Demolition of Decency

Warren’s ADA Fight Exposes a Law Without Teeth

By Frank A. Fiorello | Apr 21. 2026

WARREN- At the corner of 14 Mile and Ryan in Warren, a familiar story is unfolding.

A vacant Rite Aid is being torn down. In its place, a new Speedway is set to rise—another polished symbol of convenience in a city already saturated with gas stations. On paper, it’s redevelopment.

In reality, it’s a test. Because beneath the promise of fresh concrete and rewards points, a more pressing question lingers:

Will this one actually be accessible?

A Law That Was Supposed to Fix This

Nearly five years ago, the Warren City Council unanimously passed what became known as the “Tony Baker Ordinance”—a local law designed to enforce compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 at the city level.

Named after longtime advocate Tony Baker, the ordinance wasn’t meant to reinvent the law—it was meant to enforce it. It gave Warren something many cities lack: local teeth.

Inspectors were supposed to ensure that any new construction, renovation, or change of use met modern accessibility standards before opening to the public.

No shortcuts. No excuses.

And Yet—Here We Are

As the ordinance enters its final transition phase in 2026, advocates are asking a simple question:

Where is the enforcement?

Because across Warren, the same pattern keeps repeating—

New construction. Grand openings. And barriers that never should have been there in the first place.

New Builds, Old Problems

Advocates, including Baker, have flagged multiple high-profile developments that allegedly opened with clear accessibility failures:

• Universal Shopping Center (Ryan Road): Approved for occupancy despite reported non-compliance

• Meijer redevelopment areas: Repaving projects that failed to add required accessible parking

• Additional retail developments lacking proper ramp access between parking lots and entrances

Universal Shopping Center (Ryan Road)

Meijer redevelopment areas

These aren’t legacy buildings from decades ago. They’re new—or newly updated.

And under the ordinance, they should never have passed inspection.

The Bottleneck

The breakdown appears to sit with the city’s Building and Safety Engineering Department.

Despite training initiatives and renewed attention to ADA compliance, advocates describe a persistent disconnect between policy and practice.

The ordinance aligns with updated federal standards—particularly changes that made accessibility requirements more explicit. Accessible parking, for example, is no longer a suggestion placed somewhere in a lot. It must be properly distributed, located, and usable.

Yet many properties still reflect outdated thinking:

• Accessible spaces clustered far from entrances

• Missing or improperly graded ramps

• Doors that remain inaccessible without assistance

When these issues appear in brand-new developments, the message is clear:

Compliance isn’t being enforced.

The Speedway Test

Which brings us back to 14 Mile and Ryan.

This isn’t just another gas station. It’s a redevelopment project requiring full city oversight—from demolition to final inspection.

That means there’s no ambiguity. If barriers exist when it opens, they weren’t missed—they were allowed. Because accessibility isn’t something that gets fixed later. It’s something that’s either built correctly from day one—or not at all.

A Deadline—and a Reality Check

Warren is now in Year 5 of the ordinance’s transition plan. At the same time, new federal accessibility requirements are taking effect in April 2026, raising the bar even higher for municipalities.

City officials have begun discussing updated ADA transition plans and consulting with outside experts. On paper, that’s progress.

On the ground, many residents see something else:

The same obstacles. The same excuses.

Let's Be Frank

Warren doesn’t have a lack of laws, it has a lack of enforcement.

Until a Certificate of Occupancy actually guarantees accessibility, the city’s most vulnerable residents will continue to face barriers in places that were just built.

The “Tony Baker Ordinance” was supposed to change that.

Instead, five years later, it risks becoming something far less impactful—

A paper tiger in a concrete world.