Detroit Thermal lacks green light for steam project in historic Lafayette Park — for now
The controversy has pitted neighbors against each other as one side presses for steam to heat a high-rise
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Detroit Thermal must wait at least a little longer before moving forward with a controversial steam project through Lafayette Park’s historic residential area.
On Wednesday, the Detroit Historic District Commission stopped short of approving or rejecting the proposal, instead requesting more details from the company before making a decision. The delay means Detroit Thermal still lacks the permission it needs to install steam infrastructure that would run through the heart of the nationally recognized neighborhood.
The Detroit Thermal project has drawn fierce opposition from some residents who fear it will damage the landscape and endanger children who play in the area, while others, including residents of the 30-story high-rise at 1300 Lafayette, say it’s urgently needed to replace a failed boiler system.
Detroit Thermal presented an updated plan at the meeting, pledging not to place steam vents on the playground, to avoid removing trees, and to restore the neighborhood’s landscaping once the work is complete. But the revised proposal wasn’t delivered to the commission until the day before the hearing, leaving many residents little time to review the changes.
More than 60 residents, both for and against the project, spoke during the meeting.
In a statement after the hearing, Detroit Thermal spokesman Harvey Hollins III framed the dispute as a disagreement between neighbors.
“This is a dispute between two sets of neighbors in Detroit’s historic Lafayette Park: the 600-plus residents at 1300 Lafayette East Cooperative who need a new heating system before winter, and some nearby residents who have raised concerns about the proposed solution,” Hollins said. “It’s clear from today’s hearing that the commission and community desire more details and communication. We will provide both.”
The commission asked the company to return with specifics about how landscaping would be protected, where equipment would be stored, and what impact the project might have on mature trees.
Detroit Thermal’s plan would reconnect 1300 Lafayette to the city's underground steam system after its boilers failed, forcing the building to rely on rented heating units. But the proposed path cuts through parkland and near a beloved playground, raising safety concerns.
As Metro Times previously reported, Detroit Thermal began excavation last summer without notifying nearby residents or getting permission from the Historic District Commission. The city later issued a stop-work order and suspended the company’s permit until the Historic District Commission could weigh in.
Residents say they were alarmed when construction equipment appeared near a playground without warning, damaging a mature magnolia tree and creating safety hazards. In response, children painted signs that read “We play here” and “Save our playground.”
In written complaints to the commission, residents raised concerns about potential burns from steam vents, the destruction of 60-year-old honey locust trees, and the introduction of infrastructure they say is out of step with the neighborhood’s historic design.
Detroit Thermal has pushed back, saying it doesn’t intend to place vents in the playground and that the updated proposal uses smaller, unobtrusive stacks. The company also said it would fully restore any disrupted landscaping and emphasized the project has been deemed in the public interest by both state and local authorities.
Detroit Thermal says its distribution lines carry low-pressure steam -- at or below 45 pounds per square inch.
Still, the company’s approach has come under scrutiny. Residents say Detroit Thermal operated without proper permits and failed to communicate key details, while also minimizing the risks of placing high-pressure steam lines under a residential neighborhood.
Detroit Thermal says it is not pursuing legal action and is instead working to win commission approval. But during a community Zoom meeting earlier this week, Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield and her staff said a court may ultimately have to decide the matter.
For now, the project remains in limbo, with the Historic District Commission calling for more transparency and collaboration.
“We heard an impressive amount of information and input,” the commission’s chair, Tiffany Franklin, said Wednesday, urging neighbors to work together “in the best interest of everybody in Lafayette Park.”
