Comparative Analysis of Community Benefits in Detroit, MI: Community Impact Before and After the Passage of Detroit’s Community Benefit

Ordinance (CBO)

Julia Brennan, School of Medicine and Engineering

Karen Goldburg, School for Environment and Sustainability

Sharon Hu, School for Environment and Sustainability, Ford School of Public Policy

Melanie Meisenheimer, School of Public Health

Melissa Robinson, School of Public Health

2018

Executive Summary

As our Dow Sustainability Project centers around four large-scale development projects in Detroit,

Michigan, we divided these projects among each of our group members, with every project having one

designated “owner” and one support person. Work was done over the summer to plan and organize the

project focus groups, which will be comprised of community members living within the impact area of

each development project. Efforts for organizing these focus groups have included connecting with local

community organizations, recruiting focus group co-facilitators (representatives from the local

communities), devising focus group questions and planning for the flow of each event, and advertising

the focus groups to residents living in each community. The first focus group will be taking place the

evening of September 13th at Central Detroit Christian, a community organization partnering with us to

host and co-facilitate the focus group. Participant recruitment for the first focus group (Herman Kiefer

development project) was done via door-to-door of residents flyering within the impact area and

through dissemination at Central Detroit Christian in the neighborhood. Two more focus groups will be

scheduled for the first week of October for the Red Wings Stadium Development Project and the

downtown Bedrock projects respectively. These focus groups will specifically assess the impact of the

Detroit’s Community Benefit Ordinance on the community engagement process and community benefits

outcomes for development projects through in-depth conversations with community members. We will

not be conducting a focus group from the Gordie Howe Bridge development project due to feedback

from stakeholder interviews with community leaders that the impacted Delray neighborhood has been

fatigued from outside research probes. We will use existing research data on the community to answer

our research questions in order to respectfully include the Gordie Howe Bridge development project in

our case study. We will spend the early fall months organizing and analyzing data collected through

these focus groups, as well as preparing the initial draft of our final report.

Advisor: Barbara Israel, Dr. P.H.

Dr. Israel is a Professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at the School of Public Health and has published widely in the areas of: the social and physical environmental determinants of health and health inequities; the relationship among stress, social support, control and physical and mental health; and community-based participatory research (CBPR). Since 1995, she has worked together with academic and community partners to establish and maintain the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center (Detroit URC). One of the goals of the Center is to foster and support the development of equitable community-academic partnerships focused on understanding and addressing health inequities in the city of Detroit. The Detroit URC has facilitated the establishment of numerous such CBPR partnerships affiliated with the Center, which are engaged in multiple NIH and Foundation-funded basic etiologic research, intervention research and training projects aimed at increasing knowledge and addressing factors associated with health inequities.

Client: Doing Development Differently in Metro Detroit (D4) D4 is a diverse coalition of residents, labor, environmental, faith-based, and community organizations, committed to using the built environment to create “win-win” scenarios for the community, the economy, workers, and the environment.

Introduction & Background

Community benefits ordinances (CBOs) are increasingly used as tools to prevent harmful development and planning decisions, by setting certain provisions concerning how developers must ensure that the community “benefits” from a project. In 2016, Detroit passed Proposal B, a CBO mandating that any developer receiving local public subsidies or tax breaks above a certain threshold must engage with a local advisory council to address community concerns in the form of community benefits. Developer’s community obligations could range from local hiring requirements to affordable housing minimums and environmental mitigations, to the inclusion of public art. The Detroit CBO has now been in effect for a year and a half, yet many in the community are concerned that the ordinance has not strengthened community development process.

This Dow Sustainability Project has sought to assess what, if any, social, economic and environmental benefits have ensued from Detroit’s CBO (Proposal B). Our research compared large-scale development projects, two from before and two from after the passage of Detroit’s CBO, and analyzed what, if any, benefits have resulted from each, as well as the processes used to engage community members before and after the CBO. Methodology included interviews with a cross-section of relevant stakeholders in these processes including community members, developers, planners, and council members. Objectives of the project included a compilation of “lessons learned” and recommendations from the CBO process and outcomes in Detroit to provide a guide to other communities considering the use of such tools.

Specific Sustainability Topic(s) Addressed: ● Urban open space development, renewal, and revitalization ● Gentrification and sustainable planning ● Social, economic, and environmental impacts of development

Timeline:

Milestones Date

Background research, Literature review March-June

Finalize partner organization’s expectations and complete IRB application, if needed May

Focus Groups with Community Members (up to 5) September/October

Completion of initial drafts of deliverables 11/1/18

Editing phase based on partner feedback 11/1- 12/15/18

Dissemination of deliverables December-January

Final Presentation for Graham Institute 12/1/18

Final products delivered to partner 12/15/18

Project Goals & Methodology:

Methodology Goals & Deliverables Dissemination

● Comparative Case Studies of CBAs in Detroit, MI: 2 from before and 2 after CBO passage

● Hold up to 4 focus groups, 1 per CBA, with at least 6 community members each

Goals: ● Assess community

benefits outcomes & engagement process specifically on community members before and after Detroit’s CBO passage

● Inform community decisions in Detroit and Michigan regarding CBA and CBO use

Deliverables: ● Comparative Case Studies

of CBAs in Detroit, MI ● Recommendations for

future community decisions towards sustainable planning in regards to CBAs & CBOs

Relevant stakeholders may include: ● Wege Foundation (Grand

Rapids, MI) ● Rising for Economic

Democracy (Ypsilanti, M)I ● Sugar Law Center (Detroit) ● People’s Platform (Detroit) ● Service Employees

International Union (Detroit) ● Detroit City Council

Potential Conferences: ● Building Michigan

Communities Conference ● Michigan Association of

Planning Conference

Research Questions

Primary Research Question:

What has been the impact of Proposal B, the Detroit Community Benefits Ordinance, on public

engagement in community benefits negotiation processes, and on the outcomes of those negotiations?

Secondary Research Questions:

CBA Process

- How have relationships between Detroit officials, developers, and Detroiters changed since the

passage of the CBO?

- What is the role and impact of the Neighborhood Advisory Council in community benefits

negotiations taking place after the adoption of Proposal B?

- Recruitment: Who participates? Who is left out?

- Participation and representation: Who do NACs represent?

- What issues are considered when negotiating the terms of a community benefits agreement?

(compare the terms negotiated prior to the adoption of Proposal B with those negotiated

afterward)

Outcomes of CBA negotiations

- Prioritizing needs: How were benefits agreed upon?

- Defining needs and benefits: What are “benefits”? Who receives them? How are needs

determined?

- What were they and how effective have they been (to the degree that some agreements have

begun to be implemented)? What resources were required to fulfill some of these terms?

- Environmental benefits?

- Economic benefits?

- Social Benefits?

Focus Group Protocol

As non-Detroiters, we are relying on community-based organizations to build credibility and trust in us

and the intentions of our study as we plan, recruit, and facilitate our focus groups:

- D4 (https://www.metrodetroitd4.org) - Central Detroit Christian (https://centraldetroitchristian.org/) - Corridors Alliance (https://www.facebook.com/CorridorsAlliance) - Cass Corridor Neighborhood Development Corporation

- Southwest Community Benefits Coalition

- Bridge Authority

- etc.

Focus Group Recruitment

- Door-to-door flyering within “impact area” as defined by the City of Detroit’s CBO process

- We will take recommendations from community partners about how to best reach Detroiters in

various neighborhoods, utilizing their social media networks, posting signs, newsletters, etc. as

appropriate

- Participants will be compensated $40 (possibly in the form of a gas card, retail gift card, or Visa

gift card)

Focus Group Logistics

- Moderators: community-based organization will co-moderate the event if possible

- 1-2 Researchers

- Preparation: Help organization manage participants,

- Day of: Will take notes, observe, manage audio recordings, paperwork/consent forms,

snacks, incentives, materials (flip charts, markers, handouts, etc.)

- Venue: ideally within the impact area, accessible to community

Project Impact:

The final report for this Dow Sustainability project will be comprised of “lessons learned” from

the development project case studies of the following development projects: Gordie Howe International

Bridge, Red Wings Stadium, Herman Kiefer Development, and the collection of Bedrock Agreement

projects downtown. Recommendations will be proposed to improve the community benefits process

outlined in Detroit’s Community Benefits Ordinance (CBO) to foster sustainable development and

planning, improving community engagement and outcomes. Doing Development Differently in Metro

Detroit (D4), aims to specifically use this report as leverage for improving the CBO in Detroit. As the first

city in the nation to pass a CBO, many communities are looking to Detroit’s ordinance as a model.

Lessons learned and recommendations could also be used to shape sustainable development and

planning models, processes, and tools across the country.

Appendices - Budget & Team Details, page 7 (below)

- Focus Group Moderator Guide, pages 8-12

- Handouts for Focus Group Participants, pages 13-16

- Focus Group Flyer, page 17

Budget:

Total Budget: $ 5,000 Breakdown

Travel: $1000 Description: Approximately 20 trips to Detroit to meet with community organizations and community partner as well as for focus group events/recruitment.

Design and Print Work: $500 Description: For final report(s), flyers.

Transcription Work: $500 Cost to professionally transcribe focus groups at $2.25/min.

Focus Group Expenses: $2500 Space, materials, recording equipment, and incentives for up to 4 focus groups of 8-10 residents. $40 reimbursement (gas card) per participant (up to $400 per focus group) with $200 refreshment budget for each focus group.

Presentation of Final Report: $500

Space and refreshment budget to host a final presentation for focus group participants.

Team Member School

Melissa Robinson (Team Lead) School of Public Health Julia Brennan Medical School and Engineering Karen Goldburg School for Environment and Sustainability

Sharon Hu School for Environment and Sustainability Ford School of Public Policy

Melanie Meisenheimer School of Public Health

Herman Kiefer Redevelopment Focus Group

Focus Group Moderator’s Guide

Background for Moderator

Primary Research Question:

What has been the impact of Proposal B, the Detroit Community Benefits Ordinance, on public engagement in community benefits negotiation processes, and on the outcomes of those negotiations?

Secondary Research Questions:

CBA Process

● How have relationships between Detroit officials, developers, and Detroiters changed since the passage of the CBO?

● What is the role and impact of the Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC) in community benefits negotiations taking place after the adoption of Proposal B?

● Who is recruited and elected/selected to be a part of the NAC? Who is left out/not represented? Who do NACs represent?

● What issues are considered when negotiating the terms of a community benefits agreement? (compare the terms negotiated prior to the adoption of Proposal B with those negotiated afterward)

Outcomes of CBA negotiations

● Prioritizing needs: How were benefits agreed upon? ● Defining needs and benefits: What are “benefits”? Who receives them? How are needs

determined? ● What were the outcomes of the CBO report and how effective have they been (to the degree

that some agreements have begun to be implemented)? What resources were required to fulfill some of these terms? Do the community concerns in the CBO report match the concerns of the community?

o Environmental benefits? o Economic benefits? o Social Benefits?

Supplies Needed:

● Name tags + Markers ● Flip Chart ● Food, plates, utensils, cups, beverages, napkins ● Trash bags

● Gift Cards ● Handouts + Pens

o Contact info for follow-up questions o Required info for incentives o Summary of NAC’s report o Summary of CBO/CBA process for reference

● Some way to record Registration guide:

● Make sure person is on our RSVP list. If someone shows up who is not on the RSVP list, tell them that they can wait to see if we have any openings for an incentive if we have a no-show on our RSVP list. They are welcome to attend, but we only have a limited number of incentives to offer. (17 have been purchased for this focus group)

● Review forms to sign for recording the group ● Review procedure for collecting incentive at the end/have participant fill out incentive form ● Pass out handouts ● Explain that they are free to help themselves to a meal and that the discussion group will

convene at 6:30.

[10 Minutes] 6:30

Introduction (Melissa) ● Thank you for joining us for this conversation today. ● My name is Melissa Robinson and I am a student studying public health. This is Kate (have Kate

introduce herself). Neither of us work for the city or the developer. I am partnering with a non-profit called D4 - Doing Development Differently in Metro Detroit - and we are interested in learning more about the way a new ordinance has impacted the development process in your community. Central Detroit Christian has partnered with us to host this conversation so that we can hear all of your opinions on the public communication process about the new development in the Herman Kiefer complex.

● You are all here today because you have expressed an interest in sharing your opinions on the Herman Kiefer redevelopment project in your neighborhood.

● We want to hear your opinions so we can find out how development projects like this one can make neighborhoods better places for the people who already live there and how negative impacts can be avoided.

● Your opinions will be used anonymously (that is, no one’s names will be used) in recommendations we make for city leaders here in Detroit and in other communities.

● First, we want to lay out some ground rules together for our conversation. An example of a ground rule is that there are no right or wrong answers. (write any ground rules on a blank flip chart)

o What ground rules would you all like to have for this discussion? o Great, thanks everybody for the suggestions. I also have a few more to add that could be

helpful, if you all don't mind. ▪ No right or wrong answers ▪ Not everyone may agree with each other, but we will all listen respectfully to

each other, we agree to disagree

▪ Moderator will guide discussion, but hope everyone will treat it as a conversation

▪ Everyone’s opinions are important and we’d like to hear from everyone tonight ▪ Any questions or suggestions for additional ground rules? ▪ Do we all agree on these ground rules?

● Because our time is limited and we want to respect the time you have given us, we don’t want

to stray too far off topic. Lots of ideas and questions could come up that will be important, but that we can’t address tonight. When that happens, we’ll put those ideas and questions in the “parking lot,” by writing them on this sheet. If we have time at the end, we’ll come back to those.

[5 Minutes] 6:40

Housekeeping: (Kate) ● Review agenda for the day (posted for easy reference) ● Restrooms can be found here (point to restrooms). Please feel free to grab any refreshments or

snacks during the meeting and use the restroom as needed. ● We would like to record this conversation so that we don’t miss any important details that you

share, but all information will be kept anonymous. Does anyone have an issue with this? We ask that only one person speak at a time so that everyone can be heard.

● Everyone will receive their gift card at the end of the conversation tonight.

[10 Minutes] 6:45

Icebreaker: (Kate) [Write icebreaker on large flip chart] In pairs with the person sitting next to you, find out this information from your partner. We’re going to ask you to introduce your partner after 5 minutes.

● Name, neighborhood, how long you’ve lived there, favorite part of living in the neighborhood Okay, let’s go around the room and introduce our partners.

[10 Minutes] 6:55

Brief explanation of CBA and Negotiation process (Melissa) (Reference handout for this)

In 2016, Detroiters voted to pass an ordinance that outlined the steps developers have to take to communicate with a community when building in their neighborhood. This process is meant to ensure that people already living in the community receive some benefits from the development project. Our goal today is to understand how this ordinance has affected your neighborhood. The basic steps of this process according to the ordinance passed is outline on this handout.

1. Public notice to residents living within the impact area (300 feet) of a development project. 2. Public meeting and election of a “neighborhood advisory committee” made up of impact area

residents.

3. Neighborhood advisory committee meets at least once with developer to represent the community’s opinions about the project and its impact on the neighborhood.

4. All meetings with the neighborhood advisory committee inform a “Community Benefits Report” written by the City that discusses what the developer will do to benefit the community. We will discuss this report later on in our conversation.

This process was used for the Herman Kiefer redevelopment project, and we want to get your thoughts on how well it worked for your neighborhood. Do you have any questions?

[1 Minute]

Topics and Questions: (Melissa) Topics we will cover tonight include thoughts you might have about the Herman Kiefer Redevelopment project, what you’ve heard about how the project will impact the neighborhood and the steps the developer and the City took to engage the community about the impact of the project.

[15-20 Minutes] 7:00 (Kate)

General thoughts/perceptions of the project (5-6 minutes) ● What have you heard about the Herman Kiefer redevelopment project?

o How did you hear about the project? What is happening to the development? ▪ [Ask if no one mentions] Did you receive a notice about the redevelopment? ▪ [Follow up probes] Would you please say more about that point?; Could you

provide an example?; Does anyone else have a similar opinion? Different opinion?

▪ [If people start to ask a lot of questions about what is happening, explain that you are not the developer and do not have answers about everything planned for the project, but that you can send them information about what the developer has communicated to the public so far]

Turn to a neighbor and discuss this question for a few minutes:(Give participants 3-5 minutes) [Write this question on a flip chart]

● Looking forward, what are your hopes and concerns about the project? Let’s all discuss this together now. [Write answers on flip chart]

● What are some of the hopes you discussed? ● What are some of the concerns you discussed? ● Is there anything else you would like to add to these lists?

[10 Minutes] 7:15 (Kate)

Perceptions of developer/how developer interacts with neighborhood ● What have you heard about the company in charge of redeveloping Herman Kiefer? ● How would you describe the current impact of the developer in your neighborhood now? ● What would you do if you had a concern about how the project is affecting the neighborhood or

wanted to contact the developer?

[15-20 Minutes] 7:25 (Melissa)

CBA Process/Outcomes of NAC Using the process that Proposal B requires, a Neighborhood Advisory Committee (NAC) was created that included some of your neighbors as well as people representing the City.

● Do you know anyone who is a member of the Neighborhood Advisory Committee (NAC)? [Show participants a list of NAC members]

o If yes, what, if any, conversation did you have with them about the project? ● Where have you heard conversations about the Herman Kiefer redevelopment?

[Cut this report overview and pair/share if time is short - if it is after 7:30pm] We are passing out a summary of the report made by the city that shows the community concerns and the developer response to those concerns. This was created based on the meetings the Neighborhood Advisory Committee had and their ideas. We are going to go over this report with you and then have a group discussion.

[Read through the summary of report and give handout to participants]

(Kate) Pair/Share Activity (Melissa will be organizing notes for the closing section) Now, turn to your neighbor and discuss your first reactions to this report. We’ll ask you to share your thoughts after a few minutes of discussing in pairs. (Give participants 3-5 minutes) Okay, let’s all talk about this report together.

● What were your first reactions? ● Is anything missing from the concerns or response that you would like to see? (If yes, then what

would you like to see?) ● What questions or comments do you have about this report?

[10 Minutes] 7:45

Closing: (Melissa) Summarize topics and discussion, ask if anything is missing

● Does this sound right? ● Is there anything that we should have talked about but didn’t? ● Thank you all for coming and sharing your thoughts with us tonight. We will be using your input

to make recommendations to the City of Detroit to strengthen the Community Benefits Ordinance that we discussed to improve community engagement and outcomes.

● We will share a final copy of our report with all of you over email and will also invite all of you to an event in late November/early December where we will present our report to anyone in the community who has shared their opinions and feedback with us.

● If you have any follow-up questions or comments, please contact us at detroitcommunitybenefits@gmail.com. We are sending everyone home with our email address on a sheet of paper. Thank you!

Images and graphics produced and used with permission from D4, Doing Development Differently in Metro Detroit.

Follow-up questions about this conversation and/or the project? Contact detroitcommunitybenefits@gmail.com.

Community Benefits Report Summary

Community Concern Developer & City Response

Housing Costs

● The developer & the City will have strategy for rehabbing houses in the neighborhood.

● 20% of rehabbed homes must be developed by a community partner.

● The City and the developer will maintain and create affordable housing options.

Hiring/Jobs for Neighborhood

● The developer plans to hire local residents for construction projects and for permanent positions after the renovation.

● The developer plans to work with a trade school to train local residents for employment and provide opportunities for residents to start their own businesses.

Property Maintenance and Beautification

● The developer is obligated to board up, mow, and maintain vacant homes owned by the City in the neighborhood.

Opportunities for Home Ownership

● The City and Land Bank Authority are encouraging local residents to purchase next-door lots.

● Land sale decisions will be transparent and fair to all residents to promote public good and recreational space for all.

Communication with people in the neighborhood

● The developer will meet with the Neighborhood Advisory Committee to provide updates.

● The developer will hold four community meetings a year.

This is a summary written by 2018 Dow Sustainability Fellows from the report below: City of Detroit, Department of Planning and Development. (2017, June 6). Herman Kiefer Development Community Benefits Report. http://www.detroitmi.gov/Portals/0/docs/Planning/CBO/HK%20CBO/Herman%20Kiefer%20Community%20Benefits%20Report.pdf?ver=2017-06-07-125022-293

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D E T R O I T C O M M U N I T Y B E N E F I T S @ G M A I L . C O M B Y 9 / 6 / 1 8

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O N L Y T H O S E W H O R E G I S T E R W I L L B E E L I G I B L E F O R T H E G I F T C A R D

In partnership with Central Detroit Christian, Doing Development Differently in Metro Detroit, & University of Michigan.

NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS ARE INVITED TO SHARE

THEIR OPINIONS AT A FOCUS GROUP