City of Ferndale City Council Meeting 01262026

Call this meeting to order at 07:01PM. If you're able, please rise for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States Of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. May we have a roll call, please?

Johnson? Here. Kelly?

Here.

Mikulski?

Here.

Sabatini? Here. Leakes May?

Here. Alright. And before we proceed, I'd like to utilize point of privilege to issue a statement, regarding in light of recent events regarding, immigration and customs enforcement. Over the last few weeks and the last couple of days, especially, my office has seen an increase in the number of residents seeking insight and assurance about the role of the Ferndale police in response to potential immigration enforcement activity. First, thank you to our passionate community members for expressing your concern.

Please know that keeping the community safe and upholding the highest levels of professionalism and accountability are the top priorities of our public safety officials. The Fuerndale Police Department does not have a memorandum of understanding with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and does not participate in federal government two eight seven g task force model program. Further, the Ferndale City Council has no intention of entering into any agreement of that nature. Ferndale Police officers do not enforce immigration law. The Ferndale Police Department is committed to its mission, partnering with our diverse community to provide public safety and integrity, professionalism, and honor.

Our department ascribes to the guardian mindset in accordance with the twenty first century policing blueprint. The city of Ferndale will always respect the rights of individual citizens to protest. Where it becomes necessary, the presence of police op police officers at protests is intended to protect your well-being and safety, and most importantly, to prevent the escalation of needless violence. No public safety is exempt from the responsibility to exercise due care and accountability. We will continue to value the civil liberties of all residents and hold ourselves to the highest standards here in Ferndale.

We expect the same to be held true by Ferndale leadership. And with that being said, we will move on to the approval of the agenda.

Madam Mayor, I move we approve the agenda as presented.

Motion to, pull item seven c from the consent agenda for discussion, madam mayor.

Support.

Support with the pulling? Yes. Okay. Alright.

My motion to approve supersedes that motion. Need to dispose of my motion first. I withdraw my motion.

Thank you council member.

May I need a motion to approve the agenda with moving item seven c off the consent agenda item to the regular agenda item is what we need.

Okay. I make a motion to approve the agenda with seven c removed to the regular agenda.

Support.

Okay. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Okay.

Alright. Moving on to the presentations, I see we have none. So we're now coming to the portion where it's called audience, where the audience members have three minutes to speak on anything on or off the agenda. I recommend that you line up at the podium, state your name and address, and utilize your three minutes. And then, I open call to audience at 07:05PM.

Hello, everyone. I guess somebody's gotta go first. Hello, counselors. My name is Simon Cohen. I live at 954 West Marshall.

I'm here to voice my opposition to the Axon ALPR contract. It would be naive for any of us to pretend the violence we are seeing from ICE and CBP in Minneapolis is not predicated on knowing who their victims are or where they live. Systems of mass surveillance are a central pillar to state violence, and we're seeing it play out in our country as we sit here right now. It would be naive for any of us to pretend that this violence, which has been dismissed time and time again by members of this council as hypothetical, is not imminently approaching our doorstep. I have spoken at length about fixing the root causes of crime last month.

Council member Johnson reaffirmed his commitment to this pursuit as well. I would like to propose one way to do that. Do not give this contract to Axon. Give the proposed $100,000 to Ferncare. I'll propose a second alternate future.

Instead of spending a third of our general budget, $8,000,000 a year on the police to fight crime, I propose we spend $8,000,000 a year on fern care to heal every Ferndale resident. I'm proposing a future where doctors and nurses staff a city festival instead of cops, a city where people don't go to medical debt and feel like they need to rifle through their neighbor's car. People facing mental health crises aren't funneled to services by a man with a gun, a taser, and a pair of cuffs. What if instead of a gun, we often talk about crime in the context of individuals doing harm, but it isn't is it not a crime for us to watch our neighbors suffer and for us to not do anything to help? The safety of our community is currently framed as if something happens to you, we will find the bad guy and punish them.

What if the safety of our community was a promise that if something happens to you, we will take care of you and we will have your back? We could literally heal this city. The fact that ALPR cameras are even being considered at this point makes me sick. Thank you for your time.

Good evening. Kat Latosh. 715 West Breckenridge. It's good to see all of you here tonight, and I wanna appreciate the statement that was made at the top of the meeting tonight. I'm here to talk, on behalf of the Ferndale Inclusion Network and wanted to share some information about the know your rights training that we held last week as well as to make a request.

So just as a quick update for folks who may not know, the Ferndale Inclusion Network, our mission is to create a just and racially equitable Ferndale that embodies a culture of inclusion and belonging for all. And, I'm really happy to to share that we had a really successful Know Your Rights training last week on January 20. Over a 100 people attended. They stayed late. They asked a lot of questions.

Really thankful to the ACLU of Michigan who was there to present in person and also to the Michigan roundtable for just communities who provided free technology for us so we could Zoom the meeting, have share slides to share. It was a really, excellent evening of information. And Finn does commit to holding additional trainings in the future. The reason I'm here tonight is to share that update, but also to share some of the concerns that came up at the meeting. And it sounds like you've been hearing from people directly.

People are watching what's happening in Minneapolis, and they're really worried about what could happen here in Ferndale. And I heard the policy statement at the beginning of the meeting. And I think for a lot of residents, that might be somewhat vague and nebulous. What we heard at the meeting is people are wondering what kind of support the city will offer if they're approached by ICE. You know, where Ferndale stands on this and what would what would the city do if ICE kind of invaded the city?

Folks are looking for the city council to take a stand, maybe looking at what some of the other cities around the area are doing and saying about this issue. They're also wondering what exactly the police would do if they were called in this situation. So I know we I heard the policy, but it wasn't really practical in terms of, like, pragmatic. What would actually happen? Like, if I called the police, would the what would they do when they came to my door?

And I think a lot of people have that question. So they wanna clearly know what to expect. And so I think it's important to go a step beyond the policy statement and to make it really practical and clear for people. Exactly what can people expect from the city, and is the city gonna make a firmer statement like we've heard, like, from the, you know, from the mayor of Sterling Heights who's come out, Washtenaw County's come out, Petoskey's come out, Looking for something from Ferndale. So thank you so much.

Hi. Doug Gillespie. 1841 Pinecrest. Good morning. Or I'm sorry.

Good evening, Ferndale City Council members and mayor. I'm the director of the Renaissance Vineyard Food Pantry and a member of the Renaissance Vineyard Church. I am excited about the partnership opportunities that a new neighbor like 9 West will bring. I talk to families, seniors, and working people every day who live nearby and need help making ends meet. Having more housing in Ferndale that is affordable for the working class is so important.

I look forward to having new neighbors in the 9 West Apartments and to have Mike Ferrito and his family's company managing the property next door. Mike has been thoughtful and responsive when we've asked questions about the project or ask for his help and support. I know he will be a good neighbor to the church and pantry going forward. Please approve the pilot for 9 West tonight. Thank you.

Hello. Carmen Garcia, Ferndale resident. 1850 Central Street. And I'm also a member of Metropolitan Community Church of Detroit and we're excited to be the, we we hope, the next owners of Renaissance Vineyard Church. And so I'm here to express support for the, the housing building, the housing development that's going on because we feel like that's a great addition to the housing work that we've done with the Ray Shepherd House and is good for Ferndale.

We're excited about the future of Ferndale, our future collaborations, and, thank you.

Hello. My name is Angela Lippard, and I live on East Breckenridge. I support the thoughtful and intentional creation of more affordable housing. I have dear friends in the LGBTQAI plus community priced out of Ferndale, and I have watched my community become less diverse over the last twenty years that I've lived here. As someone that isn't a housing expert, I wanna thank council member Sabatini for having a conversation with my spouse and I about pilot.

And I wanna thank, council member Mikulski for sharing the FAQ online. I I thank you for listening and continuing to implement methods to hold developers and management companies accountable. I, seeing all that, want to mention, some PTSD and some anxiety I have around housing in general in Ferndale. Having being a, a neighbor of a recent affordable development as well as living in Ferndale and working with older adults as things with the Ferndale Housing Commission have not always been positive, say, in the last decade. To tell a story, when I was in my twenties, I worked at a homeless shelter in Southwest Chicago.

I had people who would donate clothes with holes in them. And while I I think they meant well, I think they were saying is something is better than nothing and that you should be thankful for what you get. And the guests that had stayed at our shelter already lived in buildings that had gaps in the walls and couldn't necessarily walk safely outside the shelter. My point is is that inclusion does not exist without dignity, and equity does not exist without respecting a person's humanity. As I said, I I'm not a housing expert, but I want to make sure that as we look at housing in the future, that we're thoughtful about doing so.

And I wanna genuinely thank you for the work you've done to ensure that the certain mechanisms have been in place for pilot to hold, developers accountable. I just ask that you make residents understand attainability is not affordability. Please help us understand what kind of income helps a person in attainable housing. Is that somebody who works in food service? Is that somebody who works as a medical assistant?

Continue to keep developers accountable to building sustain sustainable and quality housing. Help developers or or keep developers accountable and have significant penalties for not following through on housing the population they support, and make sure these accountability efforts don't fall through the cracks through the years. If housing is meant to be affordable for families, please look at the square footage you are asking families with children to live in. Ensure there's enough parking. If developers aren't willing to use public transportation in Detroit to get around, then I don't think they should ask the residents to go without parking.

Please remember that the people that rent and pay lower rent are still your constituents. I hope you're making efforts to reach to out to people in, subsidized housing and affordable and attainable housing complexes to ensure that they're being served well and they're being treated with dignity. Thank you.

Hi, council and mayor. I am Vicky Lang. I'm on the board at Renaissance Vineyard Church, which would be the neighbor of the next door neighbor to the 9 West development with Mike Ferlito. Mike Ferlito has been in touch with us over the last few years and has offered to help us with different things, our our overgrown garden, and they've talked to us about fencing and different aspects of how they would handle us as neighbors. And they've also been really thoughtful, and they're committed to help us repave our parking lot.

And our parking lot is just not for the church. It's for the food pantry that serves so many people in the community and for all the support groups and community things that are held at the church building. So we are committed. We are hoping that this gets approved because there are many different people who use that building and parking lot and would be a great neighbor to would be a great neighbor to have the 9 West Pilot. So we hope that it will be approved, and thank you for your

time.

Good evening, Ferndale City Council members and mayor. This is Reggie Sutherland. I'm a resident at the new Raymond E Shepherd, housing development, and I'm a long term long time, volunteer at the Renaissance Vineyard Church food pantry. I'm here tonight to speak on support of the 9 West apartment project, which brings much needed attainable housing to Ferndale. And, as the president of the housing commission and a resident of the newly built, Shepherd House, I know that many people need this type of housing.

I realized that 9 West will serve some residents with higher incomes and that shep than Shepherd House does, and I support this. We need affordable housing at many price points in Ferndale. Many of our pantry clients and volunteers would love to live in a building like 9 West because the work that the city has done with the developer to make this project attainable, they could actually afford to live there. And they will do so much for the community. And I, I'm also familiar with their project at Republican 9 Mile and I think they did an excellent job.

Thank you.

Good evening, city council and mayor. My name is Mia Peroni of 408 East Camborne Street in Ferndale. I'm a member of the Renaissance Vineyard Church and I serve as the executive assistant and bookkeeper of the church and our food pantry. I'm excited to hear that 9 West Apartment Building next door to our church is moving forward. And I look forward to welcoming our new neighbors.

We've already met with the developer, and I know that we'll be working closely with them as they begin construction and as they fulfill their commitment to help us repave our nine mile parking lot. I run my own business and I understand that financing a project like 9 West is complex. I think it's commendable that the city and the developer have worked together to make this fully attainable project targeting the incomes of people who live and work in Ferndale. With your partnership, this project is a model that we all need in our country right now. Please vote in support of pilot for 9 West.

Thank you.

Good evening, city council members. My name is Ryan Rainboth. One nine six one East Troy Street. I was ticketed $100 during this last snow emergency, and I'm here because that fine resulted from a failure from the City Of Ferndale's communication systems, not from the residents ignoring rules. The snow emergency was announced through a Facebook post, and the city later acknowledged that the text alert system was down.

That system exists specifically so residents receive timely direct notice. In this case, it didn't work. Despite that, enforcement still occurred at 1AM with $100 tickets issued across entire streets without warnings or grace period. That situation feels unfair. When residents aren't properly notified, strict enforcement undermines trust and creates the impression that people are being penalized for a breakdown they didn't cause.

This isn't about avoiding responsibility. It's about fairness and accountability. Residents didn't choose the communication method, and residents didn't know the alert system had failed. The city did. I'm asking this council to direct staff to, one, void or significantly reduce tickets issued during the snow emergency due to the acknowledged alert failure.

Two, present a written plan and timeline within thirty days to repair and verify emergency's alert systems with redundancy. And three, adopt a policy requiring confirmed functioning alerts before snow emergency enforcement, including warnings or delayed enforcement when systems fail. If the city cannot reliably notify residents, it should not be finding them. Thank you for your

time.

Hi. My name is Xavier Evoy. 230 La Prairie. Madam mayor, members of the city council, I'm honored to speak with you today in celebration of Michigan's one hundred eighty ninth birthday. For nearly two centuries, our state has been defined by innovation, resilience, and a deep commitment to community for our Great Lakes from our Great Lakes to neighborhoods like Ferndale, which formed the very foundation of Michigan's identity.

I myself have had the honor of serving as the governor of Michigan Boys State and proudly representing our great state in the senate of Boys Nation. In that role, I've seen firsthand that Michigan's future is already taking shape. It begins with the young people who are learning the responsibilities of citizenship, the values of public service, and the importance of civic engagement. Youth voices will lead Michigan for years to come as stewards of our Great Lakes, advocates for those on the margins, and leaders planting the seeds of progress that will shape generations ahead. As we honor one hundred eighty nine years of Michigan history, We also look forward with confidence and purpose.

The next chapter of this great state begins with every Michigander, including neighborhoods like Ferndale. Working together, we can strengthen our shared future. May we continue to invest in one another and ensure that Michigan's best days are still ahead. With that, I would like to wish our great state a happy birthday.

Xavier, did you say you were the governor of Boys Bowie State governor?

Yes. Yes. I was. Eighty eighth. Okay.

Alright. Closing call to audience at 07:23. And now we are moving on to hold on one minute here. A public hearing for the consideration of a class c development liquor license for City Smoke Ferndale LLC located at 345 East Naimah Road. Before we get into the I I move can I have a motion to move to open the public hearing at 07:24PM?

So moved.

Support.

And, we're opening up the opening up the hearing to

Excuse me, Mary. If you might wanna Call the vote. Call

the vote. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Okay.

Now, we're opening it up. Thank you, Ross.

Good evening, mayor and council. Just to be brief, tonight we're considering, developed liquor license for Bad Brad's at 345 East 9 Mile Road, the former site of Otis Supply over here. The license was approved for recommendation by the liquor license review committee on Tuesday, 12/09/2025. Once approved, the applicant will apply for all necessary building permits to begin work on the building. If there are any further questions, I can answer, but we also have Chris Tower from Adkins and Need, Allen and Rentrot, who is here on behalf of the applicant.

Alright. Alright. First, I'd like to open it up for the public if they have any comments or would like to come to the podium.

Paul Connolly, Breckenridge Street. I just have a a quick question. In the, application, I think it's section four or section six regarding, parking. They've actually mentioned, the parking structure garage across the street from them. The only one is obviously Credit Union one.

I'm just wondering if there was an agreement to use parking for that because as far as I know, that's still a private lot that closes at 07:00. The reason I bring this up is the, number of employees, the number of seating capacity, the limited parking on Vester, the limited parking on Leland, you're adding a lot of cars into this area. So I just was looking for a clarification on that. Thank you.

You're more than unless there are more comments, from the audience, I'm leaving it open it up to them first, and then I'd like you to come up and address some of the okay. Seeing none.

Good evening, mayor and council. My name is Chris Towers. Like Ross said, here with Exene Down and Rentrop. So, we did discuss at liquor license review committee, little bit of parking concerns because that is, you know, always gonna be an issue. And we wanted to make sure that we controlled what was in our control.

So the structure line in the application was a typo, unfortunately. We are going to make sure that all of our employees are parking at, you know, municipal lots, specifically lots nine, ten, and 11 within the area, and that's gonna be mandated by management on-site. They're gonna make sure that, all employees are not parking either in the lot, which is directly adjacent to the business, or in residential side streets. There are actually 32 spots, that are all owned by Bad Brad's at that location. We have not engaged with the credit union yet.

We are open, to reaching out to them to see if they are open, for some sort of a parking agreement, but we have not done that yet. We just wanted to kind of make sure we are handling our employees and where they are parking first. Through through the chair, do do we, do we know what, parking was like, for Otis Supply? Do we benchmark that in in your estimates of what the customer demand might be? So not exactly.

I mean, the one thing that we can compare to Otis Supply is that Bad Brad's going to likely have a bit less of a capacity. OTA supply had the, I think it was kind of a concert stage type area. Under this concept, that will be, converted to office space and employee break room, so that won't be servicing customers. That will be for employees and management. So that is a lit a little bit smaller of a footprint for customers compared to the less, concept.

Thank you.

Comments from counsel? Okay.

You're you're gonna wanna, at some point, close the public here.

Okay. Alright. Then with no other count no comments from council or from the audience, I'm closing the public hearing at 07:29PM, and I am looking for a motion.

So do we need to make a motion to close it? Yeah. Make a motion to close the public hearing at 07:30.

Second.

All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Alright.

And now, I'll make a motion to approve the class c liquor or development district liquor license for City Smoke Ferndale LLC located at 345 East 9 Mile Road.

Support.

Support. Get that? You picked one? Okay. We have an individual roll call for this.

Kelly?

Yes.

Mikulski?

Yes.

Johnson? Yes. Sabatini? Yes. Leaksmae?

Yes. The public hearing, to consider the class I'm sorry?

The license is approved.

The license is approved for the city Smoke Ferndale LLC located at 345 East 9 Mile. We now have a second public hearing, which I'd like to, the the, the second public hearing is a consideration of the rezoning request, for 660 East 10 Mile Road. And I would like to open that public hearing at 07:31PM.

We move to open the public hearing at 07:31PM.

Support. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Alright.

And in that case, in this case, I'd like to open it up to the audience if you have any questions regarding this public presentation first and then Okay. Russ, if you would like to give us a overview.

Thank you, mayor. Today, we're, considering a conditional rezoning request for 660 East 10 Mile Road. Project location, is located on the Northeast quadrant of the city, on the corner of 10 Mile Road and Bermuda Street, which is known as the Iron Ridge District. Some of adjacent land uses and zoning. On the East, we have an MXD 1 neighborhood mixed use, which is, currently developed as a parking lot that serves a multiple family, residential development.

To the South, we have I 1 industrial, which is currently developed as part of the same property, but contains a vacant structure. To the West, we have the city of Pleasant Ridge, and to the North, we have 696. These are the existing conditions. So right here on the top left, you're looking at, from the corner of 10 Mile in Bermuda. To the right here is in the parking lot and then an aerial view.

If you can see my cursor, we're talking about this specific parcel right here. These are the, proposed conditions. They are anticipating that Paper Sons company will be, having a restaurant in the structure. This is some pretty great renderings that they shared with us. This is the site plan.

So, just kinda block out this gray area here. That's gonna be considered at at a later, time period. But we're talking about this structure right here is the restaurant. We have some outdoor seating here, some pedestrian circulation, and some landscaping. So that mural that you see that you saw in the previous pictures is right here.

So some pretty great, seating opportunities to, you know, sit outside, enjoy some food, next to the mural. A little bit of background, the project includes renovating the former Walker Wire site within the Iron Ridge District. Approval of the conditional rezoning will allow the space to be