The State Fair Development Group (SFDG) has agreed to drop the $40 million
counterclaim against the City of Detroit and ICARE (Intercounty Citizens Achieving Regional Excellence)-- the coalition of cities, communities and residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties surrounding the State Fairgrounds.The counterclaim was filed by SFDG and its founder, entertainment
mogul-turned-developer Joey Nederlander, in response to an suit against the SFDG and the State of Michigan brought by ICARE and the cities of Detroit, Ferndale, Huntington Woods and Pleasant Ridge. The resolution of the counterclaim represents a clear victory for area civic groups and residents who publicly oppose the racetrack and amphitheater in the proposed development of the Fairgrounds by the SFDG.In out-of-court negotiations SFDG agreed to a court order dismissing with
prejudice its $40,000,000 counterclaim. This means that the counterclaim cannot be revived in the future."This is a great decision for the people of Detroit and other cities where
the State has attempted to force its will onto the residents," said Richard Stacy, a longtime resident of the Greenacres-Woodward subdivision in Detroit. Mr. Stacy added that he may now feel secure and comfortable with the prospect of planning his retirement, and remaining in a home he loves."Had the racetrack development been forced upon us, I would have been the
first person to sell and move on," Stacy lamented.But members of ICARE still view this victory cautiously, as the issue of
proposed development of the Fairgrounds' 200 acres remains unresolved. Residents still worry about the prospect of a Pine Knob-type amphitheater, still in SFDG's plans.The plaintiffs still oppose intolerable noise levels, plummeting property
values, traffic snarls and crime that they believe will accompany an amphitheater at the fairgrounds. Last year, the State of Michigan announced plans to enter into an agreement with the SFDG for the purpose of developing the 200 acres at the fairgrounds at Woodward Avenue and 8 Mile Road. Developers envisioned a massive entertainment complex complete with auto racing, hotels, and at least two amphitheaters. In June, ICARE, the cities of Detroit, Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge and Huntington Woods, and many individual residents filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction against the State of Michigan and the SFDG preventing them from using the Fairgrounds for a racetrack or amphitheater. When these opposition groups came forward to challenge the development plans, the SFDG filed a counterclaim stating that community opposition to the development of the fairgrounds triggered a "loss of income." The opposition groups were named in that $40 million counterclaim.Two earlier successes for ICARE and its allies came first in November when
a judicial ruling stated that SFDG cannot use the State Fairgrounds in violation of Detroit's zoning ordinance. Then early in January, Nederlander and SFDG negotiated with the State of Michigan to drop the requirement of a racetrack from the lease SFDG holds with the State on the Fairgrounds land.Still to be decided is the State of Michigan's use of the Fairgrounds in
terms of the Detroit zoning ordinance. That issue will be heard on Friday, February 23 at 9 a.m. in Wayne County Circuit Court, with the Honorable Judge Gershwin A. Drain presiding. The court is located in the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center (formerly known as the City-County Building), 2 Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit.(END)