DEARBORN — On Monday, the Dearborn City Planning Commission hosted a meeting at city hall with the objective of moving forward on a garage ordinance that has generated wide spread attention in recent months. The controversy has triggered questions, regarding racial preference in the City’s decisions to implement and enforce laws.

In a 7-0 vote, the commission tabled the item, so that Assistant City Attorney William DeBiasi could incorporate some suggestions into the revised ordinance, which currently includes some unclear language. DeBiasi has been modifying ordinance 2.03-A, “Accessory buildings and structures,” which covers the laws of garage usage, since 2012.

In recent years, the City had begun issuing citations to residents who have been using their garage as a living space. Some of these residents have incorporated into their garages, stoves, refrigerators, sliding glass doors, tile and other household items. The City has raised a number of concerns regarding such actions, including that they could present safety and fire problems.

The revised ordinance would allow a garage to be used for parking vehicles, gardening supplies, hobby supplies and an occasional place to socialize, or host parties. However, cooking, sleeping and improper heating would be outlawed, which were items that weren’t covered in the old ordinance.  

Additionally, the commissioners appeared to agree that a sliding glass door should be allowed in a garage, as long as it is located on the side or the back, while the overhead garage door would be required to remain intact. The commissioners explained that a sliding glass door that serves as the main entry point for a garage would make it difficult to park vehicles. One of the City’s arguments is that many neighborhoods are becoming more congested, because vehicles are being parked on the streets, as opposed to inside of the garage.   

Nabolsi speaks to the commission.

In contrast, some residents have taken issue with the idea of sliding glass doors all together. Speaking to the commission during the meeting, Marium Wilke, president of the Eastborn Neighborhood Association, said that sliding glass doors are unattractive, could be a safety hazard to children, and should be kept away from garages. Wilke, a resident of Dearborn since the 70’s, was backed by several other residents, who all cheered her on when she said that she was fed up with the actions of some of her neighbors, who store garbage bins, gardening supplies and bicycles around the garage, as opposed to inside of it, because the garage is being used as a living space.

Muheeb Nabolsi, a resident who lives on Orchard Ave., told the commission that he can’t help but feel that the City is targeting Arabs in particular. 

“I have full feelings that this is discrimination against our culture,” Nabolsi told the commission. His statement was met with mixed reactions from both the commission and residents in attendance. 

Commissioner Tawfiq Hassan, quickly fired back at Nabolsi, stating that the commission has no intention to discriminate against Arabs, and no one should assume that they are the only ones using their garages as living spaces. Hassan said that he knows many Italian families who use their garages in similar ways as well.

But Nabolsi then alleged that a City employee had directly told him that this was a “Lebanese problem,” despite the fact that Nabolsi is not Lebanese himself. Nabolsi provided photographs of his garage, which includes a sliding glass door as the main entry point. He insists that he could fit six cars in his driveway, and that there should be no reason to implement any sort of rule that would require residents to park vehicles in their garages. Nabolsi agreed that a garage should not be used as a living space because of safety, but that no reason should exist to outlaw sliding glass doors. 

Another resident, who identified herself as Mrs. Carter, told the commission that this doesn’t seem like an Arab vs. non-Arab issue, but rather a “Have’s vs. Have Not’s” issue.

“I think it’s a jealousy issue. I would love to have a finished garage, but I don’t even have a finished basement. If you want to put tile in your garage, then put tile in your garage…Whose business is it if you want to spend some money on your house? It’s better for the neighborhood. We should celebrate families getting together.  That’s what makes Dearborn ‘Dearborn’,” she told the commission. 

Also present at the meeting was a representative from the Wayne County Michigan Campaign for Liberty, who told the commission that the City has no right to enforce a rule where residents must park vehicles in their garages, because parking cars on the street is not illegal. He went on to say that the City cannot dictate what can and can’t go inside of a garage, because that would infringe on people’s freedoms. 

The revised ordinance had outlined that a two-car garage would only be in compliance if enough room existed to park two vehicles inside of it.  Some concerns were raised over that particular section, with attendees suggesting that it would be a difficult task for a number of residents to park two vehicles in a garage if they are also storing supplies inside of it. 

The Planning Commission finally decided to adjourn the meeting and take up the issue again at a later date.  Once the ordinance is finally passed by the commission, it will head to city council for final approval. The next commission meeting will take place on Monday, August 12 at 7 p.m.