NEWSPAPERS n o i t i d E l a i c e p S
MAY 15, 2024 candgnews.com
Grosse Pointe and Macomb County papers
The town center plans include places to live, eat, shop and more, along with green spaces. Image provided by Lionheart Capital
File photo by Patricia O’Blenes
A proposed bill in the Michigan Legislature would see increased punishments for car owners if they have modified vehicles that make excessive noise.
State Representative introduces bill to police excessive noise from modified cars
LAKESIDE MALL ANNOUNCES JULY 1 CLOSURE BY ERIC CZARNIK eczarnik@candgnews.com
You have less than three months left to make your final purchases at Lakeside Mall, according to a joint press release announcement from Lakeside Mall’s ownership and Sterling Heights. On May 1, Miami-based investment firm Lionheart Capital and its subsidiary, Out of the Box Ventures, said they plan to shut down the mall July 1. According to officials, the closure is part of a larger plan that will transform the mall property’s estimated 110 acres into a mixed-use Lakeside Town Center complete with residential neighborhoods, retail, office space, green spaces, a two-story community center, and other attractions and amenities. The announcement projects that the revitalization project will “positively impact the region by $1 billion.” It added that the development “is designed to be financially self-sustaining” with “minimal impact on city taxes.” “Lakeside Mall’s closure marks the beginning of an exciting transformation,” Allison Greenfield, chief development officer at Lionheart Capital,
BY MIKE KOURY mkoury@candgnews.com
said in a statement. “We are committed to collaborating with the City of Sterling Heights to create a vibrant urban center that celebrates the area’s unique character and history.” The city initially approved a memorandum of understanding with Lakeside’s ownership in November 2022 that outlined the project’s scope and plans moving forward. But just weeks ago, city officials said the redevelopment process was around a year behind schedule. The Sterling Heights City Council then approved a transfer of a $3 million grant it had received to Lakeside’s ownership to help it overcome a hurdle: acquiring the vacant Sears and Lord & Taylor properties. Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor told the Sentry that, as of May 1, the acquisition of those two properties still hasn’t been finalized yet. But he added that he expects it to be resolved quickly. Taylor also said the mall’s announcement about the July 1 closing date didn’t surprise him.
METRO DETROIT — A new bill introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives aims to curb excessive noise from vehicles. The legislation, House Bill 5696, was introduced by state Rep. Natalie Price, D-Berkley, and would “crack down on vehicles intentionally modified to create excessive noise while being used,” a press release states. Price said the legislation will update the vehicle code and allow local law enforcement to enforce the current prohibition on modifying a vehicle to cause it to make excessive noise. According to the representative, one problem found in the code was that there was some language that was considered to be contradictory by the courts that needed to be revised. “Even though in one point in the vehicle code it says that you can’t modify your vehicle and have it make excessive noise, there was another part where it said that modifications couldn’t be made above a certain decibel level,” she said. “That was interpreted that then you would need to have very specific devices to measure decibel levels, and out on Woodward with all the various vehicles, it was really impractical for our officers to be able to measure that.” Price said the code didn’t get rid of decibel limits, because those are able to be measured in very controlled environments. “It’s required that the manufacturers, the dealerships, they are doing those measurements, and we are not changing that path, but in terms of modifications to vehicles, we made it so that that language did not apply,” she said. “We’re just talking about modifications that create excessive noise are now going to be clearly illegal, as we believe that code was intended.” Adam Bernard, president of the Detroit chapter of the Lambda Car Club, said the club doesn’t have an official position on the bill, but under-
See LAKESIDE on page 4A
See BILL on page 4A