Haunt for Hunger creeping down Rock Creek

I meant to include a photograph with this post, but when I slowed down to snap a picture, two werewolves leaped out from the haunted collection bin on Rock Creek Drive. Well, that sent me running for the hills … But don’t let this tale stop YOU from donating canned and non-perishable food for a good cause! This is the third year of the Haunt for Hunger, and donations benefit local charities and soup kitchens. FOUR addresses on Rock Creek Drive are now participating: 30377, 30260, 30103 and 30233.

Local radio forum coming to Southfield

WDET Detroit public radio is coming to the Southfield Library on Wednesday, Nov. 2. They’re inviting members of our community to share “What Should Metro Detroit Know About Southfield?” Not sure if they’ll broadcast the entire proceedings, but I bet some portion of the event will be reported on the air. Click here to view the station’s event page.

Golf courses color creek green

The creek displayed an unusual shade of green after the rains stopped.

After a week of daily rainfall, the Rummel Drain, aka Rock Creek, which flows through the center of Cranbrook Village, appeared bright green on Sunday morning. I had never seen anything like it, since the county created a system of weirs several years ago. So I contacted the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office, and they sent agents to investigate.

This morning I received a phone call with the answer to the riddle: The bright green color in the creek is algaecide. The agent said that golf courses use it in ponds, and since we’re downstream from at least one course, it probably originated from there. She assured me that the algaecide was safe (nontoxic) and environmentally friendly … except to algae.

Vote to maintain city services tomorrow

So long Cranbrook Center Office Building?

The city of Southfield is filled with office buildings, but does it make sense to demolish one to create a 4,000 square foot “super-sized” McDonald’s with a double lane drive-thru? Even when a McDonald’s restaurant is well-established less than a mile north of the site on Southfield Road in Beverly Hills?

The Cranbrook Village homeowners association (sub’s 1, 3, 4 and 5) president Harmen Guenther recently shared some news about upcoming city planning meetings that CV residents are invited to participate in. Here’s a quotation from his recent e-mail:

I received notice that a public hearing will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 6:30 p.m. to consider the zoning request, special use, and site plan for Agree Development, LLC to rezone from OS, Office, Service, and R-2, single family residential, to B-3, General Business, parts of lots 17 and 18 of Fruit Ridge Farms subdivision located at 30202 and 30161 Southfield Road, on the west side of Southfield between Webster and 13 Mile Road.

GP:1222/SP:1281 is a special use and site plan review request by Agree Development LLC to demolish the existing Cranbrook Center Office Building and construct a new 4,362 gross square foot McDonald’s restaurant with a double drive-thru and associated parking on parts of lots 17 and 18 of the above mentioned subdivision.

The Planning Commision is scheduled to conduct a study meeting Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Confrence Room prior to the Public Hearing on Feb.23.  You are invited to attend these meetings in order to voice any opinion you may have.  Obviously, I am going to attend these meetings, and hope some of you will join me. – Harmen

Site of Cranbrook Center Office Building. Click on the image to link to Google Maps.