DETROIT – The Detroit Demolition Department has been working to eliminate blight in the city ahead of Detroit Demo Week.
Homeowners on Northlawn Street near West Chicago and Wyoming Avenue have been waiting for a demolition crew for years to take down an abandoned house that has been an “eyesore.” “We want to maintain the beautification of our neighborhood, and the stability, and the quality of life for our neighbors,” one homeowner said.
The Detroit Demolition Department is working to demolish 8,000 homes and stabilize 6,000 homes for resale by 2025.
“Mayor Duggan has been very focused on ensuring a blight to beauty concept across the city, and this is another continued effort to address that,” said Detroit Demolition Department Director LaJuan Counts.
The demolition crew used the “wet wet wet” method on the abandoned home. Crews wet the house entirely before, during, and after demolition to prevent harmful dust particles from affecting neighbors.
“It’s wonderful, man, not only downtown but in our neighborhood, it’s a beautiful thing,” said another homeowner.
Demolition efforts like this are funded through Prop N, which voters passed in 2020. However, officials say there needs to be a plan to prevent this level of blight and demolition from happening again. The Demolition Department is asking the city council to double its budget in the 2024 fiscal year, going from nearly $11 million to more than $21 million. The city council will adopt the budget in early April.
“So far, we are about 3,600 properties in, and we are actively pursuing them on a daily basis,” Counts said.
Neighbors say removing blight makes them feel safer in their own homes. “My family members coming home at night, things like that, we don’t know who’s going to pop out so it’s a beautiful thing,” a homeowner said.
For more information about Detroit Demo Week or to find out how to get a house near you demolished, visit the city of Detroit’s website by clicking here.