On Tuesday, May 11, Wayne County CEO Robert Ficano stood with faith-based leaders from the City of Detroit to witness the demolition of an abandoned home in central Detroit. The home at 17180 Lindsay was among the first of over 450 homes and structures that will be demolished within Detroit's boundaries over the next 45 days as part of the
Wayne County / Detroit Urban Demolition Initiative. Wayne County dedicated $4.5 million in federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds to this project with the goal of creating healthier and safer neighborhoods within Detroit, and to assist Detroit in the redevelopment of property throughout the city.
Within the 140 mile area of the City of Detroit, officials estimate that there are approximately 33,000 vacant homes and 90,000 empty lots. In 2009, the City of Detroit demolished 860 vacant homes, and the City aims to demolish thousands more during 2010 and over the next several years. Working with faith-based leaders and neighborhood nonprofits, who identified the structures in their area that posed the greatest threat to the community, Wayne County staff worked vigorously to put together an aggressive schedule for demolition of
450 structures in 10 areas of the city. The aggressive time frame included attaining the necessary permits and approvals from the City of Detroit and MDEQ, and cutting off all remaining utilities feeding the homes on the targeted demolition list.
While the deterioration of neighborhoods in the City of Detroit is unfortunate, the removal of blighted structures is necessary for the safety of Detroit's citizens. Blighted homes have tended to attract drugs and crime, and have acted as havens for criminal activity in general. Our faith-based partners at the grassroots level understand this phenomenon best, which is why Wayne County enrolled them in the process of identifying structures for demolition.
Furthermore, the overall health of the Metro Detroit region is dependent upon finding new economic uses for abandoned and underutilized property within the City of Detroit. Oakland County's Chief Executive Brooks Patterson alluded to this fact in May's meeting of the "Big 4" at
Pancakes and Politics when he mentioned that the financial health of his county was in jeopardy because of the economic struggles of the city. Through Wayne County's strategic selection of properties to be demolished, the City of Detroit will be better able to leverage and reengineer these properties for economic activity.
As Mayor Bing and the City of Detroit
develop a comprehensive plan for land use within the city to address depopulation, abandonment, and the financial challenges of providing services to all residents, Wayne County CEO Robert Ficano is proud to be a partner in helping the city execute this plan. Through federal funding, input by our faith-based and neighborhood nonprofit partners, foundations, government leaders, and concerned citizens, we will make Detroit's neighborhoods safer and more livable for the citizens of Detroit.
For additional coverage of the Wayne County / Detroit Urban Demolition Initiative, check out the links below:
Geoff Young is an Executive Project Manager with the Wayne County Communications Team and Wayne County EDGE
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