Published April 15, 2025

Hammoud detailed exciting new projects and current work to ensure City remains favored destination in 2025 address

DEARBORN, MI — In his second State of the City address, titled "Destination Dearborn," Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud laid out the progress on key promises and commitments to residents and exciting future plans that address public spaces, health, well-being, safety, and economic vitality.

Mayor Hammoud stated, “We are here to reflect on the progress we’ve made, to hold ourselves accountable to the promises we set, and to chart the path forward - together.”

Kicking off the address with a vintage Dearborn promotional video, the Mayor highlighted how the city has had enduring appeal to families like his own, with its promise of safety, community, and economic independence, ensuring that the city remains a favored destination.

Hammoud stated, “It was a city that made a promise—a promise that if you come here, plant roots, work hard, and give back to your community, you too can achieve the American Dream.”

Throughout the address, Hammoud affirmed the city’s strength as a premier destination and the fastest-growing community in Michigan, driven by investments in safe neighborhoods, vibrant downtowns, and family-friendly programming.

Hammoud stated, “Dearborn has transformed over the years, but that promise has carried through generations. And it is incumbent upon us to decide what Dearborn will promise tomorrow and every day after.”

Delivering on promises

Outlining key achievements since taking office, Hammoud emphasized fiscal responsibility, noting his administration’s push to propose three consecutive structurally balanced budgets while keeping the lowest tax rate since 2010 and obtaining over $120 million in grants to put towards dozens of projects.

Centering Dearborn parks as a focal destination, Hammoud laid out the results of significant investments in the City’s public green spaces, with three new innovative PEACE parks, as well as enhancements like the City’s first adaptive playscapes for children of all abilities.

Hammoud said, “We are proud to announce that, by the summer of this year, every single family living in the city of Dearborn will be just 10 minutes away from an accessible playscape at Crowley, Lapeer, and Ford Woods Park.”

With traffic safety being a top priority, Hammoud highlighted a fully staffed and fully funded police department that has worked through a three-pronged approach of enforcement, education, and engineering. This includes a record increase in citations and the reintroduction of the 19th District Court Traffic School for drivers found to have violated traffic laws. Hammoud announced plans to use $1.5 million in grants over the summer to install 300 speed humps, 100 illuminated stop signs, 60 speed radar displays, 40 illuminated one-way intersection signs, over 20 raised pedestrian crosswalks, 12 school zone crossing signs, and 5 flashing beacons. 

In addition, the City will pursue its first-ever roundabout at the intersection of Chase and Ruby and will reengineer one of Dearborn’s most dangerous left turns at Schaefer and Prospect. 

Hammoud also detailed how the City’s efforts to employ various strategies to mitigate flooding in Dearborn have led to tangible results. Since 2023, City has worked to remove 50 log jams, bringing down levels across the Rouge River by over one foot, allowing stormwater draining from neighborhoods at a faster rate, reducing flooding. 
New bioswales along Morrow Circle capture up to 40,000 gallons of rainwater per storm, with plans to scale up the initiative. Further plans already underway are the clearing of a key water line to increase capacity as well as designing large-scale backflow preventers to protect thousands of homes in flood-prone neighborhoods in East Dearborn.

The results of a comprehensive, multi-year storm and sewer system study are to be revealed later this year. Over $25 million have been programmed for flood preparedness thus far, with additional projects to be announced in the coming months.

The City has made significant progress toward its public health and environmental justice goals, working with the City Council to issue the state’s strictest ordinances controlling hazardous industrial waste to further clamp down on harmful fugitive dust. An up to $4 million settlement with a local corporation has inspired other businesses to follow suit to avoid legal action.

Hammoud said that in Dearborn, “We know that environmental justice isn’t just a slogan; it’s something we have to design for, zone for, and push for.”
 

Charting the path forward

Hammoud also charted his administration’s ongoing vision for the city, including unveiling ambitious projects to further core priorities.

Hammoud announced the transformation of Dearborn's Esper Branch Library into a premier children's interactive STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) center, inspired by neighboring community spaces for curious young minds. 

Free to all Dearborn families, the center will be “a place where young minds can tinker with circuits, explore 3D printing, and engage in hands-on science projects,” offering activities with robotics, music, arts, and engineering.

Prioritizing de-industrialization and increasing permeable green surfaces as key strategies for improving stormwater management, Hammoud announced a major new green project in the city’s industrialized Southend, thanks to the support of Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. The Dearborn Industrial Greenbelt project aims to create a green buffer, reducing air pollution and absorbing floodwaters while slowing down traffic along Industrial St. The City has acquired over 213,000 square feet of land for this ambitious project and worked with architects and urban planners from the University of Michigan to make it a reality.

Centering on bold public health policy, Hammoud also announced that Rx Kids — a visionary program to improve infant and maternal health led by Dr. Mona Hanna in Flint — will be coming to Dearborn. Through the program, every Dearborn mother welcoming a baby will receive $4,500 over six months.

Hammoud said, “This is exactly the kind of upstream, transformative public health solution that defines the future we’re building here.”

The program is made possible by funding and support from Wayne County and partnership with  County Executive Warren Evans and Deputy County Executive Assad Turfe, as well as State funding secured with the help of State Senator Sylvia Santana and State Representative Alabas Farhat. 

With a new website unveiled last year, Dearborn is also drastically improving its services,  including the introduction of online permitting later this year and a new 24/7 response center. Now, residents can call 311 anywhere in the city of Dearborn at any time to receive assistance from the City. Residents can also get help navigating City services in Arabic, Spanish, and English with the help of a virtual agent online at Dearborn.gov.

Finally, Hammoud also pointed to major investments in the Warren Avenue business corridor, including roadway safety and facade improvements, and efforts to address blight in the city already underway with the demolitions and transformations of long-vacant properties. 

Hammoud emphasized, “Becoming a destination city isn’t just about new buildings or business growth—it’s about creating real opportunities for everyone to lead healthy, dignified lives.  It means looking out for our families when others won’t. It means filling the gaps and stepping up where it matters most. That’s what we do every day—scanning the globe for bold, evidence-based programs we can bring home to Dearborn. And we are doing that again.”

A live stream of the Mayor’s address will be made available on the City’s website, Dearborn.gov, and at YouTube.com/CityofDearborn. 

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View a transcript of the 2025 Dearborn State of the City Address