Hazel Park Mayor Celebrates Successes at State of the City Address

(City of Hazel Park, April 3, 2023)

Hazel Park, MI – In an event held with the Madison Heights Hazel Park Chamber of Commerce, Hazel Park Mayor Mike Webb gave the annual State of the City Address. Madison Heights Mayor Roslyn Grafstein also spoke about what’s new in Madison Heights.

Here is the speech by Mayor Webb:

Thank you for joining us here tonight for the 2023 State of the City Address Before I begin, I want to thank all of the people who made this possible tonight.

First of all I want to thank the The Madison Heights Hazel Park Chamber of Commerce, and in particular, Linda Williams for all of her hard work.
I also wish to thank Madison Hts. Mayor Grafstein and her administration and all of the public officials of both cities who have joined us tonight and are partners with us in everything we do
I also want to thank Mike Pierce and Adam O’Conner- owners here at Eastern Palace, for allowing us use of this beautiful new facility, as well as James Sikorsky and Eric Nelson, proprietors of Smoked Lotus Barbecue and providers of tonight’s delicious dinner.
Finally, I want to thank our residents here in Hazel Park who have entrusted us with leadership of this fine city, a responsibility that we do not take for granted.

The past decade has brought many changes to our city, but change is nothing new for Hazel Park.

We have come a long way since former Hazel Park Schools official Howard H. Beecher wrote a paper in the 1920’s about the unincorporated area that would later become the City of Hazel Park. He described how that area was recently populated by people seeking work in the auto industry, and that population surge created problems. Beecher wrote that fire and police protection was inadequate; there was no garbage collection; sidewalks were usually covered with water; there were no parks or recreation; the sewer system was inadequate; and many parts of the area had no running water.

In order to survive, Hazel Park would have to become a city. After two failed attempts, Hazel Park voters approved incorporation in December of 1941, at the dawn of World War II. Hazel Park was officially incorporated in 1942 after legislative approval. Our city then sent its young people off to war, and on the Homefront, Hazel Parkers rolled up their sleeves and helped build the Arsenal of Democracy. The newly incorporated Hazel Park developed a reputation as a hard-working, patriotic, blue-collar town. After the war over, Hazel Park experienced another period of growth, with the demand for reasonably priced housing fueling new subdivisions.

In the late 1940’s Hazel Park was approached by the State of Michigan to host a horse race track. The Hazel Park Raceway opened in 1949, and provided an immediate economic boost to the city. At one point in the mid 1950’s, Raceway revenues provided for half of Hazel Park’s general fund budget. For decades, that Race Track was a regional entertainment destination and huge money maker for our city. Other signature businesses joined the track as popular mainstays in Hazel Park, such as Harmony House, Elias Brothers, Duke’s and The Farm House. But times change, and things change…

In the 1990’s, the horse racing industry began to decline. With casinos opening in Detroit, the racing industry took a nosedive, and the city began to really suffer financially. The State of Michigan cut funding to cities. Longtime family businesses closed, as their founders passed on, and technology changed how we shopped, ate, and listened to music.

In order to survive, Hazel Park had to adapt to those changing times. I’m proud to announce that we haven’t just adapted to survive, we have adapted to thrive. First, we embraced our motto, “The Friendly City”, and we made sure that everyone knew, that everyone was welcome in Hazel Park, regardless of sexual orientation, race, religion, or political affiliation. All we ask is that everyone obey the law and be respectful of others.

Our residents passed millages when they needed to, our city employees took cuts when they needed to, and our administration scrambled to find innovative solutions keep Hazel Park alive and moving forward. We can now see how those efforts paid off, with Hazel Park now developing a regional reputation as one of Metro Detroit’s emerging hotspots.

Our residential, commercial, and industrial property values are experiencing some of the strongest growth among Oakland County communities. Our housing stock is growing and diversifying. Crime remains low, and we continue to provide excellent city services.

We work cooperatively with the Hazel Park Schools to keep our students and school staff safe, to improve youth recreation programs, and to provide educational opportunities through the Hazel Park Promise Zone.

Hazel Park has worked hard to pursue grants. We are currently managing grants that will transform Green Acres Park and the Hazel Park Recreation Center. Another grant will create a pop-up business center on South John R.and still others will address lead line replacement, lighting, pension fund relief, and bike lanes.

Our Building Department is the busiest it’s ever been. In the past couple years, we’ve issued almost 700 new building permits for residential and commercial improvements, including 34 new houses, and 45 new condos.

When the Race Track closed, Hazel Park worked with Ashley Capital to redevelop the property in into the Tri-County Commerce Center, allowing our city to fully embrace the new technology-based economy. We are home to two electric battery companies, LG and AKASOL, along with high-tech companies like Dakkota Integrated Systems, Hi-Lex Controls, and Mayville Engineering.

Just down the street from the Tri County Commerce Center on 10 Mile, is Exlterra, an amazing company that was cleaning radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear plant area before the Russian invasion. These companies are building the sustainable future, and we’re so happy they’re here in Hazel Park.

Tony’s Ace Hardware and Doug’s Delight have renovated their exteriors, and we have welcomed two new coffee shops, Java Hutt and Hazel Perk. Mabel Gray, Frame, and Loui’s Pizza continue to be thriving restaurants with national reputations, but there is wild new buzz about another area of town, and here we are, right at ground zero in Hazel Park’s South End. We all know, old time businesses like Oak Gardens, Argyles Meat Market, and the Blue Dot Café, are never coming back, so we’ve worked hard to reinvent the South End, and those efforts are paying off!

As you can just look around and see, lots of cool things are happening in Hazel Park!

I’m excited about our future. Discussions are underway with our administration as we speak, to redevelop the old CVS on John R., and another developer is currently beginning the process of developing the property north of that site. When completed, these projects will completely change the face of Hazel Park. Finally, the derelict Landmark Church property has been sold, which will provide an opportunity for more new housing to come to our community. It is truly an exciting time to be in Hazel Park. The State of Hazel Park is strong. Thank you!