The veterans group wants to relocate and build on an empty triangular lot where Grand River Avenue, West Forest Avenue and 14th Street intersect. Several empty buildings are nearby and one of the closest businesses to the location is a party store. The vets group bought the property from Detroit Public Schools last year.
But some residents of the Woodbridge District, a neighborhood west of Wayne State University where property values are steadily rising, are balking.
“This development would further curtail what many Woodbridge residents use as a dog-walking path and ski trail,” members of the Woodbridge Citizen Districts Council wrote to the Detroit’s City Planning Commission, objecting to the relocation of the Veterans Foundation. “We would like to have development projects that appropriately complement our neighborhood and the amenities our residents would need.”