NIMBYs Coming To New Ford Battery Plant

[ANTAUS]

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[fuzzymoomoo]

Honestly I think thought the former McLouth Steel site in Trenton would have been a better pick. Not only is it geographically closer to Dearborn, it has direct access to a railroad on both ends of the property, one that already serves and has a direct line to The Rouge at that, it’s right on the river should they ever need to utilize ships for transport of raw materials,  it’s very close to I-75 for truck access, and Ford has already done business with the Moroun family from when they purchased the train station downtown so they might be more willing to negotiate on price. 

Edited February 22, 2023 by fuzzymoomoo

[mackinaw]

2 hours ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

Honestly I think thought the former McLouth Steel site in Trenton would have been a better pick. Not only is it geographically closer to Dearborn, it has direct access to a railroad on both ends of the property, one that already serves and has a direct line to The Rouge at that, it’s right on the river should they ever need to utilize ships for transport of raw materials,  it’s very close to I-75 for truck access, and Ford has already done business with the Moroun family from when they purchased the train station downtown so they might be more willing to negotiate on price. 

 

I think the Trenton location is too small.  About 500 acres, if I'm doing my math right.  The Marshall location is about 1,900 acres.

[jasonj80]

The people in Trenton also want it as a park by the riverfront as they envision linking Wyandotte to Trenton with a riverwalk which then links to the Metropark network and the International Wildlife refuge. 

[fuzzymoomoo]

2 hours ago, jasonj80 said:

The people in Trenton also want it as a park by the riverfront as they envision linking Wyandotte to Trenton with a riverwalk which then links to the Metropark network and the International Wildlife refuge. 

Yeah that’s not happening. That land is way too polluted. Plus there’s dealing with Matt Moroun. He’s not as difficult as the old man was but he won’t give in easily either. 
 

Oh yeah, and the parcel is split, with the 40ish acres on the north end belonging to the Riverview-Trenton Railroad. By all accounts from what I can tell that’s just a shell company but there’s some work being done where the tracks used to be leading up to the crossing at W. Jefferson. To what end I have no idea. 

Edited February 23, 2023 by fuzzymoomoo

[mackinaw]

36 minutes ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

Yeah that’s not happening. That land is way too polluted. Plus there’s dealing with Matt Moroun. He’s not as difficult as the old man was but he won’t give in easily either. 

 

Supposedly it's all cleaned up.  

 

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2021/11/23/20-million-cleanup-done-former-mclouth-steel-site/8744653002/

[fuzzymoomoo]

7 hours ago, mackinaw said:

 

Supposedly it's all cleaned up.  

 

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2021/11/23/20-million-cleanup-done-former-mclouth-steel-site/8744653002/

I can believe it from a standpoint of there’s nothing more that can be done via human intervention. FWIW there’s still EPA Superfund signs posted all along the fence the entire length of the lot. 

[jasonj80]

One of the worst families in the world also owns Riverview-Trenton Railroad. It was a move to stop the eminent domain of the north piece when they were trying to make the pay bridge public domain which the family also wanted to buy, railroads are the only property that eminent domain is virtually impossible to complete on.  Best part is the property isn't actually connected to the rail network anymore as the north crossing has been completely removed curbed and paved over.
 

[fuzzymoomoo]

1 hour ago, jasonj80 said:

One of the worst families in the world also owns Riverview-Trenton Railroad. It was a move to stop the eminent domain of the north piece when they were trying to make the pay bridge public domain which the family also wanted to buy, railroads are the only property that eminent domain is virtually impossible to complete on.  Best part is the property isn't actually connected to the rail network anymore as the north crossing has been completely removed curbed and paved over.
 

Hate to break it to you but the Moroun family owns all of it now, even though it’s still split into 2 parcels, and it is still connected to CN from the south via the bridge at Jefferson/King. They got special permission from the FRA to move the old plant switcher off the property over the bridge after it was sold and shipped to Virginia for rebuilding. Amazingly the old locomotive moved under its own power despite sitting for 25 years exposed to the elements. There’s some work going on at the north end with the old rails being dug out and what appears to be a segment of prefabricated rail in the trench that was left behind waiting on ballast. I’ve been wanting to ride my bike up that way to take some pictures to ask some railfan friends if they know anything about it but I haven’t been able to make the time to do it. 
 

The eminent domain thing was Grosse Ile attempting to seize the Toll Bridge from the Voith family for fear of the unknown of what Matty Moroun’s intentions were with the RTRR property and crossing over Jefferson. The crossing hadn’t been disconnected yet at the time but the signs had long been removed. The township supervisor thought it was best for the township to control the bridge since Wayne County owns the other one and there was a fear that the Morouns would buy it out and severely limit access to the island for medical care to Wyandotte hospital. The whole process was bungled and the township lost badly in court. I was in high school when all that went down, I grew up on GI. 
 

I have a friend who is very involved with the City of Trenton and City of Riverview, the RTRR is literally at this moment a shell company and nothing more. They have never once presented any kind of business plan to either city council nor have they ever reached out to the cities for any kind of support. 

[jasonj80]

35 minutes ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

Hate to break it to you but the Moroun family owns all of it now, even though it’s still split into 2 parcels, and it is still connected to CN from the south via the bridge at Jefferson/King. They got special permission from the FRA to move the old plant switcher off the property over the bridge after it was sold and shipped to Virginia for rebuilding. Amazingly the old locomotive moved under its own power despite sitting for 25 years exposed to the elements. There’s some work going on at the north end with the old rails being dug out and what appears to be a segment of prefabricated rail in the trench that was left behind waiting on ballast. I’ve been wanting to ride my bike up that way to take some pictures to ask some railfan friends if they know anything about it but I haven’t been able to make the time to do it. 
 

The eminent domain thing was Grosse Ile attempting to seize the Toll Bridge from the Voith family for fear of the unknown of what Matty Moroun’s intentions were with the RTRR property and crossing over Jefferson. The crossing hadn’t been disconnected yet at the time but the signs had long been removed. The township supervisor thought it was best for the township to control the bridge since Wayne County owns the other one and there was a fear that the Morouns would buy it out and severely limit access to the island for medical care to Wyandotte hospital. The whole process was bungled and the township lost badly in court. I was in high school when all that went down, I grew up on GI. 
 

I have a friend who is very involved with the City of Trenton and City of Riverview, the RTRR is literally at this moment a shell company and nothing more. They have never once presented any kind of business plan to either city council nor have they ever reached out to the cities for any kind of support. 

I know they still own it, was just talking about incorporation of the railroad company was the fastest way to stop the eminent domain process when Crown transferred title to the railroad shell. I agree the whole process was bungled GI/Riverview acted way too slow and more so forgot the wide political connections the Moroun family has.

Also the reason the Maroons sold the train station and have been much more quite was that the political climate changed drastically for them, their lobbying isn't buying the clout in Detroit/Lansing it once did with all their failed promises over the past 40 years. Basically Detroit was going to blight the property, tear it down and bill them; Detroit also pulled a play from them and owns the property under the bridge which used to be the huge railroad yard and ferry's to Canada. When it became available they took it for public use. Government (Federal/State/local) have first right of refusal from the STB when a railroad is decommissioned. So the property he needs to build his new bridge on is owned by Detroit. This is where it gets interesting; It also plays issue with the parcels in Mcclouth as if they want to decommission the Trenton-Riverview railroad and apply to the STB, State of Michigan, Wayne County and Riverview and Trenton have first right before the property can be sold.

But to Circle back, the NIMBYS that are complaining about the battery plant don't have the political capital or money to stop it. Just people complaining and now it becomes a news story as it is good fro clicks.

[mackinaw]

Interesting discussion.  Even though I haven't lived in SE Michigan since the mid-70's, I still follow what's going on down there.  The Moroun family seems to be the one constant over the past 50 years.  

[fuzzymoomoo]

2 hours ago, mackinaw said:

Interesting discussion.  Even though I haven't lived in SE Michigan since the mid-70's, I still follow what's going on down there.  The Moroun family seems to be the one constant over the past 50 years.  

They've toned down their confrontational tendencies since the old man died but his son Matt is very shrewd like his old man and very much still has his fingers in many places 

[ANTAUS]

I have NIMBYs I have to deal with locally.  Usually, education helps, usually I start with "How much property taxes do you pay?---Well I've paid $52K on my home and all my rental homes, please tell me why I should be concerned about your wishes and desires"  then the usual issue with "oh buh buh but traffic"... "Yes you moved here when it was an orange orchard, it was ok for you to build on top of one, but when the people in the subdivision next door wish to build, oh you want to close the door? trust me the developer and businesses have far more money than you do, it's called growth, be happy your not in some tiny town that looks the same 50 years later"  Followed by an eye-roll for effect lol 

[fuzzymoomoo]

1 hour ago, ANTAUS said:

be happy your not in some tiny town that looks the same 50 years later

There are many things both legal and illegal I would do to live in a place like that….