Friends Of Parkside

Detroit Board of Zoning Appeals hearing, March 23, 2026. 13th Floor Auditorium, Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, 2 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226.

Parkside Residents Stand Firm - Follow the Code

Parkside residents spoke at the March 23, 2026, zoning hearing on the redevelopment at 5250 Conner Street. The Detroit Board of Zoning Appeals voted 8–1 to keep the screen-wall requirement and separately approved narrower townhomes.

Read the full zoning story

On March 23, 2026, Parkside residents took part in a Detroit Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) hearing about the redevelopment at 5250 Conner Street. The BZA decides whether to grant exceptions to the city’s zoning requirements. At the hearing, the Board considered requests to use a vegetative buffer in place of a screen wall and to allow narrower townhomes.

Elizabeth Cornell and Zachary Rowe, executive director of Friends Of Parkside, attended in person. Robin Brookins joined from home. LaTesa Arnold and others attended a Friends Of Parkside watch party.

During public comment, residents raised questions about safety, environmental conditions, and whether the plans matched what they had seen at earlier community meetings. Several speakers supported keeping the screen wall and cited concerns about soil contamination. Residents also questioned the request to allow townhomes narrower than the zoning code requires.

Friends Of Parkside filed written opposition to both requests on March 19. On March 20, it asked the Detroit Housing Commission and Ginosko Development Company to seek a postponement and hold two open community meetings, one during the day and one in the evening. Ginosko’s Nathan Keup acknowledged the request and wrote, “We will review and respond in a reasonable manner and timeframe.” The hearing went ahead on March 23.

The Board voted 8–1 to deny the request to use a vegetative buffer in place of the screen wall, leaving the screen-wall requirement in place. It separately approved the request to allow narrower townhomes.