Detroit City Council Delays Vote on Land Swap With Ambassador Bridge Company
Detroit City Council members, wanting environmental report, postpone vote on land transfer at Riverside Park.
The Detroit City Council is delaying a decision on Mayor Mike Duggan’s proposed land swap between the city and the Detroit International Bridge Company, which owns the Ambassador Bridge. Some council members say they want more information about a pending state review of an environmental report about the site, as WDET reported earlier this week.
If the Council approves the deal, the bridge company would fund some renovations at Detroit’s Riverside Park in exchange for land necessary to support a second span — a twin of the existing Ambassador Bridge, which connects southwest Detroit to Canada and is the city’s only truck crossing between the two countries.
WDET’s Amber Harvey has chronicled the history of Riverside Park and what’s at stake in the deal. Click here to see her work.
After the Detroit City Council postponed its vote today, bridge company Vice Chairman Matt Moroun says he’s still optimistic about the deal despite the delay.
“It’s been a process of a lot of questions and due diligence, and I’m not surprised that they have a few more questions. I think if we continue to answer their questions and provide them with the facts, we’ll end up with a successful result.”
-Matt Moroun, Detroit International Bridge Company
Some council members say they want more information about potential environmental contamination at the park. WDET reported the state is reviewing an environmental report that questions whether the Detroit International Bridge Company improperly installed utilities on the park site, causing contamination. Council members at today’s meeting also said they need time to discuss the land swap with the Neighborhoods and Community Services Committee, which meets Thursday.
A vote on the deal is now scheduled for Tuesday.
