Residents elected to RenCen advisory council
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Aloshia Jackson, a candidate for the Neighborhood Advisory Council, casts her ballot. Photos: Joe Guillen/Axios
Two residents who live near Detroit's Renaissance Center were elected Tuesday to help represent their neighbors as the landmark complex undergoes a $1.6 billion-plus redevelopment.
Why it matters: The nine-member Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC) will help identify the project's effects on nearby communities — and what General Motors and Bedrock should do about them.
Between the lines: Teron Haynes Jr. and Gail Perry-Mason are the only members directly elected by residents; the other seven will be appointed.
Driving the news: Haynes and Perry-Mason prevailed Tuesday over 16 other candidates seeking the NAC's two elected seats.
- Forty-one residents cast valid ballots.
- Haynes received 16 votes and Perry-Mason 13.
Catch up quick: GM and Bedrock want to remove two of the RenCen's five original towers as part of the redevelopment, a plan that has drawn skepticism from some residents.
What they're saying: Haynes, a military veteran who works for addiction-services nonprofit Face Addiction Now, told voters the council needs members willing to "hold Bedrock and GM to task."
- "If you're not hiring Detroiters, we're gonna make you pay for it," Haynes said. "If that affordable living isn't affordable, we're gonna make you pay for it."
- After his election, Haynes told Axios he wants the eventual community benefits package to require ongoing investment from the developers, potentially for public transit or schools.
Perry-Mason, a financial adviser and Detroit Development Fund board member, framed the redevelopment in investment terms.
- "What is the return on the investment?" she asked. "What is the return for the community?"
What's next: The 16 other candidates will be considered for the remaining seven appointed seats — City Council members will select three and the city's Planning and Development Department will select four.
- On Sept. 15, the city plans to detail the tax abatements and tax-increment financing reimbursements being sought for the project.