DETROIT (WXYZ) — The City of Detroit is taking legal action to seize control of a vacant apartment complex on the city's west side following years of neglect and illegal trash dumping.
Watch Simon Shaykhet's video report:
Two weeks after I helped expose the conditions at the property at Greenfield and Grove, the city cleaned and boarded up the site.
PREVIOUS STORY: Cleanup begins at vacant Detroit apartment that has racked up nearly $100K in fines
Now, officials are seeking a court order to take possession of the complex, secure it for the long term, and, ideally, sell it to a developer to renovate and rent out the units.
PREVIOUS STORY: Neglect, illegal dumping at vacant Detroit apartment leaves neighbors frustrated
Inside City Hall, I met with the head of the Detroit Law Department, Conrad Mallett, to hear firsthand how his office is seeking to hold the owner accountable. Two lawsuits have been filed, and fines for the complex are nearly $100,000.
"He has to comply with the city ordinance," Mallett said. "We’ve got two default judgments. We now want to go to court and say, " Your honor, listen, he’s basically, by his lack of offering a defense, admitted everything we said in our complaint is true."
The city is still working to serve the owner with a copy of the lawsuit. The owner has not responded to my request for comment.
I visited the vacant complex again today to ensure it hasn't returned to a site for dumping trash or squatting. The city has installed additional security cameras and fencing at the complex to keep it safe.
Neighbor Rathael Baldwin lives nearby and is glad the city is keeping its word.
"What would be better than this? Make sure they don’t be dumping here no more," Baldwin said. "As long as the right people are in it, it’s good."
I also re-connected with Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters, who is fighting to tackle blight. She was among those I first shared images of the complex with before the cleanup, and she committed to seeing the issue resolved.
"Two weeks later, folks are wondering what’s happening here," Waters said. "I’m very grateful our law department has really taken the initiatives in going after these people. But, guess what, they still need state law behind them."
Waters hopes tougher laws currently in the works at the state level can help the city level harsher penalties against landlords.
Another update is expected within a few weeks at the next court hearing.
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