candgnews.com
WORKING THROUGH 22A THEIR GOLDEN YEARS
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SEPTEMBER 20, 2023 Vol. 34, No. 20
INSIDE SECTION B CHECK OUT THE LATEST COMMUNITY CALENDAR
City adopts front yard paving, driveway regulations BY ERIC CZARNIK eczarnik@candgnews.com
Sterling Heights is setting some new, concrete rules for the paving of front yards and residential driveways, though the regulations are more lenient than proposed ones that were rejected earlier this year. On Sept. 5, the City Council voted
unanimously to adopt the new rules, which were initially introduced at an Aug. 15 council meeting. During that meeting, City Planner and Development Manager Jake Parcell explained how some homeowners pave a large area of their front yards, particularly in order to build bigger driveways. But city officials say this makes the city less green and has other negative ramifica-
tions, including burdening the stormwater system with more runoff, polluting stormwater sent to the Clinton River, trapping heat in neighborhoods, and harming property values via blight. “The city’s Sustainability Plan acknowledges the need for the city to act and protect its water assets by reducing pollution and supporting its practice in improving
water quality within the city,” Parcell said. “This also is a direct result of strategic planning two years ago from the city of Sterling Heights.” The City Council had discussed the driveway issue March 21 but turned down proposed regulations that were stricter. For instance, the previous proposal would’ve See PAVING on page 5A
CHURCH MINI PANTRY OPENS TO HELP THE HOMELESS BY ERIC CZARNIK eczarnik@candgnews.com
A new church food pantry is ready to reach out to the three H’s: the hungry, the hurting and the homeless. Martha Powers and her husband, Ron, have just finished the installation of a Mini Food and Hygiene Pantry this month at Utica United Methodist Church. Martha Powers said the new mini pantry is accessible from outside the church building to give food and hygiene kits to people in need. “Our church is trying to become more connected to our neighborhood and the needs of our neighbors,” she explained. Powers explained that Utica United already has a pantry inside the church that collaborates with a food bank. But Powers said beneficiaries of that program are required to present documentation of residency in Macomb County. “For the homeless, that then narrows the field,” she said. “We decided that doing a mini pantry on the property of our church would allow the homeless to find some food that they would need and could use.”
Ron Powers stands beside the new Mini Food and Hygiene Pantry outside Utica United Methodist Church Sept 13. Powers and his wife, Martha, organized the new mini pantry project to help the homeless. They also received help from the nonprofit Wave Project. Photos by Patricia O’Blenes
See PANTRY on page 21A
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