DETROIT – On Thursday afternoon, you could hear the buzz of trimmers and the roar of heavy machines as a large group of city workers made their way down an alley off Buena Vista Street near Petoskey in Detroit.
Neighbors said that sound was music to some of their ears. The workers were part of a crew that’s been clearing overgrown alleys and blight, including trash, dead brush, illegal dumping, and other junk, as part of the city of Detroit’s Alley Clean Up Program.
“What happens is you get the raccoons, the possums, the squirrels, and everything growing in the empty houses,” said Rita Ross, a longtime neighbor in the Russell Woods-Sullivan community.
Crews have been working to eliminate nuisance conditions since the Alley Clean Up Program was launched in 2020.
Thursday’s (March 28) efforts marked the completion of cleaning 3,000 alleys. According to a representative from Detroit’s Blight Remediation Division, the city has removed about 15,000 junk tires and cleaned nearly 15 million square feet of blighted alleyways so far.
“Oh, it’s beautiful,” said neighbor Joan Harris.
Decades ago, the city of Detroit vacated its alleys, making upkeep the responsibility of nearby property owners.
“Enforcement is the most difficult thing there is,” Ross said. “So, if somehow we can get better enforcement, we wouldn’t have these problems.”
For now, neighbors and the city of Detroit are focusing on transformation. City crews are tackling the major work under the Alley Clean Up program.
Block clubs and neighborhood associations identifying alleys that need to be serviced must hold at least two alley clean-up events annually.
As the clean-up work continues, some city leaders send a strong message to perpetrators.
“Do not dump in Detroit,” said Councilman Fred Durhal, III. “Detroit is not a dumping ground. Our residents love our city, and we love our neighborhood, and we want to ensure that they stay clean.”
The city of Detroit is selecting the alleys based on recommendations from registered block clubs and neighborhood associations.
Click here for more details about the process or to complete an alley clean-up request form.