WYANDOTTE, Mich. – It’s not uncommon for a development process to take time, but one Downriver proposal has taken longer than most.
Plans for the former McKinley Elementary School have changed since the development was first proposed, but the one constant has been controversy.
The community will have a meeting Monday night regarding the development that has taken years.
“The business is not welcome here,” said Nick Beaven. “It is going to put a strain on our community, our streets and our roads.”
Dozens in the Wyandotte neighborhood believe the decisions made by city council about a proposed nursing home in the middle of a green space will change the area forever.
The plan started years ago to turn the closed school into senior living, but the developer’s plan kept growing.
“They kept bloating it and bloating it,” said Matt Purcell.
The neighborhood is residential and tightly packed. The growing plan pushed a beloved park to the back of the property.
“You have the traffic in and out with delivers and ambulances in and out here,” said Jake Parshall.
“I do not think inserting a business, no matter what size, is appropriate,” Beaven said.
Politics and relationships have made the plan even more controversial. Monday night, Wyandotte City Council will hear another change to the development and will also hear from homeowners.
“It was contentious, but now they are bulldozing us with a nursing home,” Purcell said.
The city council meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday.
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