Water Street is a 28-acre parcel of city-owned land in downtown Ypsilanti, purchased in 2000 for approximately $29 million under City Manager Ed Koryzno. The purchase was intended to anchor a major mixed-use redevelopment near the Huron River. Twenty-seven years later, the land remains largely undeveloped, the city has spent approximately $33 million total, the debt still affects Ypsilanti's fiscal position, and an active encampment on the property has produced documented reports of sexual assault and children in the woods.
Timeline of Failure
2000 — City Manager Ed Koryzno proposes $29M purchase. Council approves. City buys 28 acres near the Huron River.
2007 — Frances McMullan hired as City Clerk/Deputy Treasurer under Mayor Schreiber. She will manage Water Street debt for the next 16 years.
2014–2018 — Mayor Amanda Edmonds pursues International Village development: $300M mixed-use project for Chinese students on Water Street land. Developer Amy Foster pays for officials' trip to China. City Attorney Barr calls it "unethical and illegal." Edmonds narrowly escapes censure. Project collapses.
2019 — McMullan made permanent City Manager. Begins using city credit card daily for personal purchases while managing Water Street debt obligations.
2022–2023 — Brown mayoralty. McMullan departs. Water Street debt continues drawing down city reserves at ~$800K/year toward projected 2027 fiscal cliff.
Feb. 2025 — City issues vacate notice for active encampment on Water Street parcel. Notice remains unenforceable.
June 2026 — Encampment still active. Reports of sexual assault and children in the woods. Council votes June 16 on Resolution 240 for encampment removal. A block and a half away, YAA celebrates groundbreaking on city-transferred land the same day.
2026 — Ed Koryzno, who proposed the original purchase in 2000, now sits on the Water Street Ad Hoc Committee — planning the parcel's future alongside officials who inherited the consequences of his decision.
The Fiscal Wound
Ypsilanti is drawing down its general fund reserves at approximately $800,000 per year to service the Water Street debt and fund operations. At that rate, the city faces a projected fiscal cliff in 2027. The city that cannot enforce a vacate notice at Water Street also cannot fund its police department to authorized strength, is weighing a $1M unarmed responder program, and continues to pay Frances McMullan — who managed these finances while stealing $20,000 — two pensions.
Documented Connections
Ed Koryzno — Original Purchase / Ad Hoc Committee
Koryzno proposed the $29M Water Street purchase as City Manager in 2000. He now sits on the Water Street Ad Hoc Committee, helping plan the parcel's future. McMullan worked under him from 2007–2012.
Frances McMullan — Managed the Debt While Stealing
McMullan served as City Manager from 2019–2023, responsible for Water Street's fiscal management, while simultaneously using the city credit card almost daily for personal purchases. She paid $125 and collects two pensions.
Amanda Edmonds / China Trip — 2017
The most ambitious Water Street redevelopment attempt — International Village — collapsed after it emerged that developer Amy Foster paid for city officials' trip to Beijing. The 28 acres sat empty before, during, and after.
February 2025 Vacate Notice — Still Unenforceable
The city issued a vacate notice for the Water Street encampment in February 2025. As of June 2026 — over a year later — the notice has not been enforced. The encampment has produced reports of sexual assault and children in the woods. Council votes June 16, 2026 on Resolution 240 to authorize removal.
Youth Arts Alliance — Same Block, Different Treatment
On the same day as the YAA groundbreaking at 326 E. Michigan — land the city transferred free, declared blighted to unlock grants, and paid to brand — the Water Street encampment a block and a half west remained active and unaddressed.