Belleville council sells Savage Rd. property to neighbor for $300,000

At its regular meeting on April 7, the Belleville City Council accepted the $300,000 cash offer from Savah Rabiah of Blue Sky Cannabis Co. for the property at 420 Savage Rd. the city was selling next door to his business.
Rabiah’s purchase offer was without concessions, but a 3’ x 20’ piece of property between the parklands and the city’s DPW yard was discussed. It once was a landlocked easement and part of the city’s old skatepark was on that property.
Rabiah bought his property in 2017 with that extra piece attached. He offered that the city would be able to use that property.
Moving the Mitten broker/owner Therese Antonelli reported that the city could get a survey but that would cost from $1,000 to $1,500.
She said the other two offers on the property were $125,000 cash with no contingencies from Davenport Brothers and $400,000 with contingencies from Rajan Sucariya, that involved site plan approval.
When the sale first came up on the agenda at the meeting, mayor pro-tem Kelly Bates was presiding because the mayor was absent. Also, councilman Jeremiah Beebe was late and not yet present. That left three sitting on the council.
Mayor-pro-tem Bates put the agenda item aside until Beebe could arrive after she could not get a motion to postpone to another meeting so the mayor could be present and there was a full council. The bare quorum at that point was Bates and council members Randy Priest and Julie Kissel.
When Beebe arrived at 6:44 for the 6:30 p.m. meeting, Bates reintroduced the property sale.
She said she would like to postpone the vote until the mayor could be present, as the council had done in the past on other important items so a full council could make the decision.
But, councilwoman Kissel insisted on voting on it immediately.
Interim city manager Steve Jones pointed out the Rabiah offer was the highest with no contingencies.
The vote to accept the $300,000 offer was unanimous.
Jones said that amount would be put into the city treasury and the land would bring in taxes. It was noted that this was just the sale of the property and the council was not voting on the use of it.
In other business, the council:
• Approved use of Horizon Park on May 12 for dedication of a Wings statue to honor the late Harper Mathis, who died at the age of 15 last year after a battle with brain cancer. High Street will be closed, food trucks allowed, trash barrels placed. A plaque will be installed six feet to the side so it doesn’t interfere with people taking pictures of themselves with the statue, which is heat-treated stainless steel wings made by a blacksmith/artist in Sumpter Township. The Mathis family, which lives on High Street, were present at the meeting, along with Chris Donley who raised the $13,000 and arranged for the sculpture;
• Approved the Hagerman/Poley wedding ceremony at 2 p.m. May 17 at Horizon Park. The mother of the bride said it will be a small, brief wedding;
• Held a public hearing of one minute at which nobody spoke and then approved the second reading and final adoption of the updated Fire Code;
• Approved the FEMA Wayne County Hazard Mitigation Plan. Public safety director Kris Faull said the county has been working on the plan for the last few years and now it is ready to be adopted;
• Approved a resolution to straighten out mis-numbered resolutions in the records. Clerk/treasurer Briana Papin said deputy clerk Michelle Bellingham found five mis-numbered resolutions in the 2024 records. The city attorney was contacted and the attorney recommended a transparent and procedurally sound approach, formally amending and re-numbering the affected items;
• Approved unanimously the Waterworth water rate study, at a cost of $6,500 a year, as proposed at a recent meeting. Plante Moran proposed a water rate study at a flat rate not to exceed $18,000;
• Approved a rain garden for the Hillside Cemetery entrance area near the Angel of Hope in cooperation with Van Buren Township. This was proposed by the Huron River Watershed Council. DPW director Nathan Johnson said the only cost to the city would be some drainage pipes;
• Approved a resolution to accept the city attorney’s confidential recommendation and reverse a prior FOIA disclosure denial for case No. 26-0684 and authorize release of redacted records consistent with the Michigan Freedom of Information Act. Director Faull said the police department denied a FOIA, but the prosecutor denied prosecution on that case. The requestor appealed the denial to the head of the city council, as allowed under FOIA, and it was reviewed by the attorney who recommended to grant it with redactions and to reduce the price of the FOIA. Redacted will be personally identifying information of minors, sensitive witness information, and any other exempt material permitted by law;
• Heard Jones say that this could be called “Hell Week” because city hall will be moving to its new location at 330 Charles St. City hall will be closed Thursday and Friday, April 9 and 10, and also closed on Monday, April 13, and then reopened at its new location on April 14. “It’s been a long process … and it’s something to be proud of … more efficient,” Jones said. He said at the new city hall there are added amenities on the police side, such as a bathroom and shower which they never had before. “We’re almost there.” He praised the work of councilwoman Kissel who has been purging city hall of unneeded items for two and a half years. He said at the April 20 council meeting they will set an open house; and
• Heard Jones comment that the work on North Liberty is expected in be complete in a month and a half.