Points sent to each City Council member p 3

nationally significant and “together , the train station, old hotel, and livery make up one of the (if not THE) last remaining transportation cooridors in the US to have all three of these buildings types. She stated that in her consultations with several hundred historians, architects, transportation specialists, librarians and state historic preservation officers that “Chelsea is extraordinary and, in my view, literally unique in retaining not only the first hotel, but also the livery. In my research, I uncovered no equivalent situation…The loss of this building (the Livery) would affect not only Chelsea, but also the history of everyday life in the United States.”
- The Livery is believed to be one of only a few liveries still standing in Michigan, Several of these have been adaptively reused and house successful businesses.
- The Longworth Buildings are a contributing part of a nomination for the National Register of Historic Places.
- Historic buildings,including those with exposed brick interiors, are very marketable to present day restaurants (Common Grill) and retail businesses (Treehouse) owners.
- In the most recently published Community Guide published by the Community Observer, 100 % of Chelsea’s listed “Attractions” (See Attachment B) were either located in historic buildings in town (which was often mentioned in its description) or involved historic information sharing. We are using our HISTORY to market our town and yet the City and the DDA are tearing down very historically significant buildings without just cause.

Improper Operation of DDA
- The DDA made these decisions without following appropriate procedures such as using bylaws and Open Meetings Act requirements
- Demolition does not support the DDA’s own adopted goals and objectives:
Goals
A. To maintain the strength of the city center as an active marketplace-the retail
center of Chelsea,. It is important to capatilize on the historic character of the
downtown.
B. To continue to enhance the historic character of the downtown through
restoration and renovation…
D.Maintain the distinction of the different character…of the commercial district
and downtown Chelsea.
Objectives
A.Preservation of Chelsea’s small-town character and historic image.
- Demolition of these historic sites is in violation of State of Michigan Public Act 197 of 1975 (the act which allows for the formation of DDAs) “A public facility, building, or structure that is determined by the municipality to have significant historical interest shall be preserved in a manner…in accordance with laws relative to the preservation of historical sites.”
- The DDA has not had bylaws in its entire existence (since 1985) which violates the City of Chelsea Code of Ordinances Chapter 12, Section 12-45 Bylaws “The board of the authority shall develop and approve bylaws for its operation.” (Ordinance No. 97)
Without written bylaws and procedures, the public has no idea how the DDA works, how decisions are made, or how to have input and it allows the DDA to operate without public accountability.