and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Michigan. But it was his time at Cranbrook Schools which laid the foundation for his career path. Tobocman still recalls the high school assemblies featuring community leaders like Mother Waddles, who spoke about the importance of public service. “My four years at Cranbrook helped instill in me the confidence to pursue a lot of different things and make an impact by giving back; the highest calling I could make of my career,” he said. “It shaped me.” In his 25-year career that includes serving as a state representative, his positions have always focused on public service. “I want to make a difference and I am very fortunate to be able to do that,” said Tobocman, who also credits being raised in a progressive household for building awareness about social justice issues. His efforts continue through the work of Global Detroit that targets Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties. “It’s as relevant for Oakland County as it is for the city of Detroit when you talk about the benefit of immigrants and economic inclusion,” he said.

“It makes a difference for the auto sector, which is relevant to all of these levels that are very important to the economic well being of Birmingham and Bloomfield. Oakland County has much to be proud of with over 1,000 foreign-owned firms. It’s a global center for auto design and technology, with skilled STEM professionals and corporate leaders. Oakland County is quite diverse, and pretty close to the national average of 13 percent with people who come from all over the world.” There is also growth for working-class immigrants and refugees as well. “They are an important part to the Oakland County economy,” he said. “The work we’re doing is aligned with the priorities for Oakland County. There are opportunities for working-class residents across the board. The diverse residents of Oakland County can identify with the fact that America is a welcoming place. People fleeing persecution like Jews, Iraqi Christians and Muslims came here where people can be free and pursue the American dream.” Tobocman says they are always trying to connect with employers who have workforce shortages to help fill needed positions. They also help immigrants launch startups and assist with growth and expansion for their existing businesses. His work hits close to home. “My family came to America seeking freedom and opportunities and they found incredible opportunities in Detroit. It’s the same today with refugees fleeing persecution,” said Tobocman. “Immigrants enrich the lives of all of us and our community. In the auto industry, immigration creates huge growth. People come to Detroit from all over the world with the same ideals and the same basic principles – to build a Michigan and a region that is second to none.” Website: globaldetroitmi.org Story: Jeanine Matlow

MUNICIPAL Old Woodward project moving forward By Kevin Elliott

Processes moved forward on Monday, March 14, for the third and final phase of the Old Woodward reconstruction project, between Brown and Landon streets, as Birmingham City Commissioners unanimously approved a public hearing on April 11 to establish a special assessment district (SAD) for property owners in the area. The project, which previously included the completed reconstruction of North Old Woodward and Maple Road, includes sidewalk and streetscape changes to enhance safety, traffic and compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act. On April 11, the commission will hold a public hearing to establish the district. If approved, the city pays for 25 percent of the cost of sidewalk and streetscape improvements, with affected property owners responsible for an amount proportional to the approximate frontage along the roadway. The commission meeting on March 14 included a hearing of necessity, which is required before establishing the special assessment district. “There is a sequence of hearings that have to take place, and there were gaps in the estimates between the original estimates and when it comes before the commission as a necessity,” said Birmingham City Manager Tom Markus. Costs for the final phase, which includes the streetscape and sidewalk improvements, as well as construction of the roadway and utilities, are about $2.2 million higher than originally planned prior to COVID. Markus said final costs are still very rough estimates, as world affairs continue to dramatically impact the cost of construction projects. “Anyone who thinks they can estimate (costs) with what is going on in the world right now – they are fooling themselves,” Markus said. Commissioners indicated they were eager to move the project forward in hopes of avoiding additional increases for construction. However, three business owners in the project area asked commissioners to hold off on the project, which will result in a loss of 68 on-street parking spaces. Jason Long, who represents 555 LLC, said the property owners in the proposed SAD for sidewalk and streetscape improvements are being asked to pay for a benefit that they don’t feel will benefit businesses. downtownpublications.com

Birmingham 2040 Plan awaiting review By Kevin Elliott

he Birmingham Planning Board on Wednesday, March 9, finished its review of the second draft of the city’s 2040 Master Plan, which will be sent to the city commission for a final review during a joint-study session. The planning board received the second draft of the plan in October of 2021 from planning consultants DPZ CoDesign, and has held six workshops to review each chapter of the plan. The plan acts as a roadmap for development and the character of the city and its residential neighborhoods, business areas and all other zoning districts in the city. The plan also brings together transportation, parks and recreation, and pedestrian plans. Planning board members on March 9 shared their insight and concerns with DPZ consultant Matthew Lambert, who has been working with the city and public to craft the plan. Lambert said he was hoping to affirm the general direction of the plan and discuss its priorities. He provided the board with a list of 20 points describing the general direction of the plan, as well as eight priorities. Priorities from the top down were listed as: improving traffic and safety crossing on Woodward Avenue; Market North and the Lower Rail districts; establishing a sustainability board; unbundling downtown parking/studying attainable housing goals; improvements along the Rouge River; implementing the unimproved streets plan; updating zoning codes; and studying Haynes Square. Planning board member Stuart Jeffares said a key priority of the plan should be to unify the city. “The city is split to the east and west of Woodward, and a goal of the master plan is to unify the two sides. The crossing makes it easier, but it’s also a higher level thing.” Board members also pushed back on Lambert’s recommendation to pursue 20 mph speed limits in residential neighborhood streets. “It’s a bad idea,” said board member Daniel Share. “It doesn’t work. We shouldn’t spend time on it in the master plan. Share also recommended incorporating zoning recommendations with neighborhood preservation, rather than updating codes to remove redundancies or outdated language alone. Board members Bryan Williams and Bert Koseck agreed, adding that the plan should stress actionable items, rather than concepts. “The city has to take initiative,” Koseck said. “The master plan can’t sit and languish. Priorities must be clear and stress why time is of the essence.” “We are impressing on the city commission the priority of items on the list, but also to incorporate those that effect development into ordinance language,” Williams said. “Saying ‘maybe one day we will get a park in the Triangle District or Haynes Square’ isn’t good enough. With some of these items there will have to be consideration of ordinance changes as provisions in the plan. In general, the city hasn’t done a good job with incorporating that into the plan.”

“We feel the cost far exceeds the benefit we receive,” he said. “In fact, with the loss of parking, we believe the benefit may be moving away from us, rather than closer to us.” Jack Reinhardt, co-owner of Mannerwood Properties and managing partner of 555 LLC, said the loss of parking will hurt business. “The street parking is critical,” Reinhardt said. “People come in for an hour and pump money into the meter, and then they are gone. It’s very busy from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., and then from 4

p.m. to 8 p.m., and it’s critical to the tenants – this taking 68 parking spots burdens that whole area. We are losing 68 parking spots and you expect us to pay for it?” Reinhardt said he has struggled with vacancies at the building for many years, eventually marketing to lifestyle tenants, such as yoga and fitness studios. He said the building is now just one lease away from being at 100 percent capacity. Joe Vicari, owner and operator of the Birmingham Pub, also urged

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commissioners to hold off on the project to see if some parking could be saved. Further, he said he believes construction costs would go down in the future, as he braces for a potential depression. Former mayor and city commissioner Mark Nickita, an architect and urban designer, said the loss of parking is necessary because the current design is outdated and illegal. “City staff has defined that we have issues with parking, ADA compliance, turning radius and fundamental, problematic situations,” Nickita said. “The only way to keep parking the same is to never do this project. Whenever we do this project, we will have to address parking, and the current parking situation is illegal. It can’t be rebuilt as-is. The only other option is to do the project, essentially never.” Commissioner Andrew Haig noted he has had longstanding concerns about the loss of parking, said Nickita raises valid points, but still hoped there could be changes to help retain parking. However, he was clear that the southern portion of Old Woodward is in need of reconstruction to match the rest of the improved roadway. “South Old Woodward looks like a dump,” he said. “We need to finish this side.” Commissioner Pierre Boutros also said the project must be completed. “I don’t want to lose parking, but you can’t rebuild under new requirements and have it the way it is. We are enhancing the street and finishing the hard work we started six years ago,” he said. “We are trying to help businesses and our downtown thrive.”

Trustees approve $25 million budget By Lisa Brody

Bloomfield Township Trustees unanimously approved the 2022-2023 fiscal year budget of $24.9 million at their meeting on Monday, March 14. The 2022-2023 fiscal year runs from April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023. Supervisor Dani Walsh and finance director Jason Theis presented the annual budget, which includes projected revenues of $9.64 million in property taxes to the general fund, up 4.7 percent from the current budget; $5.5 million in transfers from other township funds; $4.4 million state revenue sharing; $1.6 million in revenues from the 48th District Court; and $1.3 million in rent. 67

Projected expenditures for fiscal year 2022-2023 include $4.2 million in salaries; $1.75 million to the 48th District Court; $1.1 million for professional services; and $12.1 million in capital outlay. The expense of $25.9 million for public safety is in the public safety fund budget, which will receive $25.9 million in property tax revenue. A general millage of .9270 was approved, down from .9352 mills in 2021-2022. The 2021 tax levy raised $3,950 million; the 2022 tax levy is projected to raise $4,151 million. Theis said there were changes to revenue projections since the preliminary budget was presented, notably that the original taxable value projection of $4.4 billion increased to $4.45 billion, which equated to about $475,000 of additional revenue. Expected court revenue decreased by $100,000, and EMS transport fees increased by $50,000. He said there were $900,000 in unanticipated costs new to this budget to maintain the stormwater assets due to record rainfall in 2021, which led to the discovery that these were the township's responsibility to identify, assess, repair, replace as necessary and maintain. As for the township's long-term liabilities and debt, Theis said the

defined benefit pension plan was funded 93.44 percent by March 31, 2021, with a 2022-2023 pension contribution of $5 million. The OPEB (other post-employment benefits) trust was 21.29 percent funded by March 31, 2021, with a 2022-2023 contribution of $1.25 million.

New method for water and sewer rates set By Lisa Brody

Following a previous study session and public hearing, Bloomfield Township trustees approved setting a new method for setting water and sewer rates at their meeting on Monday, March 14, one that initially does not include charging for secondary water meters, with subsequent years following up with a plan to charge for those who have added a secondary water meter at their home. Olivia Olsztyn-Budry explained that the end of the current rate year is approaching, with water and sewer rates for fiscal year 2022-2023 scheduled to be presented to trustees on April 11. A new rate structure is needed so that staff can finalize rates

prior to the meeting. Since 2000, the township’s water purchase from its supplier, Detroit Water and Sewer Department (DWSD)/Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) and South Oakland County Water Authority (SOCWA), has been generally decreasing, with annual fluctuations due to weather. “It is anticipated that the water purchase trend will continue to decline both from customer’s conserving water and more water efficient facilities available for new homes and updated homes. Even if all expenses remained the same in the future years, water and sewer rates would continue to increase due to the declining trend in water purchases,” she said. Olsztyn-Budry explained that over the past several months, Raftelis has been working with the township in developing the water and sewer financial plan and considering rate options and impacts. She said operating expenses include the costs for the purchase of water from SOCWA and the purchase of sewage conveyance and treatment in the Evergreen Farmington Sewage Drain (EFSD) by the Oakland County Water Resource Commissioner's Office (WRC). Operating expenses also include the

local township costs such as personnel costs, repair and maintenance, and many others. Olsztyn-Budry said about 87 percent of the township's water and sewer customers are single family residential, about three percent are commercial and about 10 percent are multi-family. The township currently has fixed charges: there is the debt charge per residential equivalent unit, called REU based on usage and the readiness to serve (RTS) per customer, which is a flat rate charged regardless of size. The choices before trustees were to consolidate RTS and Debt Charges (REU) into a single charge based on customer meter size; apply fixed charges to secondary irrigation meters, of which about 3,000 water customers currently have, or to maintain uniform volume charge for quarterly billing schedule rather than to switch to monthly billing. After a great deal of discussion between trustees, who felt it was important to phase in the billing of secondary meters rather than to just add it this fiscal year, trustees unanimously voted on plan 2A for this fiscal year, and switch to plan 2B for fiscal year 2023-2024, which will include a secondary meter charge.

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MUNICIPAL Board approves crisis budget amendment By Lisa Brody

With hopes of beginning to deal with the $14.3 million budget shortfall discovered earlier this year, on Tuesday, March 15, the Birmingham Public Schools Board of Education heard a presentation by Dr. Maria Gistinger, retired assistant superintendent of finance on short and long-term steps the district should take to address budget inaccuracies, shortfalls and wrong millage calculations, and board members unanimously approved a 2021–2022 fiscal year general appropriations budget act to balance the budget. Gistinger was hired back for the rest of the school year in January by superintendent Dr. Embekka Roberson to perform a thorough review of district finances and collaborate with the district's auditors from Plante Moran after Roberson learned a projected $1.58 million budget shortfall was “actually projected to be $14.3 million due to discrepancies in both revenue and expenditure estimates, including underestimations of salary and retirement calculations for the 2021-22 school year, an overestimation of student enrollment, and an over-levying of property taxes which will result in a credit to taxpayers.” Embekka announced at the meeting that Jim Larson-Shidler, who had been on leave as assistant superintendent of business services since January 2022, submitted his resignation request on March 8. Rather than pursuing other avenues of redress, she recommended to the board he be paid through the end of his contract, at the end of the school year, and his resignation was approved by the board. Roberson read a statement before introducing Gistinger, which read in part: “Looking ahead, we are going through our budget line by line, looking for ways to increase operating efficiencies, expand revenue-generating options and seek additional funding sources. We are also implementing improved protocols and practices to ensure this does not occur again. This includes more frequent budget reviews from additional personnel in the finance department and presenting monthly financial statements to the board for consideration. 70

BHS creates public safety director position By Kevin Elliott

retired police sergeant who was also a school liaison officer has been hired in the newly created position as the administrator of public safety for Bloomfield Hills Schools. Patrick Sidge, who previously served as a police officer in Berkley and Farmington Hills, was been hired by the Bloomfield Hills district in the new role of administrator of public safety. Sidge will work in collaboration with district and school administration to review and establish appropriate regulations, procedures and plans to ensure safe and secure schools. Among other responsibilities, Sidge will regularly review and update the district's emergency operations plans, will work with the information technology team to manage security camera systems, and will serve as the district's liaison to work collaboratively with local law enforcement partners. Sidge was a police officer for 25 years, including as a police sergeant in Farmington Hills for five years, until 2012. For 12 years of his time as a Farmington Hills police officer, he served as the school liaison officer for Harrison High School. Sidge then served as the director for safe schools for Howell Public Schools, as a criminal justice instructor at Kent Intermediate School District, a court security officer for the 44th District Court of Royal Oak, and worked as the school safety coordinator at Waterford Mott High School. Sidge attended Michigan State University, receiving a B.A. in criminal justice, and Northwestern University for a degree in supervision of police personnel. “As a father, I know how important it is for your children to feel safe within their educational communities,” Sidge said. “One of my goals is to work closely with the BHS staff, students, and parents to help ensure this. I look forward to getting to know the BHS community and working together.”

“While the 2021-2022 budget was approved and the miscalculations made before I became superintendent, I am committed to fixing this by working with staff, the board, students, families and the whole community. Throughout this process, we will be seeking input from all stakeholders to help ensure the budget reflects our priorities and that decisions will be made in a way that minimizes impact on our students. Despite the tough choices and hard decisions that lie ahead, I am confident we can and will emerge stronger by working together and remaining united around our shared goal of providing a worldclass education to our students.” She said they had been able to balance this current school year's budget using one-time federal grants along with $3.49 million of the district's $20 million fund balance. In actuality, as Gistinger later made clear upon board questions – the district has not yet been approved for those grants, but merely anticipates receiving the grant money for which they are still applying. “Not every school district can

apply for this funding. We have a very solvent school district,” she stated, while emphasizing that they are one-time funding grants, and the board will have to adjust for the 2022-2023 school year. “If we're not successful in receiving it, the board would have no choice but to use your fund balance (for the remaining 11 million outstanding shortfall).” Gistinger said while she and others have been going through the budget and financials line by line, where significant discrepancies were revealed, reviews of the budget revealed a much wider discrepancy than originally expected, with revised general fund revenue at $119,716,575, and general fund expenditures at $134,027,703 – for a negative difference of $14,311,128. There is a $11.4 million discrepancy in general fund expenditures between the original 2021-2022 budget, which was projected at $122,602,855, versus the amended 2021-2022 budget, at $134,027,703. Salary differential was $3.5 million; retirement, $3 million difference; health insurance and other benefits, over $1.2 million difference; and $1.7 million in other

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fees, along with a variety of other adjustments. “I discovered a fund balance had been calculated incorrectly for a number of years,” she said. On the other hand, the amended budget indicates over $3.3 million less in revenue than in the original budget, with almost $5 million less from Proposal A obligation, which is the minimum per pupil funding allowance from the state; $1.2 million less in property taxes; $400,000 less in the public school employees retirement fund; and $700,000 less in per pupil increases. Enrollment in the district has declined from 8,375 students in the 2012-2013 school year to 7,283 students in the 2021-2022 school year. However, the district received funding for 7,297 students for this school year, an excess of 545 students. “BPS has been in a state of decline for many years, and that will need to be addressed by the administration,” she said. “Moving forward, the goal is to create an efficient education system without sacrificing opportunities for students,” she said, which they are doing by enacting a zero-based budgeting approach, and recommending the district work with the county treasury and the district's auditors. As for the improperly calculated homestead property tax millage, she said they are recommending deferring the money collected for next year as if it was already collected from residents, and they will be addressing a new homestead property tax millage going forward. In the long term, Gistinger said the district needs to incorporate enrollment plans and building capacity with their budget planning, and revise the budget process along with the business department for a more accurate result. Board members voted 5-0 to approve the budget amendment for the current school year, with board members Kimberly Whitman and Adrienne Young absent.

City sets hearing on outdoor dining rules By Kevin Elliott

Long awaited changes to Birmingham’s outdoor dining ordinance intended to allow for expanded dining throughout the year will open to a public hearing on Wednesday, April 13, with the city’s planning board. 04.22

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Planning board members on Wednesday, March 9, unanimously approved setting the public hearing for the proposed ordinance amendments. The meeting also marked the ninth study session held by the board to craft the proposed amendments. The process grew from a December 2020 discussion with the city commission, and the planning board was asked to consider whether outdoor dining enclosures should be permitted during winter months, and what regulations should be recommended if such enclosures are permitted. The city commission formally asked the board in June 2021 to discuss outdoor dining and get clear direction as to what elements of outdoor dining should be addressed. The discussion included the use of public/private property, dining enclosures and a desire for a comprehensive look at the entire outdoor dining ordinance. Under the proposed amendments, outdoor dining patios would be permitted to extend in front of neighboring properties with the written permission of the property

owner affected, and with planning board approval. All dining elements, such as railings, planters, tables, chairs, heaters and umbrellas, must be stored indoors each night between January 1 and March 31 to allow for snow and ice removal. The proposed amendments would allow for windbreaks within outdoor dining patios with an affixed barrier. Windbreaks would need to be constructed of clear, rigid and durable materials, with Eisenglass and vinyl prohibited. Patios wouldn’t be permitted to contain enclosures. An enclosure includes a wall, panel or other material that extends more than 60 inches high and provides extended relief from weather, and impedes physical and/or visual access to the space. Planning board member Stuart Jeffares disagreed that heavy planters should be included in elements brought in each night. Large city planters, he said, are decorated throughout the year and add to the character of an area. Board chair Scott Clein disagreed, saying a row of empty planters on the ground around an empty dining

patio is more of an unsightly barrier on the sidewalk. The board did agree that adjacent sidewalk patios and street dining platforms must have a minimum space between them to maintain an appropriate, passable sidewalk. The board will hold a public hearing on the proposed ordinance language at its April 13 meeting.

Planners push retail for Triangle building By Kevin Elliott

Birmingham Planning Board members considering a six-story, mixed-use building on Wednesday, February 23, in the city’s Triangle District urged developers to increase the amount of retail usage proposed in the area to help activate Adams Road. A preliminary site plan for the project was considered in January and postponed as board members took issue with the project’s proposed first-floor residential units along S. Adams Road. The board voted on February 23 to further

postpone a decision on the plans until their meeting on March 9 because the city’s traffic engineering consultant hadn’t completed its review of the project. Birmingham Planning Director Nick Dupuis said the applicant’s updated plans call for relocating first-floor retail from Worth Street to Adams, as well as increasing the total height to six floors on one side of the building. Dupuis said the addition would mean about 1.7 percent of the proposed 235,000 square feet of the building would be used for retail business, with 98.3 percent used for residential units. Planning board member Janelle Boyce said she couldn’t support the project without removing all firstfloor residential from the frontage on Adams. “We want a retail component on Adams,” she said. “Residential makes sense on Haynes and Worth, but Adams presents an opportunity. I really need that to happen. I hope you find a way to do that.” Board member Stuart Jeffares agreed. “This area is very important to the

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city. This and the Rail District are an opportunity to put a bow on one of the best places to live in the country,” Jeffares said. “There’s not a lot of large parcels in this area, so if you give a pass for no retail, then we’ll never get it. I really think being this large of a parcel, we really have to be careful and make sure this embodies the flavor and spirit of the Triangle plan. It fits in a lot of ways. The amount of residential it represents in the area is 30 percent of what the master plan calls to increase, but the retail that the plan calls for – it’s about one percent.” Board member Daniel Share said the lack of parking along Adams Road understandably makes establishing retail business in the area challenging. “I don’t see much activity by people being drawn into that part of town in cars to go to retail on Adams,” Share said. “While I would like to have an active street, I’m not sure that’s possible on Adams given the traffic and lack of parking on the street there.” The proposed building would span an entire block, bound by

Worth Street, Haynes, a public alley and Adams Road to the east. The project aims to combine parcels, currently containing Citizens Bank, 1000 Haynes, and a two-story office building at 770 S. Adams. The project doesn’t include the corner parcel at 720 S. Adams, formerly the Plant Station. The project is proposed by FHS Birmingham, which includes the Forbes Group, Hunter Pasteur and Soave Enterprises. The proposed development would include more than 150 high-end residential units; an on-side parking garage with 266 spaces; workout and yoga facilities; a pool deck and gathering spaces. The planning board was expected to review the project’s community impact study and preliminary site plan and design review in March.

License renewals may be delayed by city By Lisa Brody

Two dozen Birmingham establishments serving alcohol could

have delays with annual liquor license approved by the city if outstanding code violations and/or debts to the city aren’t addressed before Monday, March 28. Birmingham city commissioners at their meeting on Monday, February 28, approved liquor license renewals for 14 establishments in the city. City commissioners annually review and renew liquor licenses held by drinking establishments in the city. The process allows staff to identify outstanding debts owed to the city or issues identified. The city’s fire, police, building, planning and treasury departments conduct individual reviews of each location to ensure ordinance regulations are being followed. Those locations with outstanding issues or violations were scheduled to appear at a public hearing on March 28 with the city commission. City manager Tom Markus said he expected the majority, if not all, of the establishments to address the issues prior to the meeting. “I expect that by the time we get to March 28, you will have very few of these left,” Markus said. “This

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gives us a month to reiterate the concern about why we are calling for a hearing. Most will be corrected before then.” Markus said there are many outstanding restaurants in the community, but others appear to be challenging the status quo, in that there have been some with continual infractions, many tied to outdoor dining. Other issues have occurred because the city failed to bill the establishment appropriately. “One of my pet peeves is when I can’t walk down the sidewalk,” Markus said. “The very purpose of a sidewalk is for mobility of our public. It’s not the primary purpose to have outdoor dining. That’s secondary in my book. “We had almost daily instruction to certain restaurants in this community to get the chairs out of the walkway, to get the stands, garbage cans, planters and everything else out, on a regular basis,” Markus said. “I contribute that to some restaurants at the management/owner level to convey to those managers. They have a communication issue amongst the

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organization. I don’t want our staff managing these restaurants, on the street level especially. They have this figured out when it comes to health standards, but some don’t have it figured out when it comes to the walkway and public rights-of-way in our community.” Businesses scheduled to appear at the March 28 city commission public hearing include: 220 Merrill; Adachi Restaurant; All Seasons of Birmingham; Bella Piatti; Birmingham 8 Theater; Birmingham Pub; Churchill’s Bistro/Cigar Bar; Daxton; Dick O'Dow’s Irish Pub; Griffin Claw Brewing Company; Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse; Luxe Bar and Grill; Maple Road Tap Room (Whole Foods); Mare Mediterranean; Papa Joe’s; Pernoi; Phoenicia; Salvatore Scallopini; Slice/Shift/Sidecar; Social Kitchen and Bar; Tallulah Wine Bar & Bistro; The Townsend; Toast; and Townhouse. Commissioners approved liquor license renewals for Brooklyn Pizza; Community House; Elie’s Mediterranean; Emagine Palladium/Ironwood Grill; Fleming's;

Forest Grill; Hazel’s; La Strada Cafe; Lincoln Hills Golf Course; Mad Hatter; Market North End; Springdale Golf Course; Streetside Seafood; and The Morrie. “We are lucky to have such a wonderful, vibrant town because of these establishments,” mayor pro tem Pierre Boutros said. “Many of these violations are very minor issues that can be fixed, and I hope there would be fewer in the future.”

Proposed mixed-use for E. Brown site By Kevin Elliott

A four-story, mixed-use building proposed at 294 E. Brown Street in Birmingham would include two floors of apartments, a full-floor of office use, first-floor retail and a public courtyard connected to the future Restoration Hardware building, according to plans submitted to the city. Birmingham Planning Board members met on Wednesday, February 23, to discuss the project, the related community impact study

and preliminary site plan. Proposed by a team represented by architect Victor Saroki, who is working with the RH development, the project calls for the removal of the current Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel building at 294 E. Brown, and a complete redevelopment of the site. In its place would stand a 120,000 square foot building, including a 59space underground parking garage. Saroki said the building is intended to complement the RH development. “The proposal occupies the entire site, not just the building,” Saroki said. “It includes the building, but has plazas, courtyards, vias, landscaping, a fountain and allows for complete circulation on four sides. There’s a large courtyard through the center of the whole building that is partly open and partly enclosed. Visitors from RH can use those courtyards, and they will have seating, likely with RH furniture. It’s really an extension of what RH does with their courtyards and has been extended here.” Plans call for an active rooftop for use by building residents, including

a swimming pool, lounging area, landscaping, coverings, benches, fire pits, grills and other amenities. “We intend it to be beautiful,” Saroki said. Planning board members were supportive of the plans, and no significant issues were identified in the project’s community impact study, site plan or design. However, board members refrained from accepting the plan, as the city’s traffic engineering consultant hadn’t completed a review of the traffic impacts prior to the review. “This corner will be transformed,” said planning board member Bert Koseck. “There have been critics of the RH project, but this complies with the ordinance. It not only complies, but meets the spirit and intent of what was written in the 2016 Plan. It checks all the boxes in every way. I’m very pleased.” The board postponed a decision on the preliminary plans and community impact study until March 23, which will include a report from the city’s consultant regarding traffic.

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3847 S Miller Way B LO O M F I E L D T O W N S H I P 4,348 Sq. Ft. | 5 Beds | 4.1 Baths | $1,599,000

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The best location on the north course of Oakland Hills, backing to the 17th fairway. Charming 50’s ranch with a massive addition of 2 large bedroom suites and a great room with windows and French doors across the entire back of the home provides incredible views of the golf course. Hardwood floors throughout, an abundance of Pewabic tile, 3 fireplaces, 2 laundry areas. The dining room mantle is a piece of history from the old Casino Lounge in the Oakland Hills clubhouse. The beautifully landscaped yard has a paver patio and built-in BBQ. Newer Generac PWRcell solar system with battery back-up saves on electric bills and supplies power during outages. Just 120 yards from the short game area and less than 500 yards from the shack, the location couldn’t be better and is a golfer’s dream! Enjoy a front row seat to the upcoming Men’s US Opens in 2034 and 2051 and two US Women’s Opens in 2031 and 2042. Oakland Hills South course will also host the 2024 US Junior Amateur, 2029 US Women’s Amateur, 2038 US Girls’ Junior and 2047 US Amateur. Get in before golf season starts!

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523 CAMBRIDGE WAY | BLOOMFIELD TWP. 1,952 Sq. Ft. | 2 Beds | 3 Baths | $699,000 Desirable Heathers Community with this rare “Carlton” end-unit ranch condo. The condo features a light-filled island kitchen with large breakfast nook, dining room and great room overlooking the 8th fairway, a large guest bedroom and generous master suite (also overlooking course) the with large walk-in closets, spacious bath with double sinks, separate jetted tub and shower. The finished lower level is ideal for entertaining with a lovely wet bar (ice maker and wine refrigerator), a full bathroom and bedroom/den and plenty of builtins. There is ample storage with custom shelving and walk-in cedar closet. Updated mechanicals. Start enjoying The Heathers great lifestyle amenities of golf, swimming and tennis. Social/Dining memberships also available.

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Gavin Niblock surreal sense of awe and accomplishment," is how Gavin Niblock described his experiences donning a Team Canada jersey and playing in the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, recently held in the Caribbean. Niblock, a Bloomfield Hills High School senior and Canadian citizen, came to Michigan with his parents two and a half years ago when his father, a consul and senior trade commissioner with the Consulate General of Canada, took an assignment in Detroit. "Growing up, I used to watch the World Cup on TV, and now, to actually be in a similar World Cup, is unbelievable. Representing a country is something I've never done before, and it made me very happy to be there after a lot of hard work and dedication," said Niblock. His path to the Canadian squad started last summer when he made the British Columbia provincial team. In the fall, he was invited to join the Team Canada training group, and one of 15 selected to play for his native country in the World Cup. Cricket is one of the most-watched sports in the world, second only to soccer. However, its popularity hasn't caught on in the United States. The game is played on an oval field with a bowler (like a baseball pitcher, and the position Niblock plays), who alternates throwing the ball to two batsman who are on the field at the same time. A wicketkeeper (similar to a baseball catcher) and nine defensive players are also on the field. There are 10 ways a batsman can get out, but the most common is when a hit ball is caught, or the bails get knocked off the stumps. Niblock was introduced to the sport at the age of five while living in New Delhi. Because of his father's position with the Canadian government, the family has lived in Canada, India, Hungary, Romania, and now Bloomfield Hills. "In India, you see cricket all around you. Every street corner, every patch of grass, there are always kids playing," said his dad, Bradwin Niblock.

In 2011, the Men's Cricket World Cup took place in India, and Niblock took his son to see the Canadian team compete. "I think he was kind of hooked at that point," he added. It wasn't until the family moved to Budapest five years later that Niblock formally learned to play at a local cricket club and participated in tournaments throughout Europe. Andrew Leckonby coached him in Budapest and described Niblock as an intensely committed and enthusiastic player and a 'superbly brilliant wicketkeeper' (although he's now a bowler). "I expected him to potentially become their (Canada's) prime wicketkeeper/batsman, so the fact that it is his fast bowling that has come through is further testament to his commitment to personal skill development." In the months leading up to the World Cup, Niblock traveled to Toronto every weekend for the squad's practice sessions. Now, Niblock is back to playing at the Farmington Cricket Club, and still beaming over the experience of participating in this elite competition. Canada was one of 16 teams to make it to the Under-19 Cricket World Cup. Despite losing all four of their matches and forfeiting the last two following a COVID outbreak, Niblock feels good. "We went into it confident. We knew our skills, and we were confident in our game plan. We were there to show what we've trained for, what we learned, and what we could do," said Niblock. "Personally, I wanted to make people proud. I wanted to make myself proud, to prove to myself why I was there after putting in years and years of training, and playing so many games and matches, and I believe that's what I did." Story: Jennifer Lovy

Photo: Laurie Tennent

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Architectural award winning Lou DesRosiers dramatic, contemporary 10,000 sq ft masterpiece on nearly 3 acre private cul-de-sac lot. Entertainer’s delight with all-steel frame meticulously constructed over a 5 year period is a work of quality & art. Round master suite & 5 more bedrooms with full baths is just the beginning. So much updating in 2019 makes this like a new dream home. Second kitchen on lower level along with second laundry room, recreation room, sauna, hot tub, steam shower, home theater, workout room & 3 of the 6 bedroom suites. Lower level is like a second home with front & rear staircases. All 5 HVAC systems have been replaced along with 5 ﬂat screen TV’s, Sonos sound system, alarm & camera system and full house generator. Recent updates also include roof, skylights, LED lighting inside & out, glass garage doors on 4 car garage, interior & exterior paint, stunning landscaping, sprinkler system and new designer carpeting.

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After working with me, you will never want to work with anyone else for your Real Estate needs. downtownpublications.com

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6T )W W R 6T )W $YDL O DEO H 12:

BUSINESS MATTERS The Agency Hall & Hunter Hall & Hunter, one of the legacy boutique real estate firms based in Birmingham since 1954, has joined forces with the global real estate brokerage The Agency. The Agency franchise, the first in the Midwest area of the country, will continue to be led by managing partners Brad and Ryan Wolf, under the moniker The Agency Hall & Hunter. The real estate firm at 442 S. Old Woodward is the brokerage’s 32nd franchise among its growing network of offices in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Europe and marks its first-ever in the Midwestern United States. “We’re delighted to begin The Agency’s expansion into the Midwest and partner with leading industry professionals Brad Wolf and Ryan Wolf on our first-ever franchise in Michigan,” said Mauricio Umansky, CEO and founder of The Agency. “ Brad and Ryan are accomplished brokers with a shared vision of collaboration and providing the best-in-class service to clients. We know they will be incredible stewards for The Agency brand.” Hall & Hunter Realtors was founded in 1954 and in 1982, Dennis Wolf, Brad and Ryan’s father, acquired the company and its 10 agents and set out to create Michigan’s premier, locally-owned and operated real estate business. Hall & Hunter has grown into a thriving firm with more than 90 experienced real estate professionals. “We are so thrilled to share with you the exciting next chapter in the nearly 70-year story of Hall & Hunter,” said Brad Wolf. “As stewards of this legacy, we are proud to be leading our familyowned business into the future and to offer our clients and colleagues unparalleled real estate service with a brokerage partner that shares our values, mission and vision for the future of our industry.” He called the affiliation with The Agency as a “game-changer in town.” Ryan Wolf added, “As the housing market in Michigan continues to boom, we are so looking forward to partnering with The Agency to build our business in our thriving community of Birmingham. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with downtownpublications.com

such an esteemed brokerage as The Agency. Together, we will provide our clients with extensive local knowledge, personalized concierge service, cutting-edge technology, creative marketing, and access to a vast global network.”

65 years of art It began 65 years ago, when a group of women painters were evicted from a house in Birmingham located in the old Jacobson’s parking lot, and were looking for a place to use as studio space. They spotted an abandoned building on Cranbrook Road that was a former Water Works plant from the Roosevelt Works era, and these amazing women persuaded the city of Birmingham to help them create an art association with studio space that would also be open to the public to showcase art. Originally called the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Association, today, the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center – also known as the BBAC – is a powerhouse regional art center that has grown to over 25,000 square feet after numerous additions. President/CEO Annie VanGelderen said they now have multiple studios with arts education for all ages, youth to adults, with specialized Alzheimer classes, and offer more than 500 classes a year, as well as having five galleries with exhibitions open and free to the public that change every four to six weeks. Some artists are local or classroom artists, others are regional or national in scope. VanGelderen noted that “Art is subjective. Here, there is no wrong answer. Our vision is that we live art every day.” VanGelderen herself started as a student at the BBAC, then progressed to a printmaking instructor, and has been president for the last 11 years, where she said they truly are a family. “We’re celebrating our 65 years here,” she said. “It was the brilliance of these women, and the city of Birmingham, who appreciated the importance of arts and culture, and continue to do so.”

Christie’s and @properties @properties DTW is joining the Christie’s International Real Estate network, the company

announced. The brokerage, with offices in Birmingham, at 400 S. Old Woodward, Suite 100, and downtown Detroit, will become @properties Christie’s International Real Estate. @properties Christie’s International Real Estate was established in 2021 and is led by principals and Detroit natives Eric Walstrom and Alex Irrer. Headquartered in Birmingham, with an additional office in downtown Detroit, the brokerage is the number one brokerage firm in the downtown Detroit market, they said, and also number one for new construction and adaptive-reuse developments. Over the past year, they have grown their firm to 67 agents with projected 2022 sales volume of $500 million, up from $100 million in 2020. “An affiliation with Christie’s International Real Estate – one of the world’s most respected luxury real estate brands – will allow us to offer an added level of service to Detroit’s high-end home buyers and sellers,” said Walstrom. “We’re honored to be associated with a brand that is so well-respected around the world, and we know the affiliation will position us well for future growth.” Walstrom said the Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills markets continue to be in high demand among luxury buyers, while the downtown Detroit market is experiencing a post-pandemic resurgence with new construction seeing record highs on a price-persquare-foot basis.

French bakery premiers The sweet smell of baguettes are wafting through downtown Birmingham now that Paris Baguette has opened its doors at 183 N. Old Woodward. The first Michigan location for the bakery chain out of South Korea, it is known for its delicious baked goods, including warm breads, stunning cakes, delicious pastries and fresh croissants. Paris Baguette refers to itself as a “neighborhood bakery café” offering coffee and gourmet sandwiches as well as baked goods. Signature items include Strawberry Cream Cake, Everything Cream Cheese filled Croissant and Tiramisu King Cream donut. According to a release from the company, “Being a

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neighborhood bakery café means caring about those around us and finding ways to make a real impact. We do so through our ‘Love Baked In’ programs that bring to life our commitment to serving local communities through various charitable programs and initiatives.” Jason Scala, local district manager, said, “We’re thrilled to officially open the doors to our neighbors in Birmingham. After months of waiting, the time is now here to grab a cup of coffee and celebrate all of life’s moments, big or small, with our expertly baked goods. The grand opening is just the start of welcoming community members to their new Paris Baguette.”

New children’s store Finding cute, trendy and affordable children’s clothing can be a challenge. Mya Barnes understands – she has a one-year-old herself. That’s partly why she opened The Kidz Store at 43263 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Township, in the Kingswood Plaza Shopping Center, right next to La Marsa, near Staples. The Kidz Store offers children’s clothes, shoes and accessories for boys and girls, newborn to size 13 or 14 – and she noted they have more items coming in all of the time. Parents – and grandparents – can find everything from onesies to twopiece outfits for little ones as well as jumpsuits, coats, full outfits, Easter dresses (and Easter baskets), cool shoes, cross-body purses – even toddler backpacks. “We try to keep prices as affordable as possible. Kids grow entirely too fast,” Barnes said. Offerings are fashionable and trendy. “We’re very fashionable. We have to keep up with the changing trends,” she said.

Bateel closing Bateel, 215 N. Old Woodward in downtown Birmingham, which featured gourmet dates and fine chocolates, has closed. Business Matters for the Birmingham Bloomfield area are reported by Lisa Brody. Send items for consideration to LisaBrody@downtownpublications.com. Items should be received three weeks prior to publication. 83

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FROM THE BSD

FACES:BUSINESS BSD Programs that Boost Local Shopping March 4th was Employee Appreciation Day; an unofficial holiday established in the mid-1990s to recognize and appreciate hardworking members of your company. To commemorate the occasion, the Birmingham Shopping District (BSD) seized the opportunity to do something special. The BSD passed out cookies for businesses to share with their employees. Cookies were available at the front counter of the BSD office in City Hall and they were distributed around town by BSD employees. What’s more is that this was a BSD employee led initiative – a truly authentic gesture by employees and for employees. In addition to cookies, the BSD also distributed employee discount cards, which give card-holders access to special deals and discounts offered by businesses in downtown Birmingham. Currently there are seventy-three stores in the downtown district that participate in the program, each offering a special discount to downtown employees. Sean Kammer The Employee Discount Program is not a new program, but this event gave it a significant boost. The BSD distributed and registered around 200 new cards just on that day alone. This program shows the good will and solidarity among businesses in the downtown. It promotes individual stores to new faces and helps to keep dollars in the local economy. In addition to the Employee Discount Program, the BSD manages an electronic gift card program called Birmingham Bucks. In partnership with a company called Yiftee, customers can purchase e-gift cards in almost any amount and send them via email to themselves or to a friend. Each gift card has a sixteen-digit card number that makes it like processing a Mastercard at a point-of-sale terminal in any participating business. Currently there are seventy-two participating businesses who accept the Birmingham Bucks e-gift card. The BSD heavily utilized this program to encourage local shopping and introduce downtown businesses to new customers. It has also proved to be a useful tool to support businesses during times of strife. In 2020, the BSD issued over $75,000 worth of Birmingham Bucks that could be used to spend in local shops and restaurants. It was a lifeline to many businesses when revenues were severely reduced. The Birmingham Bucks program continues to be a popular program to the present day. The BSD occasionally offers special deals in which customers can earn free Birmingham Bucks by sending receipts for purchases at local stores. This had been done during Restaurant Week in prior years, where upwards of $40,000 worth of cards were distributed to customers who made purchases at participating restaurants. Recently, Consumers Energy donated $10,000 to support the Birmingham Bucks program, as part of their Our Town initiative. In this program, customers who purchased an electronic gift card would receive a second card of the same value for free. This program was enormously popular and the BSD sold out in a matter of days. For complete lists of businesses who participate in the Employee Discount and Birmingham Bucks programs, visit the BSD website at allinbirmingham.com. To join either of the programs as a business, or to get discount cards for yourself or employees, please contact the BSD office at 248-530-1200 or email info@allinbirmingham.com.

A decade ago Downtown Newsmagazine first pioneered a monthly feature – FACES – in which we profile people who either currently live or grew up in the communities of Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills or Bloomfield Township – each with a unique story to tell. We took this popular feature to a new level in recent years with profiles of members of the business community serving the Birmingham/ Bloomfield area in a special section – FACES:BUSINESS. For 2022, we are producing another edition of FACES:BUSINESS, this time in our June issue. FACES:BUSINESS will be printed in full color on a heavier glossy stock and run through the center of our June issue of Downtown, reaching over 40,000 readers and the publication will be posted on our website until the next time we produce this special section. Our photographer will come to your location to capture you as the business owner or manager and our writers will work with you to refine your story. You will be featured in a full (10 X 13 inch) page photo, with prominent display of the name of your business, your name, business address and phone, along with your business website, Facebook and Instagram address if you have them. And then a 250-word story that tells our readers something about you and your business. This is a perfect promotional advertorial section for both retail businesses or professional businesses, like lawyers, wealth managers, realtors, or doctors, for example – anyone trying to reach the affluential residents in the Birmingham–Bloomfield area. Once you decide to participate in this special section, our photographer will contact you to schedule a photo shoot and our news department will reach out to tell you how you can supply us with some initial information about your business. Then one of our writers can contact you to get further information. You can review your final story before we go press. The final sales deadline for this special section is Friday, April 22. Mark Grablowski will be your sales contact person for this special section. He can be reached at our office (248.792.6464, ext. 601), cell phone (586.549.4424) or by email at MarkGrablowski@DowntownPublications.com. A special publication of Downtown Newsmagazine 124 W. Maple Road • Birmingham MI 48009

Sean Kammer is the Executive Director of the Birmingham Shopping District. downtownpublications.com

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THE COMMUNITY HOUSE HAPPY SPRING 2022! Spring 2022 has arrived. Every year, the cold of winter melts away and spring brings with it – new beginnings. The season is an eternal metaphor for optimism, for hope and light and possibility, and even if the past few years have taught us to moderate our anticipation of seasonal renewal, this year’s equinox feels notable. We’re coming out of a long winter. Fingers crossed, eyes open, hopeful for sunnier days ahead. At the historic Community House, Spring 2022 is also our season to rebuild our beloved nonprofit, charitable organization safely, fiscally, and responsibly, postCOVID. With Mother’s Day, Thursdays on the Terrace, weddings, graduations, showers and so many other celebrations/milestones in the air – we have proudly welcomed back new and old friends like The Agency Hall & Hunter, PNC, Huntington Bank, Beaumont Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Chief Financial Credit Union, Optimist Club of Birmingham, Birmingham Shopping District, Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber, Birmingham Bloomfield Young Professionals, and Project2. We have also reached out to pre-COVID partners like the Senior Men’s Club of Birmingham, the Women’s Club, Legatus, and the Junior League of Birmingham – just to name a few – to rediscover synergy, old friendships, and mutual respect and affection for one another. While the road ahead remains unpredictable, we are Bill Seklar optimistic that we can rediscover sunnier days ahead – new ways to reinvent ourselves, better ways to serve the community, new ways of meeting our stewardship responsibilities and new ways to hand-off the baton of leadership to the next generation. Update: As we prepare for our 100th Year Centennial Celebration at The Community House in 2023 – TCH has proudly invited representatives of the Senior Men’s Club of Birmingham and the Rotary Club of Birmingham back in – to explore possible pathways for each group to return to the historic Community House – under a “new” normal post-COVID – that mutually and fairly benefits all parties involved! It truly takes a village. HURRY - TICKETS GOING FAST FOR 2022 BATES STREET SOCIETY DINNER The Bates Street Society was created to help recognize donors who make significant charitable contributions to support the work and mission of The Community House. New members are acknowledged annually at our signature event, the Bates Street Society Dinner, an inspirational evening hosted by The Community House Association and Foundation Board of Directors. To safely gather in-person and out of an abundance of safety and caution, the Bates Street Society Dinner was moved to Saturday, April 30. Once again, to help lead this extraordinary gathering, Huel Perkins, iconic broadcast journalist and American news anchor, will assume the role of master of ceremonies. Culinary creations by award winning TCH Executive Chef Ryan Friedrich and TCH Sous Chef, Adam dos Santos. Entertainment by renown jazz saxophonist Jeff Ponders II. The Bates Street Society Dinner will also recognize TCH/TCHF’s annual Pillars of Vibrancy in Business, Education, Culture, Wellness and Philanthropy.

Personalized mortgage options to fit your financial strategy At U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management, we tailor the home financing experience to fit your needs. Customized mortgage options include: • Residential one to four units, fixed, adjustable or interest only mortgage options • Mortgage priority process, products and scheduling to meet your loan closing date • Primary, second home, condominium, co-op and investment one to four unit properties • Residential single close construction, lot loan, renovation & expansion options • Ability to hold title in an approved Trust, LLC, LLP, Corp or other non-operating entity • Conforming, jumbo and super jumbo loan size availability • Lending in all states (some loan types are limited to specific states)

Get started today. Contact your 3ULYDWH :HDOWK 0RUWJDJH %DQNHU to find out more about residential mortgage options. Mark Webberly 3ULYDWH :HDOWK 0RUWJDJH %DQNHU 41000 Woodward Avenue, Suite 350 Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304 248.991.9385 RIILFH mark.webberly@usbank.com NMLS#: 139326

2022 Pillars of Vibrancy Honorees include: Honorable Dave Bing — Business & Culture; Dominic DiMarco — Education; Dr. Barry Franklin, Ph.D. — Wellness; Lila Lazarus — Wellness & Education; Dr. Duane Mezwa, M.D. — Education & Wellness; Rabbi Daniel B. Syme — Culture; Linda Schlesinger-Wagner — Business & Philanthropy; S. Evan Weiner — Business & Philanthropy; and Jessie Beld Elliott — Business & Philanthropy Our gratitude and special thanks to founding sponsors PNC Wealth Management, Beaumont Health, and Huntington Bank and to Cranbrook Educational Community, Edw. C. Levy Co., DeRoy & Devereaux, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Oakland University, Chief Financial Credit Union, Emerson-Prew, Michael Willoughby & Associates, Metalbuilt, SlipNOT, Helping Hand Nursing Center and The Agency Hall & Hunter for their lead sponsorships of the 2022 Bates Street Society Dinner. Please remember these fine organizations when searching for products and services. To purchase tickets (reservations) to the BSSD or for more information about sponsorships or ad buys please contact Christopher Smude, VP, The Community House Foundation at csmude@communityhousefoundation.org.

William D. Seklar is President & CEO of The Community House and The Community House Foundation in Birmingham. downtownpublications.com

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Loan approval is subject to credit approval and program guidelines. Not all loan programs are available in all states for all loan amounts. Interest rates and program terms are subject to change without notice. Visit usbank.com to learn more about U.S. Bank products and services. Mortgage and Home Equity Products are offered through U.S. Bank National Association. Deposit Products are offered through U.S. Bank National Association. Member FDIC. ©202 U.S. Bank.

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JOAN HARDY BROWN REALTOR JBROWN@THEAGENCYRE.COM M 248.709.3916 T 248.593.1600

BIRMINGHAM | 492 RIVENOAK STREET

3574 Maxwell Court | Bloomfield Township 3,300 Sq. Ft. | 3 Beds | 3.1 Baths | $975,000 Custom built 3 bed 3.1 bath Cape Cod in Bloomfield on private cul-de-sac. Beautifully updated with white kitchen, stainless appliances and huge family room addition. First floor master suite with cathedral ceiling, his and her closets, lovely bath and incredible storage. Hardwood floors, cozy library, huge laundry and office complete the first floor, 2 large bedrooms upstairs with full bath. Finished lower level has media room, gym (could be 4th bed) and full bath. 3-car heated garage, full house generator and exquisite manicured lot.

$795,000 | 3 bedrooms | 2.2 baths | 2,886 Total Sq. Ft. Poppleton Park Tudor with strong curb appeal and premier location overlooking the park. All the charm of a 1928 built home, arched doors, plaster walls, gleaming hardwood floors, beautiful lead glass windows. Gas fireplace in formal living room. Cozy first floor office. Updates with family room off kitchen. Generous master suite with master bath. Second large hall bath shared by two additional bedrooms. Finished lower level with rec room. Tons of storage. Freshly painted. Move in Ready.

HEATHER SALESIN REALTOR HSALESIN@THEAGENCYRE.COM M 248.224.1940 T 248.644.3500 T H E A G E N C Y R E .C O M 248.644.3500 442 S. OLD WOODWARD, BIRMINGHAM AN INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED LICENSEE OF UMRO REALTY CORP.

T H E A G E N C Y R E .C O M 248.644.3500 | 442 S. OLD WOODWARD, BIRMINGHAM AN INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED LICENSEE OF UMRO REALTY CORP.

PLACES TO EAT The Places To Eat for Downtown is a quick reference source to establishments offering a place for dining, either breakfast, lunch or dinner. The listings include nearly all dining establishments with seating in the Birmingham/Bloomfield area, and then some select restaurants outside the immediate area served by Downtown.

Birmingham/Bloomfield 220: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday- Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 220 E. Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.646.2220. 5th Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2262 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.481.9607. Adachi: Asian. Lunch & Dinner daily. Liquor. Reservations. 325 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham 48009. 248.540.5900. Andiamo: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6676 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301. 248.865.9300. Bangkok Thai Bistro: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 42805 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Township, 48304. 248.499.6867. Beau's: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 4108 W. Maple, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.626.2630. Bella Piatti: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 167 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.494.7110. Beverly Hills Grill: American. Dinner, daily. Liquor. No reservations. 31471 Southfield Road, Beverly Hills, 48025. 248.642.2355. Beyond Juice: Contemporary. Breakfast & Lunch daily; Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. 270 West Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.7078. Bill's: American. Lunch & Dinner, Daily. Reservations. Liquor. 39556 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.646.9000. Birmingham Pub: American. Lunch and Dinner, daily. Weekend Brunch. Reservations. Liquor. 555 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham. Birmingham Sushi Cafe: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 377 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.8880. Bistro Joe’s Kitchen: Global. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Sunday brunch. Liquor. Reservations. 34244 Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.0984. Bloomfield Deli: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 71 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.645.6879. Brooklyn Pizza: Pizza. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Liquor. No reservations. 111 Henrietta Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.6690. Café ML: New American. Dinner, daily. Liquor. Call ahead. 3607 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Township. 248.642.4000. Casa Pernoi: Italian. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 310 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009. 248.940.0000. Churchill's Bistro & Cigar Bar: Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

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116 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.4555. Cityscape Deli: Deli. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Beer. 877 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.540.7220. Commonwealth: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 300 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.9766. Dick O’Dow’s: Irish. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 160 West Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.642.1135. Eddie Merlot's: Steak & seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 37000 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.712.4095. Einstein Bros. Bagels: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 4089 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.258.9939. Elie’s Mediterranean Cuisine: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Liquor. 263 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.2420. Embers Deli & Restaurant: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 3598 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.645.1033. Flemings Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar: American. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 323 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.723.0134. Forest: European. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 735 Forest Avenue, Birmingham 48009. 248.258.9400. Greek Island Coney Restaurant: Greek. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 221 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.646.1222. Griffin Claw Brewing Company: American. Dinner, Tuesday-Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday and Sunday. No Reservations. Liquor. 575 S. Eton Street, Birmingham. 248.712.4050. Honey Tree Grille: Greek/American. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, daily. No reservations. 3633 W. Maple Rd, Bloomfield, MI 48301. 248.203.9111. Hunter House Hamburgers: American. Breakfast, Monday-Saturday; Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 35075 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.646.7121. Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse: American. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 201 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.4369. IHOP: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2187 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301. 248.333.7522. Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner daily; Sunday brunch. Reservations. Liquor. 39475 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.792.9609. Kaku Sushi and Poke': Asian. Lunch & Dinner. Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. No Liquor. 869 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.480.4785, and 126 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.885.8631.

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The Birmingham/Bloomfield area is filled with discriminating diners and an array of dining establishments. Make sure the message for your restaurant reaches the right market in the right publication—Downtown. Contact Mark Grablowski for advertising rate information. O: 248.792.6464 Ext. 601 MarkGrablowski@downtownpublications.com

METRO INTELLIGENCER Metro Intelligencer is a monthly column devoted to news stories, tidbits and gossip items about what's happening on the restaurant scene in the metro Detroit area. Metro Intelligencer is reported/created each month by Gigi Nichols who can be reached at GigiNichols@DowntownPublications.com with news items or tips, on or off the record.

Making better pizza Mootz Pizzeria + Bar is known for their fabulous signature pies like “The Popeye” with fresh spinach, garlic, ricotta, mootzarella, aleppo chili, pecorino, shaved parmesan and the “Beast of Burden” made with NYC pizza sauce, pepperoni, Italian sausage, ricotta, mootzarella, pecorino, shaved parmesan. After a short closure in mid-February for installation, the pizzeria is back open and better than ever with a brand new PizzaMaster oven in their kitchen. PizzaMaster is the largest electric deck oven range in the world, cooks pizzas at high temperatures and delivers continuous high capacity to help get pizzas out faster. This high power and high temperature provide superior capacity and an old-world bake flavor for tastier pizza. “This PizzaMaster oven is a game changer for Mootz Pizzeria + Bar. It’s a perfect blend of old-world tradition and new-world technology. We improved our finished product and are now able provide the same obsessively awesome New York pizza more efficiently,” said Bruno DiFabio, a culinary consultant for Mootz.1230 Library Street, Detroit mootzpizzeria.com

Daxton Hotel names new executive chef Birmingham’s Daxton Hotel has announced the promotion of Rece Hogerheide to executive chef. A native Michigander, Chef Hogerheide strongly advocates for the use of locally sourced, seasonal ingredients and has spent the past few years further sharpening his skills in niche areas such as butchery and fermentation. Playing a critical role in the opening of Madam, Hogerheide masterfully marries the worldly influences of fine dining with a rustic New American feel to create a unique offering for the Detroit metro area market. “My goal is to make Daxton Hotel and Madam a regular choice amongst locals and visitors alike,” said Hogerheide. “We want to be known for our impeccable cuisine driven by an experience that brings a new level of excitement to the farm-to-table concept through new flavors and methods.” Prior to his work at Daxton Hotel, Hogerheide held positions at local Michigan restaurants such as Gather and is also one of the founding chefs of Felony Provisions (known for its fermentation, butchery, cheesemaking and charcuterie) which received local acclaim after members of the group were invited to cook alongside Chef Danielle Leoni at the James Beard Award Gala in May of 2019 in Chicago. 298 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham daxtonhotel.com

Shaking things up in the D Good news for those who enjoy Instagrammable food opportunities – JoJo’s Shake BAR has announced plans to open a restaurant in the District Detroit, on the same block as the Fox Theatre. It will be the first JoJo’s located outside of the Chicago environs. Other locations in Chicago include River North, Water Tower and Naperville. The ice cream bar prides itself on overthe-top milk shakes, hot chocolates, milk & cookie flights, and classic American diner classics. The menu includes decadent shakes like the “Girl Scout,” which is an Andes Mint chocolate shake topped to the brim with toasted marshmallow, chocolate pretzel, chocolate s’more, and a double chocolate cookie. All shakes can be transformed into boozy concoctions. The eatery also features traditional bar food like wings, burgers, sandwiches, fries as well as a full bar. Look for JoJo’s to be serving up their sinful scoops in the summer of 2022. 88 W. Columbia Street, Detroit jojosshakebar.com

Second act for Fly Trap Ferndale Fly Trap owners Kara and Gavin McMillian shut down their popular diner back in September due to staffing shortages and other challenges. Recently, the pair posted on social media that Matt Buskard, owner of local chain Bobcat Bonnie’s, was acquiring the diner. “When we began negotiations with Matt, we were able to perceive a future more clearly. Matt has been a regular for many years...throughout the pandemic he has proven himself as a champion of this industry as well. He was continually offering us assistance of any sort, from PPE to outdoor dining solutions, as he knew the struggle of restaurant business ownership. We entertained no other offers in the sale of our beloved business because we knew that his heart was all Fly Trap and in the preservation of our small diner’s legacy,” said the

Kerby’s Koney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2160 N. Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.333.1166. La Marsa: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner daily. Reservations. 43259 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.5800. La Strada Italian Kitchen & Bar: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 243 E. Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.480.0492. Leo’s Coney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 154 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.9707. Also 6527 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.646.8568. Little Daddy’s Parthenon: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 39500 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.647.3400. Luxe Bar & Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily; Late Night, 9 p.m.closing. No reservations. Liquor. 525 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.6051. Madam: American. Breakfast, MondayFriday, Brunch, weekends. Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner daily. Reservations. Liquor. 298 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.283.4200 Mandaloun Bistro: Lebanese. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, Daily. Reservations. Liquor. 30100 Telegraph Rd., Suite 130, Bingham Farms, 48025. 248.723.7960. Market North End: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 474 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.712.4953. MEX Mexican Bistro & Tequila Bar: Mexican. Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily. Liquor. 6675 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301. 248.723.0800. Nippon Sushi Bar: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2079 S. Telegraph, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.481.9581. Olga’s Kitchen: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2075 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.451.0500. Original Pancake House: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 33703 South Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.642.5775. Phoenicia: Middle Eastern. Lunch, Monday-Friday; Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 588 South Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.3122. Planthropie: Vegan. Dessert and Cheese. 135 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.839.5640. Qdoba: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Also 42967 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Township, 48304. 248.874.1876 Roadside B & G: American. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 1727 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.7270. Salvatore Scallopini: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer &

Wine. 505 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.8977. Shift Cocktail Bar: Small plates. Dinner. Liquor. 117 Willits Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.2380. Sidecar: American. Lunch and Dinner, daily. Liquor. 117 Willits Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.2380. Slice Pizza Kitchen: Pizza. Lunch and Dinner, daily. Liquor. 117 Willits Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.3475. Social Kitchen & Bar: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations, parties of 5 or more. Liquor. 225 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.4200. Stacked Deli: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Delivery available. No reservations. 233 North Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.5300. Stateside Deli & Restaurant Deli. Breakfast, Lunch, Sunday-Monday. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. No reservations. 653 S. Adams Road, Birmingham, 48009. 248.550.0455. Steve’s Deli: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 6646 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield, 48301. 248.932.0800. Streetside Seafood: Seafood. Dinner, daily. Liquor. 273 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.645.9123. Sushi Hana: Japanese. Lunch, MondayFriday; Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 42656 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.333.3887. Sy Thai Cafe: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 315 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.9830. Sylvan Table: American. Dinner daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1819 Inverness Street, Sylvan Lake, 48320. 248.369.3360 Tallulah Wine Bar and Bistro: American. Dinner. Monday-Saturday. Sunday brunch. Reservations. Liquor. 55 S. Bates Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.731.7066. The Franklin Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 32760 Franklin Rd, Franklin, 48025. 248.865.6600. The Gallery Restaurant: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & wine. 6683 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.851.0313. The Moose Preserve Bar & Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2395 S. Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.7688. The Morrie: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 260 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham 48009. 248.940.3260. The Rugby Grille: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 100 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.642.5999. Toast: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily; Reservations. Liquor. 203 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.6278. Tomatoes Apizza: Pizza. Lunch & Dinner daily. Carryout. 34200 Woodward

Avenue, Birmingham 48009. 248.258.0500. Touch of India: Indian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 297 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.7881. Townhouse: American. Brunch, Saturday, Sunday. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 180 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.5241. Whistle Stop Diner: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily; Liquor. No reservations. 501 S. Eton Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.566.3566. Zao Jun: Asian. Lunch Monday-Friday; Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6608 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301. 248.949.9999.

Royal Oak/Ferndale Ale Mary's: American. Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 316 South Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.268.1917. Anita’s Kitchen: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 22651 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.548.0680. Assaggi Bistro: Italian. Lunch, TuesdayFriday. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 330 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220. 248.584.3499. Bigalora: Italian. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. No Reservations. Liquor. 711 S. Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067. The Blue Nile: Ethiopian. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 545 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220. 248.547.6699. Cafe Muse: French. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 418 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.544.4749. Cork Wine Pub: American. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 23810 Woodward Ave., Pleasant Ridge, 48069. 248.544.2675. Due Venti: Italian. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 220 S. Main St., Clawson, 48017. 248.288.0220. The Fly Trap: Diner. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 22950 Woodward Ave., 48220. 248.399.5150. Howe’s Bayou: Cajun. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 22949 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.691.7145. Inyo Restaurant Lounge: Asian Fusion. Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 22871 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.543.9500. KouZina: Greek. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 121 N. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.629.6500. Kruse & Muer on Woodward: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 28028 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.965.2101. Lily’s Seafood: Seafood. Weekend

Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 410 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.591.5459. Lockhart’s BBQ: Barbeque. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 202 E. Third St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.584.4227. Oak City Grille: American. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 212 W. 6th St, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.556.0947. One-Eyed Betty: American. Weekend Breakfast. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 175 W. Troy St., Ferndale, 48220. 248.808.6633. Public House: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 241 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220. 248.850.7420. Redcoat Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 31542 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak, 48073. 248.549.0300. Ronin: Japanese. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 326 W. 4th St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.546.0888. Royal Oak Brewery: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 215 E. 4th St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.544.1141. Strada: Italian. Dinner, Wednesday Sunday. Liquor. No reservations. 376 N. Main Street. Royal Oak, 48067. 248.607.3127. The Morrie: American. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 511 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.216.1112. Toast, A Breakfast and Lunch Joint: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 23144 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.398.0444. Tom’s Oyster Bar: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 318 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.541.1186. Trattoria Da Luigi: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 415 S, Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.542.4444. Twisted Tavern: American. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 22901 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.545,6750. Vinsetta Garage: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 27799 Woodward Ave., Berkley, 48072. 248.548.7711.

McMillians in a joint statement. Buskard confirmed that he would be ordering the same food, from the same vendors, using the same recipes, to maintain the fantastic Fly Trap that the McMillians created and loved for 17 years. “We are grateful to be doing this with our friends Kara and Gavin – it’s rare to have such an amicable transfer – one in which the former owners are so actively assisting us, and even still making some of the memorable items. Who doesn’t love their hot sauces and jams?” said Buskard. The Fly Trap expects to reopen in mid-March. 22950 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale theflytrapferndale.com

Saab Sis Thai opens in Royal Oak There are plenty of Thai restaurants to choose from in metro Detroit, however, Saab Sis Thai owner Rihana Yenpanya claims that her restaurant is different from the rest. Yenpanya was born in Thailand and came to the U.S. while she was still in high school. She opened Saab Thai Sis with her sister and brother-in law, who also serve as chefs. “What really makes us different is that we serve authentic Thai food – not the American version of Thai food. I find other (restaurant dishes) to be too sweet and a different consistency,” she said. Saab Sis Thai uses the freshest ingredients along with family recipes inspired from the family’s rich Thai heritage that have been passed down through the generations. Signature dishes include Pad Thai – stir fried noodles with tofu, bean sprouts, green onions and eggs with Saab Sis’s special tamarind sauce and Drunken Noodles, which is a stir-fried wide rice noodle with green & red peppers, basil, onions, carrots and Saab Sis’s spicy Thai garlic sauce. The cozy eatery, which is decorated in vibrant colors, floral fabric pillows and exposed brick accent walls, has seating for up to 55 patrons. 515 S. Lafayette Avenue, Royal Oak saabsisthai.com

A new place on the lake 4th Tavern Lake House has opened on Crescent Lake in Waterford, a space occupied for over three decades by the Village Place. The new establishment is owned and operated by Jerry Sanchez, who also has part ownership of 5th Tavern in Bloomfield Township on Telegraph north of Square Lake Road. The space has been completely renovated with contemporary lighting, furnishings and tile flooring. The real change in this property, however, is that Sanchez has taken advantage of the spectacular water views. The eatery currently seats 240 guests including a new enclosed heated patio area. A newly constructed deck will be completed in a few weeks, which will extend all the way to the water, accommodating outdoor seating for 120 and dockage for eight boats. A property across the street has been purchased for additional parking. The menu includes everything from burgers, salads, sandwiches and flatbreads to higher end options like the 20 ounce bone-in ribeye and the cedar plank Scottish salmon. A full bar offers an extensive wine list, craft, domestic and imported beers and cocktails. Sanchez has been in the restaurant business his whole life, serving as a banquet chef at the Townsend Hotel in his younger days. “Business has been very good,” he said. “What’s really been great is the response from the entire community. Everyone has been so supportive.” 4710 Cooley Lake Road, Waterford 4thtavern.com

Troy/Rochester

Local James Beard Award semifinalists

Capital Grille: Steak & Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2800 West Big Beaver Rd., Somerset Collection, Troy, 48084. 248.649.5300. Cafe Sushi: Pan-Asian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1933 W. Maple Rd, Troy, 48084. 248.280.1831. CK Diggs: American & Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 2010 W. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.853.6600. O’Connor’s Irish Public House: Irish. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 324 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.608.2537. Kona Grille: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 30 E. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48083. 248.619.9060.

The James Beard Awards recognize exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, media, and broader food systems, as well as a demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive. This year, metro Detroit area chefs and restaurants are well-represented as semifinalists for national and regional honors. Making the cut in the Best Chef-Great Lakes category are Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere, Baobab Fare, Detroit; Mike Ransom, Ima, Detroit; Ahmad Sanji, Al Tayeb, Dearborn; Anthony Lombardo, SheWolf, Detroit; Omar Anani, Saffron de Twah, Detroit; James Rigato, Mabel Gray, Hazel Park; Sarah Welch, Marrow, Detroit; and Kate Williams, Karl’s, Detroit. Warda Bouguettay from Detroit’s Warda Pâtisserie is up for the Outstanding Pastry Chef and Detroit’s Barda for Best New Restaurant. J.D. Simpson and Roger Yopp, owners of Detroit’s SavannahBlue, made the list for Outstanding Restaurateur. Mudgie’s Deli in Detroit and Phoenicia in Birmingham are both semifinalists for Outstanding Hospitality. Detroit’s Shelby is up for the Outstanding Bar Program and Madam in Birmingham for Outstanding Wine Program. The 2022 Awards Ceremony will take place in Chicago, on Monday, June 13. Jamesbeard.org

Kruse & Muer on Main: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 327 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.652.9400. Loccino Italian Grill and Bar: Italian. Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily. Liquor. Reservations. 5600 Crooks Road, Troy, 48098. 248.813.0700. The Meeting House: American. Weekend Brunch. Dinner, TuesdaySunday. No reservations. Liquor. 301 S. Main St, Rochester, 48307. 248.759.4825. Miguel’s Cantina: Mexican. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 870 S. Rochester Rd, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.453.5371. Mon Jin Lau: Asian. Lunch, MondayFriday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1515 E. Maple Rd, Troy, 48083. 248.689.2332. Morton’s, The Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 888 W. Big Beaver Rd, Troy, 48084. 248.404.9845. NM Café: American. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 2705 W. Big Beaver Rd, Troy, 48084. 248.816.3424. Oceania Inn: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. The Village of Rochester Hills, 3176 Walton Blvd, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.375.9200. Ocean Prime: Steak & Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2915 Coolidge Hwy., Troy, 48084. 248.458.0500. Orchid Café: Thai. Lunch, MondayFriday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. 3303 Rochester Rd., Troy, 48085. 248.524.1944. P.F. Chang’s China Bistro: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. Somerset Collection, 2801 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48084. 248.816.8000. Recipes: American/Brunch. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 134 W. University Drive, Rochester, 48037. 248.659.8267. Also 2919 Crooks Road, Troy, 48084. 248.614.5390. Rochester Chop House: Steak & Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 306 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.651.2266. Ruth’s Chris Steak House: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 755 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48084. 248.269.8424. Silver Spoon: Italian. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 6830 N. Rochester Rd., Rochester, 48306. 248.652.4500. Too Ra Loo: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 139 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.453.5291.

Southfield, 48034. 248.208.1680. Bigalora: Italian. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. No Reservations. Liquor. 29110 Franklin Road, Southfield, 48034. The Fiddler: Russian. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Thursday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 6676 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.851.8782. Mene Sushi: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 6239 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.538.7081. Meriwether’s: Seafood. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 25485 Telegraph Rd, Southfield, 48034. 248.358.1310. Nonna Maria’s: Italian. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2080 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48323. 248.851.2500. Pickles & Rye: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 6724 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.737.3890. Prime29 Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6545 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield, 48322. 248.737.7463. Redcoat Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Liquor. 6745 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.865.0500. Shangri-La: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. Orchard Mall Shopping Center, 6407 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.626.8585. Sposita’s Ristorante: Italian. Friday Lunch. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 33210 W. Fourteen Mile Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248. 538.8954. Stage Deli: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 6873 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.855.6622. Yotsuba: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 7365 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield, 48322. 248.737.8282.

West Bloomfield/Southfield

Clarkston Union: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 54 S. Main St., Clarkston, 48346. 248.620.6100. Holly Hotel: American. Afternoon Tea, Monday – Saturday, Brunch, Sunday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 110 Battle Alley, Holly, 48442. 248.634.5208.

Bacco: Italian. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 29410 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, 48034. 248.356.6600. Beans and Cornbread: Southern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 29508 Northwestern Highway, 92

West Oakland Gravity Bar & Grill: Mediterranean. Monday – Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday, Dinner. Reservations. Liquor. 340 N. Main Street, Milford, 48381. 248.684.4223. Volare Ristorante: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 48992 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393. 248.960.7771.

North Oakland

Kruse's Deer Lake Inn: Seafood. Lunch & dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 7504 Dixie Highway, Clarkston, 48346. 248.795.2077. The Fed: American. Lunch and Dinner daily, Brunch, Saturday and Sunday. Liquor. 15 S. Main Street, Clarkston, 48346. 248.297.5833 Via Bologna: Italian. Dinner daily. No reservations. Liquor. 7071 Dixie Highway, Clarkston. 48346. 248.620.8500. Union Woodshop: BBQ. Dinner, Monday – Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday – Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 18 S. Main St., Clarkston, 48346. 248.625.5660

Detroit Bucharest Grill: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2684 E. Jefferson, Detroit, 48207. 313.965.3111. Cliff Bell’s: American. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 2030 Park Ave., Detroit, 48226. 313.961.2543. Cuisine: French. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 670 Lothrop Rd., Detroit, 48202. 313.872.5110. The Detroit Seafood Market: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1435 Randolph St., Detroit, 48226. 313.962.4180. El Barzon: Mexican. Lunch, TuesdayFriday. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 3710 Junction St., Detroit, 48210. 313.894.2070. Fishbone’s Rhythm Kitchen Café: Cajun. Breakfast, daily. Sunday Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 400 Monroe Street, Detroit, 48226. 313.965.4600. Giovanni’s Ristorante: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 330 S. Oakwood Blvd., Detroit, 48217. 313.841.0122. Green Dot Stables: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2200 W. Lafayette, Detroit, 48216. 313.962.5588. Jefferson House: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2 Washington Blvd., Detroit, 48226. 313.782.4318. Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood. Lunch, Monday- Friday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 400 Renaissance Center, Detroit, 48243. 313.567.6837. Johnny Noodle King: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2601 W. Fort St., Detroit, 48216. 313.309.7946. Mario’s: Italian. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 4222 2nd Ave., Detroit, 48201. 313.832.1616. Midtown Shangri-la: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 4710 Cass Ave., Detroit, 48201. 313.974.7669. Motor City Brewing Works: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 470 W. Canfield St.,

DOWNTOWN

Detroit, 48201. 313.832.2700. Prism: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 555 E. Lafayette St, Detroit, 48226. 313.309.2499. Red Smoke Barbeque: Barbeque. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. Trappers Alley Shopping Center, 573 Monroe Ave., Detroit, 48226. 313.962.2100. Selden Standard: American. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. Liquor. Reservations. 3921 Second Ave., Detroit, 48201. 313.438.5055. SheWolf Pastifico & Bar: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday through Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 438 Selden St, Detroit 48201. 313.315.3992. Sinbad’s: Seafood. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 100 St Clair St., Detroit, 48214. 313.822.8000. Slows Bar BQ: Barbeque. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2138 Michigan Ave, Detroit, 48216. 313.962.9828. Tap at MGM Grand: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 1777 Third Street, Detroit, 48226. 313.465.1234. Taqueria Nuestra Familia: Mexican. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 7620 Vernor Hwy., Detroit, 48209. 313.842.5668. The Block: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 3919 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201. 313.832.0892. Tom’s Oyster Bar: Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 519 East Jefferson Ave., Detroit, 48226. 313.964.4010. Traffic Jam & Snug: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 511 W. Canfield, Detroit, 48201. 313.831.9470. 24grille: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit, 1114 Washington Blvd, Detroit, 48226. 313.964.3821. Union Street: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 4145 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201. 313.831.3965. Vince’s: Italian. Lunch, Tuesday-Friday. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 1341 Springwells St., Detroit, 48209. 313.842.4857. Vivio’s Food & Spirits: American. Saturday Breakfast. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2460 Market St., Detroit, 48207. 313.393.1711. The Whitney: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & High Tea, Monday-Friday. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, daily. Liquor. Reservations. 4421 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201. 313.832.5700. Wright & Co.: American. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Liquor. 1500 Woodward Ave Second Floor, Detroit, 48226. 313.962.7711. 04.22

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UPPER LONG LAKE - $2,049,000

CASS LAKE - $1,295,000

BLOOMFIELD HILLS - $2,499,000

BLOOMFIELD HILLS - $1,590,000

s Pectacular c ontemPorary estate home on a ll s Ports l ake ! eleGant. 7300 sq. F t. livinG sPace w/5 Br, 4.5 Ba, Finished walkout.

P remium location on wards P oint on a ll s Ports c ass l ake ! deeP lot w/ 60 F t FrontaGe and FaBulous l ake v iews ! newly r emodeled.

r are 7.36 acres with 3 Parcels in P rime location in trowBridGe Farms ! Parcel 1 has c ustom home and 2 adjacent vacant Parcels !

s Pectacular c ontemPorary s ituated on 1.65 acres ! dramatic o Pen interior ! Great r oom w/ walls oF w indows , cheF 's k itchen .

CALL

WEST BLOOMFIELD - $319,000

UPPER STRAITS LAKE - $689,000

TROY - $765,000

CASS LAKE - $799,000

FaBulous new B uild o PPortunity on this d esiraBle 3 lot Parcel l ake P rivileGes and access on a ll-s Ports walnut l ake !

c anal Front in d esiraBle s hady B each s uB w/ 110 F t. water F rontaGe on u PPer straits l ake . s Pacious r anch on d ouBle lot.

Brick colonial w/ Finished walkout in desiraBle oak river e ast suB! 2-story Grand Foyer, cherry hardwood Floors, Gourmet kitchen.

l ake P oint l ivinG on a ll s Ports c ass l ake w/ 83' l ake F rontaGe & 75" c anal F rontaGe . c aPe c od w/ G ourmet k itchen .

CALL

ENDNOTE

Righting the school district financial ship he collective community has been rightly shocked by the news released by the Birmingham Superintendent Dr. Embekka Roberson on March 1 that while working on budget amendments, it was determined that the district has a $14.3 million shortfall rather than the anticipated shortfall of $1.58 million for the 20212022 school year due to a variety of factors – including an over-levying of property taxes. The millage overcharge to residents of the district were $2.2 million for the 2021-2022 school year, and $1.4 million for the 2020-2021 school year. Turns out, during the previous two years, when there was an interim superintendent following former Superintendent Mark Dziatczak's illness and subsequent resignation, no one was minding the store. Including the board of education. Roberson, who has been with the district as a teacher and administrator for years, only began her position as superintendent July 1, 2021. The board adopted a 2021-22 school year budget that estimated a $1.58 million shortfall in June, based on what turns out was inaccurate enrollment numbers, general fund expenditures, and large differences in projected salaries, retirements and benefits. According to a district powerpoint, the original 2021-2022 school year budget had general fund revenue at $122,471,210, and expenditures at $122,602,805, for a $1.5 million imbalance, which Roberson indicated had been budgeted for. However, reviews of the budget revealed a much wider discrepancy, with revised general fund revenue at $119,716,575, and general fund expenditures at $134,027,703 – for a negative difference of $14,311,128. That's a really big difference. In addition, there is a $11.4 million discrepancy in general fund expenditures between the original

2021-2022 budget, which was projected at $122,602,855, versus the amended 2021-2022 budget, at $134,027,703. Salary differential was $3.5 million; retirement, $3 million difference; health insurance and other benefits, over $1.2 million difference; and $1.7 million in other fees, along with a variety of other adjustments. Enrollment in BPS has declined from 8,375 students in the 2012-2013 school year to 7,283 students in the 2021-2022 school year. However, the district received state funding for 7,297 students for this school year, an excess of 545 students. Some, including a candidate for the state House, Anthony Paesano, are calling for Roberson's resignation, but that's killing the messenger. We actually are praising her for discovering the enormous errors and taking charge of the crisis, asking for the resignation of the assistant superintendent of business services and bringing on board Dr. Maria Gistinger, a CPA and retired assistant superintendent of finance, to perform a thorough review. On March 15, Roberson and Gistinger said they were working to fix the budget imbalance, through one-time grants and with $3.49 million of the district's $20 million fund balance. As for the improperly calculated homestead property tax millage, they are deferring the money collected for next year as if it was already collected from residents, and they will be addressing a new homestead property tax millage going forward. The county assessor's office also has a lot to answer for in approving the inaccurate millage amount on tax bills. There is a list of issues with which administrators and board members must contend, including declining enrollment, a long-term issue. On this one, the decision may involve closing some

schools. The reality is there are too many school buildings in the district, and with them too much maintenance and security costs, for too few students. But here is the biggest question we – and the community – need answered: when the budget was presented to the board, did they just rubber stamp it? The role of a board, whether it is a board of education, city commission, or township board of trustees, is to more than just show up to meetings and make a few comments. We have decades of watching city commission, city council, board of trustee and board of education meetings, and we are accustomed to local leaders going line by line, digging into budgets to ascertain the details, asking questions of finance directors and department heads during budget meetings, even doing their own research if warranted – whatever they deem necessary to get the answers for residents they represent prior to voting their approvals to spend our money. When elected, board members are supposed to stand for every resident in the community they serve. In Birmingham, that is part of six different communities – Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, West Bloomfield, Troy, Bingham Farms and Beverly Hills. They are the fiscal stop gap between administration, and potential errors or intrinsic administrative interests, and the residents. If an explanation or education is needed to further understand the budget, or any other issue, bring in an expert – or several. We have seen the Birmingham City Commission do that over the years, as well at the Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees. Ultimately, it's the board which is responsible for the job of catching financial errors. Or now repairing the substantial damage.

Achieving right mix in the city's downtown

ere is what we hear on the street about downtown Birmingham: There are too many jewelry stores in downtown Birmingham. Now, there are going to be way too many furniture stores. And why are there nail salons in a downtown rather than at strip malls? What happened to all of the quick and inexpensive places to grab something to eat? There needs to be more women's clothing stores; more kid's stores; a new toy store; more men's stores; another shoe store. There are too many national chain stores in the downtown. We need more local boutiques. We need more stores that they have at the mall. What we really need in downtown is an independent bookstore. The list is endless. Birmingham, an eclectic and vibrant suburban downtown, is ever-changing, with stores and dining establishments changing over with the times and consumers' needs. And as building owners have vacancies and seek to fill them, often significantly

increasing their rents. That is how the city is now being filled with national furniture stores like RH (Restoration Hardware) in a new building development at S. Old Woodward and Brown streets, CB2 at the corner of Old Woodward and Maple, replacing Panera Breads, and Serena and Lily, in the former Linda Dresner location on Maple and Bates. The leases for all three furnishing stores were finalized by landlord Ron Boji, who is bringing new and significant retailers to the city. Birmingham has long been a jewelry shopper's mecca – at one point about 15 years ago, there were 21 jewelers in town – and today is no different. The addition this spring of Brilliant Earth in the new building on Pierce and Merrill just adds to the variety. The Birmingham Shopping District (BSD) has helped play a vital role in recent years in ascertaining what is in the downtown mix – what sort of retail is needed, and what perhaps there is too much of for shoppers. Former BSD Executive

Director Ingrid Tighe held regular roundtables with landlords to hear their concerns and needs, and today, current Executive Director Sean Kammer works with a retail consultant in retail attraction, helping guide real estate brokers to the right fit for right now. It's a two-prong effort, and one that is a high-wire balancing act because, unlike in a mall, building owners cannot be told what they can put in their spaces. Analysis now underway by the BSD of the city's needs and retail holes that could be filled will be a valuable tool for everyone involved. While there is always some retail storefront turnover, Birmingham has held a low retail vacancy rate for well over a decade, since the after-effects of the 2008 Great Recession and the city's efforts to revitalize the city's walkability through its bistro license, first floor retail and other efforts. Continued cooperation between landlords, the BSD and leasing agents will show that when you hit the right mix of retail, dining and entertainment, the city will continue to have a vibrant downtown.

Downtown Newsmagazine | Birmingham/Bloomfield

Articles inside

James Haefner

Steve Tobocman

Zoe Kalapos