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'I hope City Council says no.' Detroit City Council to vote on transfer of land at Riverside Park

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(WXYZ) — The Detroit City Council is expected to vote on the transfer of land at Riverside Park to the Detroit International Bridge Company which is owned by the Maroun Family.

Residents who live in the area want certain conditions in place to protect their community before the land is transferred.

"The noise is incredible. The pounding, the banging, the. I mean, it's just terrible," Irma Salidivar said.

Salidivar lives near the Ambassador Bridge and the land behind her home is owned by the Maroun Family. She says she and many others who live near St. Anne Street think the transparency by the bridge company is lacking. They also allege that they haven't been fair to their request to expand operations and that begins with a section of the nearby Riverside Park.

"They're getting too close. Too close for comfort for me anyhow," Rueben Romero, another resident living near the Ambassador Bridge said.

Their biggest fear is the Bridge Company will close St Anne Street from Fort to Lafayette and move their wall further into the neighborhood which means the tearing down of homes.

"If they want to do the land deal, we're for that. We're supportive. But we just say first agree that you will not seek to expand that wall and seek to displace all the residents along this street. And that's what we want city government to support us on," Jennifer Giroux with the Hubbard Richard Residents Association said.

"I hope City Council says no," Reuben adds. "I really do."

In a statement, Matt Moroun said, "the city is not “giving” the bridge anything. A contract was made for the city to exchange the property after we performed our obligations. We’ve done everything we were supposed to under the contract and the city needs to fulfill its end of the agreement."