Civic Center, Finances, and New Businesses Part of Madison Heights Mayor's State of the City Address

Civic Center, Finances, and New Businesses Part of Madison Heights Mayor’s State of the City Address

(Crystal A. Proxmire, April 5, 2023)

Madison Heights, MI – There are a lot of great things happening in Madison Heights, and Mayor Roslyn Grafstein was happy to talk about them at the annual State of the City Address, hosted by the Madison Heights Hazel Park Chamber of Commerce. The event also included a speech from Hazel Park Mayor Mike Webb.

Here’s what Mayor Grafstein had to say:

Good evening, I am Roslyn Grafstein, the Mayor of Madison Heights, and I am excited to join everyone tonight to discuss the successes and future of our two great cities. I want to thank our hosts, the Eastern Palace Club, the MHHP Chamber of Commerce, and Mayor Webb and his team in Hazel Park for putting on an excellent program for us.

I also want to express my gratitude to my fellow Madison Heights City Council members and my appreciation for our city staff for their continuous efforts, enthusiasm, and commitment to providing excellent services to our businesses and for their critical contributions to our resident’s quality of life.

Most importantly, I would like to thank the residents and business owners of Madison Heights. The dedicated business owners that choose to locate their businesses in Madison Heights, and everyone who shops locally and supports them, are the reason we can share the successes we’ve had today.

I am happy to report tonight that the State of Madison Heights is strong. City-wide, we are completing unprecedented capital improvements to our city facilities, parks, and public safety infrastructure and equipment. In addition, thanks to the hard work of staff, we have been the recipient of many grant programs, and partnerships that will pay dividends for years to come and help us provide excellent services to everyone who works, lives, or visits Madison Heights.

Business Update

Over the last two years we have changed how we are tracking construction and new businesses coming in to the city to provide a more accurate picture of our changing business demographics.

2022 was a return to the levels of development activity we saw pre-pandemic. The Community Development Department approved about $26 million in new construction, bringing the total construction value still ongoing in Madison Heights to just over $37 million. Many of our ongoing projects are expected to take multiple years to complete and with nationwide labor shortages, supply chain issues, and inflation, other projects continue to be delayed and it remains a challenging construction season for developers and business owners.

But, we continue to meet with businesses interested in starting up or expanding into Madison Heights. As well, over the last year I have met with representatives of various consulates to highlight the attractiveness of Madison Heights as a multicultural hub and the perfect suburb for international companies looking to set up in the Metro Detroit area.

I have also spoken with developers and others involved in Commercial Real Estate about the changes we have been making in our ordinances to be more attractive for investment and development. We have discussed visions for our various vacant and underutilized parcels that could be developed as Mixed Use sites and multifamily homes in various sizes so that we can better house those who want to move to the city but cannot find a home among our existing housing stock.

We are excited to welcome new businesses representing a variety of industries. Notable examples include Michigan Roots Artisan Shoppe on John R Rd and industry innovators like Systematic Manufacturing Inc. We also saw renovations and expansions of existing businesses, including the expansion of workspaces and offices for Master’s Millwork on Stephenson and the beautiful addition of the seating area for Mia’s Bakery & Coffee Shop on 14 Mile.

In our Downtown Area, we saw the outdoor seating and parking lot expansion at Woodpile BBQ, a complete exterior renovation at Diamond Jim’s, and the relocation of The Supply House into its own space, making way for the growth of Cadillac Straits Brewery. Many of these projects were supported by local grants and programs offered by our Downtown Development Authority, including façade and sign grants and the redevelopment liquor license program.

Residential Development

Along with business investments, we have also seen a consistent amount of reinvestment in our neighborhoods. Our Building Department processed over 500 building permits in 2022, with around $1 million of construction completed and close to another $2 million in ongoing projects.

One of the most significant programs coming to Madison Heights in 2023 is our partnership with Oakland County Habitat for Humanity. The City and Oakland County Habitat recently partnered to submit a federal grant that allow us to assist homeowners in making much-needed home improvements. These funds can cover roofs, furnaces, accessibility, windows, and much more. This awarded grant was $850,000 but that wasn’t our only successful grant. We were also awarded MSHDA’s Neighborhood Enhancement Program (NEP) and minor home repair funding through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) which brings the total of minor home repair assistance funds to support our neighborhoods to just under $1mm.

Financial Stability & Civic Center Project Update

If you have been to City Hall over the past few months, you can see that Madison Heights homeowners and businesses were not the only ones busy with renovation in 2022. Last year, the City broke ground on the largest capital investment in our history. This project includes the renovation and downsizing of City Hall, the renovation of the library and Fire Station #2, and the construction of a Civic Center Plaza that includes a larger Active Adult Center and eight Electric Vehicle Charging stations. This project is about 75% complete, with a Grand Opening being planned for fall.

Our capital investment doesn’t stop there. Quality of Life is a priority in Madison Heights and an attraction for residents and businesses. We have been working on repopulating the tree canopy for over five years and I am happy to report that for the past three years, we have invested heavily in this initiative, a move that has awarded us the designation as a Tree City. Keeping this an annual priority, we planted over 250 trees in 2022. Our focus locations include south side neighborhoods and the John R corridor, helping make these areas more walkable and business-friendly.

But it isn’t just trees. Throughout the City we have made significant improvements to our parks. This past year, we invested over $1 million in park improvements, with another $1 million planned each year for the next two years. These park improvements include a wide range of projects, from replacing play structures to renovating baseball fields and new park lights.

Last month, we renamed Ambassador Park to McGillivray Park in honor of County Commissioner Gary McGillivray who has spent decades of his life in service to Madison Heights. Along with the renaming, we are also partnering with Oakland County for them to assume and enhance the park. With this new partnership, the county will be investing almost $5mm for pickleball courts, a green bathroom, to repair the walking path and to add connector trails to the golf course and John R.

As a city, we understand that investing in our community and working with residents and businesses are the way to long-term sustainability and success. Therefore, we are taking the time to make much-needed changes to update our zoning ordinance to make it more user-friendly and include features to continue to make our City more attractive for investment.

Last year, the City selected McKenna Associates to develop a complete rewrite of our zoning ordinance. McKenna and staff have worked diligently with the planning commission and key stakeholders to develop a zoning ordinance that is congruent with the goals of our 2020 Master Plan, is easier to navigate, and can better accommodate future business uses and their needs. We hope this much-needed update adds to our clear, consistent, and smooth development process. A first draft was completed in February, and staff anticipates having this ordinance in full effect later this year.

I am also pleased to announce that earlier this month I joined County Executive Coulter and the Mayors of Oak Park, Pontiac and Southfield for the official launch of the newly formed county wide nonprofit Oakland Thrive. We are looking forward to being part of this new partnership and are already in talks with Thrive to host an open house for them in the city. Oakland County has numerous resources that benefit new and aspiring business owners, but too often the businesses that need them the most are unaware of these services or have trouble accessing them. Oakland Thrive brings these resources and other useful expertise directly to storefronts throughout the county. We look forward to collaborating with Oakland Thrive in their efforts to support and grow the backbone of our local economy: small businesses.

Sayers Property Update

In 2022, after years of court battles and many meetings with the EPA and EGLE, we finally celebrated the beginning of the demolition of Electroplating Services located at 901 and 945/ 959 East Ten Mile. Today I am happy to share that demolition and remediation on these three sites have been completed, and the City has recently taken possession of these three parcels. We will continue to work with the State of Michigan to turn this former eyesore into a quality redevelopment opportunity that can serve as a catalyst for the entire corridor.

As Mayor, one of my jobs is to be a champion of Madison Heights outside the city boundaries. It is my job to look for opportunities to promote our community as a great place to live, to start a business and to visit. Over the last couple of years, I have met with multiple groups to do just that.

Madison Heights is home to a plethora of international and multi-cultural businesses. From our miles long international cuisine that can be found just going down John R, to being the home of both the American Islamic Community Center and the American Chinese Community Center as well as the Mexican Consulate, I am proud of the strength of our multi-cultural relationships.

It was my privilege to represent the city at the Mexican/American bicentennial celebration in December and to introduce the consulate to our Madison and Lamphere school districts to further assist with educating our youth about the Spanish and Mexican cultures.

Last year after an invitation from a Madison Heights company, I enjoyed joining several other area Mayors to celebrate the 30th Annual Building Economic Bridges Gala hosted by the American Arab Chamber of Commerce

I was also excited to represent the city at the 50th anniversary of the Association of Chinese Americans, and to speak at their Healthy Garden Expo over the summer. Last year I was also honored to speak at the Rizal Day Celebration hosted by the Filamcco (Filipino American Community Council of Michigan) and finally I enjoyed biking to our Civic park over the summer to participate in the annual Vietnamese American Community picnic.

My relationship with these multicultural groups has not gone unnoticed. So it was with a heavy heart that in January I was contacted by the non-profit Rising Voices’ and asked to help arrange a vigil for the victims of the horrific California shooting. With less than two days to organize, we were able to host the vigil outside of our City Hall.

As a local government, we are limited in what laws and ordinances we can enact to combat these horrific shootings. But as Mayor and as a Mother, I want everyone to feel safe. I want all our friends and neighbors to feel safe and the one thing I do know that I can do is to continue to support our Multi-cultural communities.

And, I can show support, compassion and understanding to those suffering from mental illness. And, I can remind our county, state and federal leaders that they need to be making mental health education and resources a priority. Mental Illness crosses all lines of religion, culture, race, gender, age, wealth and political affiliation.

There are not enough support resources available for those suffering from a mental illness and the stigma is still there. Far too often, those suffering from a mental illness are ignored or shunted between bureaucracies, struggling to maneuver through the system while trying to find help and instead finding another layer of stress.

Incentives are needed to train more people to become Mental Health professionals. Those suffering from Mental Illness and their families need to be able to reach a Mental Health professional who can help when there is a crisis. In the U.S. one in five adults suffer from a Mental Illness. There are about 100 people in this room, so statistically, twenty people here tonight are suffering from a mental illness. Twenty healthy looking people. To those twenty people, know you are not alone.

To our business owners, who understand and already treat mental illness with the same seriousness as physical illnesses, I commend and support your efforts. I recognize the limits of medical confidentiality but remind every business owner here that the mental health of your employees and their families can impact your business. Not properly treating mental illness can decrease productivity, increase absenteeism and increase healthcare costs. So, business owners if you haven’t already, I ask you to work with your teams to ensure that the Mental Health needs of your employees and their families are being met. Your bottom line depends on it.

Conclusion

All in all, 2022 was a year of growth and learning.

I am proud of Council and staff’s efforts to ensure that Madison Heights remains fiscally responsible and dedicated to staying accessible and responsive to the needs of our residents and businesses. I look forward to another year of working with our partners as we continue to support and grow our businesses. Thank you again to our hosts and to all of you who have joined us this evening.

Learn more about City of Madison Heights at https://www.madison-heights.org/