Detroit spares 40,000 homes from demolition, saves millions

[FrodosPet]

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/29673830/detroit-spares-40000-homes-from-demolition-saves-millions

Posted: Jul 30, 2015 5:22 PM EDT
By Erika Erickson

More than 24 months ago, the city of Detroit announced it would tear down more than 80,000 vacant homes. After a second look, Detroit officials say they can spare half of those homes and save millions in the process.

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This home is one of thousands that Mayor Mike Duggan says can actually be salvaged. Why is it being spared now? A new report by the Blight Removal Task Force revealed roughly half of the 84,000 homes slated for demolition can remain standing.

"We're rolling into these neighborhoods, suing the owners of the abandoned houses, making them either fix up the house or we sell it. It's having a dramatic effect," Duggan said.

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Duggan says roughly 40,000 homes still need to be demolished and at $12,000 each it won't be cheap, but it will be cheaper than taking down 84,000.

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[RandySF]

1. Many of those houses are beyond repair

And have been hosts to numerous fires and incidents of rape.

[FrodosPet]

2. I am in Detroit several times a month on cab runs

Yes, the "ruin porn" is real. Burned out and crumbling, these eyesores make anyone who loves the city sad to see how low it has been brought.

At the same time, there are still many many beautiful middle class houses, maintained with love and care by their owners and/or residents. Among the rest, there are some damaged, but still salvageable homes and commercial buildings.

I hope the recent wave of attention and optimism can be sustained, so that Detroit can once again be a magnificent city, capable of sustaining its residents with commerce and growth.

[Romulox]

3. Even if they aren't beyond repair, there's nobody to live there. nt

[FrodosPet]

4. Hopefully, that will change as people wake up to the financial, transportation, and water advantages

Unfortunately, when people do start to fix the neighborhoods, there are some who start yelling "Gentrification!" because they believe that the city must remain a shithole in order to help the people living in squalor.