JC Reindl

Detroit Free Press

A self-described "anarchist housing collective" where members live a communal life sharing expenses as they occasionally host live music shows has successfully outbid a land developer trying to buy lots next door for new apartments.

The anarchist group, known as Trumbullplex, owns a pair of Victorian-era houses and a performance space at 4210 Trumbull in the Woodbridge neighborhood, next to the lots. For decades, the group has used one of the city-owned parcels as a gathering spot with greenery, fruit trees, a fire pit and parking for a painted blue school bus.

Many of the collective's 11 residents consider themselves anarchists because they don't believe in government and yearn for a stateless society. The group says it has tried for years to buy the lot, but the city said the land wasn't available.

The group has made the case on social media that the side lot really belongs to the community and serves as a gathering area for neighbors, particularly during the summer months. Woodbridge neighbors who hang out in the lot include musician Sixto Rodriguez, who was the subject of a documentary called 'Searching for Sugarman.'

"Lots of community potlucks have been here," said Trumbullplex resident Joshua Allen, 34, who wants to keep the land as it is. "We've been caring for these two lots since the collective was started ... it would be a bummer to see this turned into a house and a parking lot."

City officials made a tentative decision this week to sell the two side-by-side lots on Trumbull Street in the Woodbridge neighborhood to the collective for $10,000, turning down an equally priced offer from the developer.

The city on Tuesday chose Trumbullplex's equal bid over developer Alex Pereira because it was deemed more important for the community to keep the lots as is. Pereira wants to construct a building on the lots featuring three to six housing units, ground-floor commercial space and an architectural style in keeping with the area's historical character.

"I'm interested in developing on the site to bring additional, much sorely needed housing to the neighborhood," said Pereira, who has done several housing restoration projects in Woodbridge, including a colorful Dr. Seuss-themed house commonly called "the Lorax house."

Pereira, who lives in Woodbridge, said he didn't approach Trumbullplex's members with his plans before going to the city, a point that rankled many in the collective. The group learned of Pereira's land bid last week through the city, which allowed the group to counter offer.

The second of the two lots is next to another Victorian-era home whose private owner keeps the lot mowed and is friendly with Trumbullplex. She, too, opposes the developer's plans.

"We're mad as hell with him," said Saneetha Satterwhite, the 68-year-old homeowner.

The land dispute erupted on Facebook early this week when Trumbullplex published an open letter on its page. The letter demanded that Pereira "stand down" and said, "There are plenty of other available properties you don't need to snatch out from under your neighbors."

Pereira responded on Facebook that "These guys could have easily decided to talk to me in person but instead choose this route. Disappointing."

Trumbullplex retorted in a comment: "Previous speculators have had the respect to knock on our doors."

The collectivists expressed frustration in the open letter that its members, along with their neighbor Satterwhite, tried unsuccessfully for years to buy the lots from the city, only to now see the city give prompt attention to a developer's offer.

The Trumbullplex letter said the group had been told to wait for the lots to become available through the Detroit Land Bank Authority. The land bank runs a side-lots program that offers Detroit homeowners who live next to a vacant lot the opportunity to purchase the lot for just $100.

The Trumbull Street lots were never transferred from city ownership to the land bank.

For her part, Satterwhite said she was informed several times over the past 12 years, including from a Detroit City Council member, that the side lot next to her house was unavailable.

"The few of us who have stayed here for all of our lives, we're the last ones to get consideration," she said.

As the land controversy swirled on social media, city officials held a roundtable discussion and Jed Howbert, executive director of the Jobs and the Economy Team in Mayor Mike Duggan's office, made the decision Tuesday to sell the lots to Trumbullplex, according to mayoral spokesman Dan Austin.

The $10,000 deal is still subject to city council approval.

"The bids were the same," Austin said. "And so Jobs and the Economy decided to go with the proposal that had the most community benefit."

In e-mails and a phone interview with the Free Press, Pereira said he strongly believes that his proposal is the more attractive one for Detroit. He also disputed the notion that his development would eliminate the collective's gathering space because some of that land is on the group's side of the property line.

"Our plan will build a higher tax base, create jobs, bring more people and raise the quality of life in our community," he said.

Pereira said it didn't occur to him to approach his neighbors about his plan because the city is the actual property owner.

"They don't own them," he said. "I didn't see a reason ... When I'm trying to buy something from somebody, I don't go talk to their neighbor — I just buy from the person that owns the stuff. That's just how business works."

If the side lots had been transferred to the Land Bank, the collectivists potentially could have purchased them for $100 a piece. It remains unclear why that never happened.

"When you change administrations, sometimes the plan for getting rid of city-owned land can change," said Austin, the Duggan spokesman. "So I can't speak for the frustrations they had in the past. But certainly this mayor is all about taking publicly-owned land and putting it in the hands of private individuals."

The tentative victory in the land battle has been met with excitement and relief by members of the anarchist collective, who each pay a $300 per month "share" to live at the commune. Trumbullplex has existed as a nonprofit organization since 1994 officially called the Wayne Association for Collective Housing, and their property on Trumbull is said to have been a counterculture beacon since the 1970s.

Collective member Karl Hughes, 32, said there has recently been an internal debate about whether the group should continue describing itself as anarchist, as not all members adhere to that political philosophy.Hughes, for his part, is a true believer.

"I consider myself an anarchist," he declared. "I don't pay taxes. I don't vote. I don't believe in government. I believe we can all govern ourselves."

Contact JC Reindl: 313-222-6631 or jcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@JCReindl.

Key Facts: