This post leaves a lot out.

The truth is that Hakim Fakhoury had Emagine coming to Dearborn before
they ever went to Royal Oak. Emagine would have been the central point
of the Dearborn Village Partners development on the north side of
Michigan between Howard and Military. Mayor O’Reilly killed it for
political reasons, mainly because he personally does not like Mr
Fakhoury. Royal Oak then snatched Emagine up and we, as a city, lost them.

O’Reilly’s legacy will be the neglect of downtown West Dearborn. He
only cares about a convention center at Fairlane. I also hear he is in
favor of a Hooter’s in Dearborn. This was proposed some time ago by
Fakhoury and rejected then.

The city, and O’Reilly in particular, do not want to work with Hakim,
the largest commercial property owner in downtown West Dearborn. How
does this make any sense?

Finally, I also know that the Preferred Developer Agreement (PDA)
between the city and Hakim has simply become a political tool for Mayor
O’Reilly. After waiting weeks for an answer from the city of some
proposed revisions to it, the city finally responded, only when it was
too late and all opportunities had left town. It’s almost as if Mr
O’Reilly only responded to legally say he did so.

When will this city stop playing politics and simply move the downtown
forward? Other cities are flying by us… making their processes easy,
free of politics, and friendly to developers. Here, we cannot seem to
do the right thing…

Amer – I have no reason to doubt you but do you have any proof that it was Jack who ‘killed’ Hakim’s vision for a new Dearborn? If so please bring it forward because I am sure I’m not the only taxpayer in the city that would love to see this info.

Deep – as for Sonic, they better hurry up and get started. Are you sure they are coming into Dearborn?

Does anyone know what is being built on the Northwest corner of Oxford and Telegraph? An auto shop was torn down and something else is going in.

it will be nice to have occupants anywhere on michigan avenue in the west end…what i fear however, is that these hotels will open there doors and close soon after if we don’t attract people with reasons to keep coming back to dearborn…we’re currently watching two hotels deal with their struggles at the fairlane mall site, but i understand each attracts a different customer…we are also watching as two hotels near brady have either closed or will soon close…ideas are great…but action and progress are where it’s at…i’m still waiting to see what happens to the property where a popular downtown dearborn motel was…the mercury inn site sits vacant (and i pray there will never be a right aid there)…i would hope that the credit union and city could reach a plan to allow for their employees to use the parking decks and even more prime real estate could be cleard up for tenants…by the way…why isn’t the farmer’s market held at this site…?…seems ideal…

It was Dearborn Theater in the beginning. Back then it had just two screens. It didn’t become Showcase until new owners came in and added multiple screens by slicing up the original theater space. Showcase ruined the place.
Don’t forget, we had Westborn Theater, too. That was on Nowlin. Now it is just a tire shop.

What happened to Fat Boy Burgers (this would seem appropriate since you live so close to where the signs are presently)? All you see is Coming Soon signs on Michigan Avenue, and the only thing coming soon, are new signs.

Amer, I too would love to see proof of what you are claiming happened between Dearborn and Hakim.
Hooters? Oh gawd! That’s pure class.

48124—hallelujah. Just imagine, we were too high class for Kohl’s, but suddenly we got a Hooters? Oh boy.

Hey rj, don’t forget another good movie theater back in the days was the old Camelot theater on Warren Ave, which is now a Market. God, I remember going to all the movie theaters in Dearborn…even my favorite in Summer….the Drive-In on Wyoming and Ford ( I know…its still there)

48124, it’s already done. Search Facebook for “Bring Chipotle to Dearb orn”

Amer – I happen to watch the City Council meetings.

Hakim has come before the council at the last meeting of the year, many years in a row, asking for extensions. He knows that he can’t get them at the last meeting of the year. He definitely knows how to play the game.

The people of Dearborn cannot be as easily duped as you think. Do you really believe that just because you say something, we are all going to take your word for it?

All you have to do is give us the proof and I, for one, will take back all of the negative comments I have made about Hakim.

Do it as soon as you can, so you can clear his name as quickly as possible. That is what you want to do, isn’t it?

Joe, in that same vein, what is going on at the north-west corner of Oxford & Telegraph?

It is far easier for us to criticize without investing our own millions of dollars being the largest investor in downtown west Dearborn (DTWD) as Hakim Fakhoury is. It is far easier for us to criticize Hakim for having to deal with large investors and banks that make written promises to him when these investors and banks have high priced lawyers and can drag it out in court for years stalling or never completing the large DTWD projects, which devastes Hakim and DTWD. We also need to remember that this is the worst economy and unemployment in many of our lives other than the Great Depression and that lenders, employers are cutting to the bone and Hakim is having to deal with all of this, as are other business people.

We can all be back seat drivers when it’s NOT our money, time and effort we see going down the drain. It is easy for us to criticize Fakhoury when we’re not the ones that have to go before the mayor, council, department heads, planning and code commissions, lenders and more and we’re not the ones that have to put all of this together in a city that has the strictest codes around compared to other surrounding communities.

I’ve met with many city leaders and respect far more of them than most because I have heard what issues they have to deal with that most others are now aware of. I cannot say who is wrong or who is right concerning DTWD and Hakim, but I do know that there have been some disagreements from both sides and just when they think they have a working plan, something changes with the city or Hakim due to a multitude of reasons, investors, banks, contractors, differences of opinions, personal clashes, etc., but I too would LOVE to see it work out and take no sides. When emotions and perhaps a lot is at stake financially, when egos being human nature is involved, there are a lot of things that can go wrong. When the economy is in the druthers, and it is not financially feasible to live up to ones promises, which many of us have faced, even more can go wrong as it has.

When all of this is involved, emotions and financial pressure can cloud the judgement of even the smartest minds. If you’ve ever been a business owner as I have been, the pressure comes at you from everyone and there are times it is simply human nature where the calmest of people or business leaders are struggling and it becomes hard to not get emotional and perhaps say or do things that you wish you could take back. I’m sure both sides might feel this way at times and perhaps this is part of the problem. I’m only surmising here and do not claim to know the inside info.

Nonetheless, I have met many times with Fakhoury and come to know him perhaps better than some. Hakim and Amer have offered repeatedly on this blog and in other venues to have Hakim meet with anyone one on one or in a group. The only ones that took advantage of that were a group of people I know about 1-1/2 years ago or so. I was surprised at his frankness and willingness to answer any question we asked. That was the 1st time I met him and he was nothing like what some others state on here and the others who attended the meeting said the same. He is a good man and a hard worker, something most of us should respect, especially in this day and age and in this terrible investment economy.

Hakim is a EFHS grad and was raised in Dearborn and despite what others that don’t know him may say, he loves Dearborn and has a sincere passion for it that is evident if you would take the time to meet and get to know him in person or when you’re out and about in town. Contact Amer and he will arrange an individual meeting, group meeting or town hall meeting with as many people as you desire and answer all of your questions. Once you do that you will learn what many of us have learned, that he might be stubborn, but he is one very nice person and has a deep passion for Dearborn.

Despite me personally wishing he would take down those “The Dream Is Over” signs in his business property windows, which I believe has hurt him far more than it has helped him, he has far more to lose that us. Other than the city itself, I don’t know of any one person or company that has more invested in DTWD than Hakim Fakhoury. No matter what walk of life you are from, as an individual or as a group, if you need help Hakim will take the time and try to help you or at least give you viable reasons why something cannot or is not being done.

Michael – if it were only possible to get the City and Hakim to meet and give both sides of this issue to the taxpayers and then give the taxpayers a chance to ask questions I think that maybe this might just all come to a head. I was at the meeting that you spoke about and without ever hesitating Hakim answered any and all questions. Why can’t the city leaders do the same thing. What do they have to hide or be afraid to bring forward to the public?

That stupid idiot Guido and his cronies once made reference to us being too high class for business like Khols or Costco, stores i would have like to see come to Dearborn, and yet we have ghetto stores Marshalls and Target, disrespctful kids, and even adults throwing trash, spitting on the streets, and now we might get a Hooters? a resturant where the waitresses wiggle and shake their boobs in front of you asking to take your order? OH yeah we are very high class, Guido thaught we were just like Royal Oak or Birmingham, jeez.

I’m really happy to hear about this. I remember going to the showcase cinemas when I was a kid. I could walk there from my house, but I always used to get scared running across Michigan Avenue. They still don’t have a decent sidewalk there.

It’s too bad the city hasn’t been more business-friendly. I don’t understand why we keep spending millions of dollars on nostalgia projects and tax incentives instead of de-regulating and letting developers create the spaces they want, making our city services more efficient and giving business owners a sense of long-term stability that makes them feel the expense of being in Dearborn is worth it. I understand we want to have standards to keep our city beautiful, but when it starts hurting people’s livelihoods and making simple home and business renovations difficult, I wonder how much it’s really worth.

I would hardly call marshalls and target ghetto stores.

as far as the 20 something skank broads that work at hooters (which we are not getting) they are no different than any other female servers at bars/restaurants just way more open about it.

Ive said this a hundred times on this site and many of you aging relics simply choose not to listen or probably cant remember….Dearborns demographics dont support many of the things we want. Age, race, education and income play huge factors in market research.

We are bordered by dearborn heights, inkster, taylor and detroit, not plymouth, canton, northville and novi.

Further more, would anyones life really change if we got costco, or kohls??

This area is never coming back peroid!….its not a negative statement, its fact!

As far as “Mr Developer Hakim” I do find it incredible that the vast majority of your store fronts remain vacant year after year….Large chains and corporations have attorneys and personal to deal with any so-called city issues….If emagine theaters were serious, they would get a project in motion…a 3 sentence blurb to city leaders on someones interest isnt worth the printed out paper is was emailed on….How about hiring a national real estate firm to market your properties??….or auction some of them off “absolute”??.(beth rose auction company)..hell Ive sold a commerical property through craigslist…time has passed you by to start thinking outside the box and stop blaming city government and the economy

To 48124:
What do the demographics of Dearborn tell you what Dearborn should have as it relates to commerce or businesses? My life wouldn’t change if Dearborn had a Costco or Kohls. I would welcome these stores for no other reason that I wouldn’t have to drive to Livonia or Southland Mall respectively. I would not call myself an aging relic insofar as that while my family and I are in Dearborn we would like to see stores what we patronize. Dearborn has changed. I think most folks on this blog can at least agree on that but I don’t like what I see and while I am here I will question what the city administration is doing (or not doing) with the hope that stores and culture will re/appear. Eventually, I will vote with my feet and my pocketbook and leave Dearborn (and Wayne County)for a variety of reasons. Many of which are discussed on this blog on a daily basis with seemingly no resolutions in sight.

I think that the biggest problem in the West End has always been, and, is now the rents that the landlords expect to collect in this economy.

Michael – I’m glad that you have met Hakim and find him a nice, personable person. It may benefit you to talk with a few of his ex-tenants and get their experiences with him. You never know what you may hear.

It is a shame that we are so quick to judge what is or is not suitable for our City.
I can’t believe that people judged Cosco, Target, and Kohls to “low brow” for our high-classed city.

Luckily, they could find cities that felt that their tax money and shoppers were a boon to their cities while we sit here with empty building and signs that read “the dream is over”. Maybe, it really is.

I used to always go to Target, Kohl’s, Marshall’s, Costco in California for reasonably priced, quality khaki pants for work. Earlier when everyone wore suits, I went to them for silk ties and shirts that are way less than the prices of Macy’s and other overpriced retailers. I could buy 10 silk ties at these stores, the same brand, for what I paid for one in the Macy’s and fine men’s clothing stores. While some of these stores might not be classy, I didn’t live in the stores, but I saved a lot of money and no one asked or judged me because of where I bought them. I have no issue with these stores.

Also, many valid points about what Dearborn is surrounded by and let’s add in that “in the day” Dearborn was the destination because many of these surrounding communities didn’t have the shopping Dearborn had. Today they have as much, if not more, free parking, are closer to or in their own surrounding communities and these surrounding cities do not have the strict, sometimes too strict codes Dearborn has, which worked fine when we were “the place to visit and shop”, but perhaps they need to be revised. If they were perhaps we’d stand a chance to gain some of this business. But when large desired companies look to market Dearborn, they realize they can save a bundle by obtaining our market and more by going to a surrounding community for much less. A buck is a buck and in this can be millions saved.

As far as city leaders, while I don’t always agree with them, you can email or call them from the city website and I have yet to have anyone not contact me back, hear issues and attempt to resolve them or at least tell me why it cannot be done at this time in the worst economy in my lifetime, with a $20 million projected budget deficit with many citizens, homeowners wanting to keep everything, but not wanting to pay for it all.

As far as Hakim, we discussed the Emagine in detail and while I don’t know it all, don’t know all the sides, there is far more to this than most of us know. Again, write on here and Amer will respond and set up a meeting with Hakim and he will answer all of your questions. I have never, ever known him to turn down requests such as this.

And you should know that whatever Amer prints he plays no games, is sometimes to the point and yes he is a spokesperson for Hakim. If politicians have ghost writers and spokespersons, what’s the big deal if Hakim has one or more. Hakim is a busy man trying to save what he has because he loves Dearborn and wherever I see him people are calling and texting him all the time. I too keep hammering him to take down “The Dream is Over” signs, but if I walked a mile in his shoes, perhaps I’d feel I was justified.

Hakim is far nicer, far more generous with information and his time than most realize. At least give him your thoughts and opinions in person and he will meet with you or your group. Then at least you might know more in detail, then you can form your own opinions. Don’t judge him by a blog. Write on here and ask Amer and they will set up a meeting.

Mike A,

You seem to know HF and Amer really well. Small favor – could you please ask them how much they and their businesses owe in property taxes, and when will they be cutting the check to pay their obligation. If they have already done so, please express my thanks. Look forward to your report on that conversation.

Mike – you know these guys are setting up the City for a lawsuit, right? And your words lend their case credence? I, for one, am confident that they received fair treatment from the City, certainly not what they wanted, but what they were legally entitled to. Development is a real tough business, and lots of folks get burned real bad. There’s an old rap song, “Don’t believe the hype.” Still true after all these years.

Mike, you have been such a great voice for the City, your enthusiasm is contagious. I just think you might want to think twice, now that HF & Co are basking in your credibility.

Amer( Or Should I ask Hakim) Lets get the story straight emagine theater in Royal Oak is on hold. So why would they be intersted in coming to Dearborn. By the way isn’t Fat Burger franchise in bankruptcy. Just would like to know. Mybe you should remove the coming soon sign I think every one is tried of looking at it. By the way Getting a meet with Hakim is like a man waiting for a bus thats never going to come.

JC – thanks for making the point. I felt I’d been too rough on Mike. But you are absolutely correct.

The table is being set by HF for a lawsuit against the City. His problems are about to become our problems. So, in addition to leaving a legacy of wrecked, abandoned, unleased real estate (“the dream”) producing insufficient or negative cash flow – now we as the taxpayers get to litigate over who gets to pick up the tab.

Now that’s a preferred developer.

You said it right here Michael. June 2 at 8:38. What are you smokin’?

“but I too would LOVE to see it work out and take no sides. When emotions and perhaps a lot is at stake financially, when egos being human nature is involved, there are a lot of things that can go wrong. When the economy is in the druthers, and it is not financially feasible to live up to ones promises, which many of us have faced, even more can go wrong as it has.”

Sue Them, thanks for finding it for me. I stand corrected.