Real Estate & Property Law

Detroit Trying To Get It Together

By Alan Ackerman

Detroit News

Bing's staff said the mayor is in the beginning stages of forming a plan and cautioned it's too early to exclude options, including closing parts of the city, using condemnation or seizing land through eminent domain.

But Bing is beginning to employ a targeted approach. His staff is already targeting neighborhoods with most of the roughly $60 million in stimulus money the federal money has provided for demolitions and rehabs. Staffers say Bing is considering earmarking federal block grant funds -- which fund nonprofits that provide everything from tax preparation to mentoring programs -- for certain neighborhoods.

"The first priority of any plan will be taking down buildings that pose a public safety threat," according to a written statement from the mayor's office. "The plan that follows will have broad input from city departments, the community and land use experts outside city government."
    
The City administration of Detroit has taken 180° turn from where it stood three years ago.  Over half the City Council is now gone and a new Mayor is taking a serious look at what is left of the City.  
    
The most recent proposal is one in which, effectively, neighborhoods would simply be closed, with the remaining property being acquired by eminent domain.  This is a very harsh way to go, but it is likely constitutional.  The need for elimination of blight includes being able to have the funds necessary to eliminate blight wherever possible.  In the case of Detroit, there are many neighborhoods that have so deteriorated it is rational to simply seek closure of the neighborhood itself.
    
Hopefully, fair market value will be paid in the process. 
 

Full post as published by National Eminent Domain Blog on February 26, 2010 (boomark / email).