Grosse Pointe Woods Council Approves Rivers of Grosse Pointe

Several residents and others spoke Monday in support of the development of the Rivers of Grosse Pointe--a continuing care retirement community that is slated to be built on the former Children Home of Detroit site. 

One resident spoke against the development, questioning how 40 single-family condominiums that will surround the main building will sell in the current economy. Although there was some unrest among the audience who raised their voices with negative comments a few times during a presentation by Woods Building Inspector Gene Tutag.

Following public comment, the Grosse Pointe Woods city council unanimously approved the project Monday. The approval didn't come without some questions by council and Mayor Robert Novitke. 

Novitke and developer Richard Levin had a brief but slightly tense conversation about the dates of ground-breaking. Novitke said he would like to approve the project with the condition that construction would begin within 90 days. 

Levin said he does not want to start a project he cannot finish and prefers to ensure all of the proper financing is in place before even beginning demolition. Should demolition begin and then financing falls through, the property would be in worse condition. Presently the property, at 900 Cook Road, has the buildings of the former Children's Home of Detroit. 

Although the property is vacant, Levin said his organization is maintaining the property.

Novitke pressed further asking that ground-breaking happen within 12 months of their approval, but Levin declined to name a date. He said he would hate to have the project fail because of a date that restricted the dates of construction. 

Councilman Joseph Sucher also said he's supportive of the project but wants to know that it will actually happen, noting another project that gained council approval and then never happened. 

There is nothing at this point that would prevent the project from happening and given the amount of support and interest by local residents, Levin said the project will move forward. 

The property is technically owned by Starr Commonwealth, which is selling it to the Rivers of Grosse Pointe developers contingent upon council's approval of the plan. The 15-acre site is valued at about $1 to $1.1 million and will be placed back onto the city's tax roll next month. It had previously been exempt from taxes because of the zoning use as a non-profit site. 

Among the supports, many were seniors who said they are nearing such a decision to leave their homes to find retirement communities. Services for Older Citizens Executive Director Sharon Maier also spoke in support. She noted how important having a local retirement community would be to what she called the sandwich generation--those with children of their own and aging parents for whom they are caring. 

Having an aging parent in a retirement community/assisted living residence in close proximity would hugely benefit the sandwich generation, she said, if for no other reason than by saving travel time. She also said it's a much better situation to move an aging parent from their home into a new living situation within their home community, which allows them to stay in touch with their neighbors, friends, family and still go to their church, doctor and other services/businesses they use. 

The Rivers of Grosse Pointe is being developed by the owners of Riverview Health and Rehab on East Warren. Their goal, Levin and his business partner Jim Mestdagh, is to enhance the living environment in the Grosse Pointes and area for elderly residents. The group recently partnered with Services for Older Citizens to plant an urban garden on the grounds of Riverview that will be used to produce food for the local Meals on Wheels program.