https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2022/12/06/plans-detroit-riverfront-concrete-criticized

The Maroun Family again

Plans for riverfront concrete company criticized by residents

Joe Guillen
 
Hercules site near the Ambassador Bridge

Hercules site near the Ambassador Bridge. Photo: Joe Guillen/Axios

A key piece of riverfront property sandwiched between two premier parks could become a concrete company's long-term home.

Why it matters: A Hercules Concrete facility between Riverside and Centennial parks — the latter opens in 2024 — would interfere with a long-term plan to beautify the riverfront and connect it to other parts of the city, residents warn.

What they're saying: "This specific stretch of Detroit Riverfront property is an inappropriate location for such an intense, abrasive, dusty and toxic operation," reads a letter to the city from Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib and dozens of residents.

Context: Hercules is owned by the Moroun family, which also owns the Ambassador Bridge and other properties in the area.

  • A Hercules spokesperson tells Axios the company is willing to move its operations west — potentially to the 34-acre former Detroit Marine Terminal site.
  • But the first step in moving would be getting a pending land swap near the Ambassador approved, which the City Council has been reluctant to take up.

What's next: Hercules says it is in talks with the city and the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy to find a solution.