News & Events

MATURE SUBURBS FIND STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

Grosse Pointe Park Joins Suburbs Alliance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 9, 2006

CONTACT: CONAN SMITH
734-891-2241
conan@suburbsalliance.org

FERNDALE – The Michigan Suburbs Alliance today welcomed the city of Grosse Pointe Park into its coalition of older, built-out suburbs, marking an increased interest by local governments in working together to address shared challenges.

"Communities are finding that addressing many of the issues they face requires reaching beyond their borders," said Suburbs Alliace Executive Director Conan Smith. “The Suburbs Alliance offers cities a forum for initiating collaborative actions and finding allies among their neighbors.”

Often bypassed by developers for easier development in outlying suburbs, Grosse Pointe Park and other built-out suburbs are struggling to raise revenue under the crippling interplay of Proposal A and the Headlee Amendment.  Rising healthcare costs have hit them harder than younger suburbs because of their significantly larger retiree stock, and decreasing populations and changing demographics pose additional challenges for many of these cities.  Intensifying their struggles are decreased state and federal funding and a stagnant economy.  Many have been forced to sell city property, reduce essential services and even raise taxes.

The Suburbs Alliance, a nonprofit organization founded in 2002, was created by a group of elected and appointed suburban leaders to give inner suburbs a means by which to organize around the issues that they all face.  The organization is working to facilitate regional collaboration, encourage the use of innovative redevelopment processes and reform public policy that affects mature communities.  Its members spread across Wayne, Oakland, Macomb Washtenaw counties.

Grosse Pointe Park, a community of about 12,500 and the southernmost of the Grosse Pointes, plans to actively work with the Suburbs Alliance and its member cities to pursue state policy reforms affecting municipal finance and property tax revenues. 

“If there is one specific organization that is looking out for the interests of our southeast Michigan communities, it is the Michigan Suburbs Alliance, and we are looking forward to working with them,” said Grosse Pointe Park City Manager Dale Krajniak.

More information about the Michigan Suburbs Alliance can be found at www.michigansuburbsalliance.org.

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