Discuss Detroit » Archives - Beginning January 2007 » Planning Magazine features Detroit's Nuisance Abatement Program « Previous Next »
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Andyd188
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Username: Andyd188

Post Number: 1
Registered: 05-2007
Posted on Saturday, May 26, 2007 - 11:29 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

It always troubled me to see all the abandoned homes in Detroit. I frequently wondered what the City and County were doing about this serious problem, so I decided to work one summer for the Wayne County Nuisance Abatement program, condemning dangerous properties. I decided to write an article on my experience. A link is attached below:

http://www.hallrender.com/libr ary/articles/226/1-00001.PDF
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Southwestmap
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Username: Southwestmap

Post Number: 820
Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - 12:56 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Andy: the link does not appear to work. So no one is commenting.
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Johnlodge
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Username: Johnlodge

Post Number: 481
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - 1:00 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Worked for me just fine.
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El_jimbo
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Username: El_jimbo

Post Number: 184
Registered: 12-2006
Posted on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - 1:06 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The link worked for me. Interesting article. How big of a staff does this program have? It sounds like a massive undertaking.
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Detroitplanner
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Username: Detroitplanner

Post Number: 1260
Registered: 04-2006
Posted on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - 1:22 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I read that in Planning. There were few surprises to be had. Folks basically complained that the govt was telling them what they could do with their land, even though they were just holding onto it because they made a bad investment decision and got into speculative home buying without knowing what they were doing.
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Dougw
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Username: Dougw

Post Number: 1705
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - 4:13 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Nice article. Michael Russell & the NAP folks helped out our neighborhood last year by filing suits & posting summons on a few abandoned properties.

One area where the NAP can only do so much is with the current rash of foreclosures... when a house is in the early stages of foreclosure, or in the redemption period, an owner isn't going to do much in response to an NAP suit if he or she knows that a foreclosure is coming up anyway. I think this is the situation with a lot of abandoned homes right now. Once the bank finally owns the home, though, the NAP can go after them if it's still left in abandoned condition...
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Rocket_city
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Username: Rocket_city

Post Number: 272
Registered: 04-2006
Posted on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - 6:41 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Every time I get my edition of Planning Mag in the mail, I always say, "Hmmm, I wonder if Detroit and Michigan exist in the planning world?" Usually, long periods of time go by until something is written or acknowledged in Detroit/MI in Planning Mag.

St. Louis' renaissance was featured in the current issue, and so in fairness, I would hope that the APA would consider doing a similar story on Detroit in the future.
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6nois
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Username: 6nois

Post Number: 283
Registered: 11-2006
Posted on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - 9:01 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I honestly think this is a good program. I keep an I eye on the counties site, and hope to buy one of these homes someday to fix up and live in. I want to use it as part of my masters thesis.
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Queensfinest
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Username: Queensfinest

Post Number: 116
Registered: 08-2006
Posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 - 1:39 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Nice article. I just received that issue in the mail today and read your article and the St. Louis article.

Seems like every month or so there are one or two articles worth reading in "Planning".

For the most part though, I find the APA and their publications to be disappointing.
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Dannaroo
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Username: Dannaroo

Post Number: 59
Registered: 05-2006
Posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 - 8:37 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

El Jimbo:

I don't know the numbers they have but I recently had a class with a law student who currently works with the Nuisance Abatement Program and was told that the office had suffered some major cuts once Kym Worthy took over in the Prosecutor's Office because some old woman she went to church with had her home taken after her grandson was arrested for selling drugs out of it...

Of course, I take everything I hear from a law student with a grain of salt ;-)
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Andyd188
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Username: Andyd188

Post Number: 2
Registered: 05-2007
Posted on Friday, June 01, 2007 - 9:45 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thanks for the comments guys/gals. I think the NAP does some great work in the community, its unfortunate that they are not afforded more resources by the City/County. When I was working for the program, they had a number of attorneys and admin staff assigned to this project, I don't know if that has changed or not.
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Charlottepaul
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Username: Charlottepaul

Post Number: 1056
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Friday, June 01, 2007 - 1:47 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Is the hold-up solely resources, or is it quite a process within the courts to get these cases through there as well?
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Andyd188
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Username: Andyd188

Post Number: 3
Registered: 05-2007
Posted on Sunday, June 03, 2007 - 7:11 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I believe the hold up is primarily resources combined with a large number of properties qualifying as a "Nuisance." The process is also time consuming, the County must provide any potential owner with notice, the owner is then given a number of months to either fix up the property, sell the property or do nothing and the County will take the property. If my memory serves correctly, this can sometimes take up to a year. Luckily there are community groups like the Motor City Blight Busters, and others who have also helped clean up various neighborhoods.

Andrew

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