OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Public Health & Safety Committee: Dangerous Buildings Hearings - Oct 20, 2025

City Council — Monday, October 20, 2025
BodyDetroit, Michigan
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, October 20, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:33:19

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Good afternoon, everyone.

0:01

I would like to call to order our public health and safety standing committee for the purposes of our dangerous buildings hearings for today, Monday, October 20th, 2025.

0:12

May the clerk please call the roll.

0:14

Councilmember Gabriella Santiago Romero.

0:17

Present.

0:17

Councilmember Scott Benson.

0:19

Councilmember Mary Waters.

0:21

Member Waters did indicate that she would be absent, so her absence is excused.

0:25

Clerk has noted.

0:26

Madam Chair, you have a quorum present.

0:28

Thank you, Madam Clerk, given a quorum.

0:29

We'll go right into the hearings for today.

0:32

For folks that are online or joining us in person, you are here at our dangerous buildings hearings.

0:40

We will get started shortly after we hear introductions from the administration, followed by our legislative policy division explaining the purposes of these hearings.

0:52

I'll go over what to expect once we've heard from the administration and from LPD to the administration.

1:18

And request a deferral or demolition order.

1:21

This means that you must do the following.

1:24

One, provide proof of ownership and interest in the property.

1:28

Two, pay all required inspection fees.

1:31

Three, secure all openings on your building from trespass and the elements and remove all exterior debris, abandoned vehicles, overgrowth, etc.

1:41

Four, make or pay arrangements regarding any delinquent city taxes.

1:46

Five, obtain the necessary permits to bring your building into compliance with all applicable codes.

1:51

And six, submit uh completed deferral application.

1:57

Thank you to the administration LPD.

2:00

Thank you, madam chair.

2:01

In addition to the important information just shared by the representative of the administration about the nature and potential consequences of these hearings, people should be aware these are legally required.

2:11

Excuse me.

2:12

Administrative appeals hearings from previous informal hearings with the Department of Building Safety Engineering and Environment, B seed.

2:18

These are the legally required hearings for all the buildings on today's dangerous buildings list in order to demolish them or for the owners to oppose demolition.

2:26

This is the committee's opportunity as required by law to either approve the demolition or reject it to assist the committee in making this determination and to provide due process.

2:34

Representatives of BC that are here with the files, inspection reports, photos, and other data for these hearings.

2:40

Thank you.

2:42

I will now turn it over for BC to introduce themselves, beginning with our not inspector.

2:48

Mr.

2:48

Patel.

2:50

Thank you, Madam Chair.

2:52

My name is Dilip Portel.

2:53

I'm the assistant at the property maintenance BC.

2:58

Simon Lasseter, Dangerous Buildings Clerk.

3:02

Thank you both for being here.

3:04

And for the public that are that may be online, we will now begin our hearings.

3:10

So if you are here for a hearing, please raise your hand now.

3:14

I do not see any folks here in person.

3:17

We have a list of around 70 properties on our agenda for today.

3:23

I will share that usually we have anywhere from 20 to 40 people that call in for these hearings.

3:29

I try to keep them short and sweet and to the points.

3:33

So again, these are hearings regarding uh dangerous buildings.

3:37

And if you are here and you would like to save your property from demolition, we are going to ask you what are your plans.

3:42

We are going to see whether or not the house can be salvaged or if it's too dangerous and we need to move forward demolition.

3:50

And if we agree to demolition, we can have that conversation when we get there.

3:54

I try to keep these conversations to about five minutes or less.

3:57

And after a while, you will you will get the cadence of the questions.

4:09

Do we have raised and who do we have first?

4:11

Madam Chair, there are currently 11 hands raised.

4:14

The first caller being Danielle Wandsley, followed by Camila Wallet.

4:19

Danielle, followed by Camila.

4:23

I'm going to ask everyone to please stay tuned and listen for your name and listen to the person that is going to be next.

4:31

So we're going to start with Danielle first, followed by Camila.

4:34

Danielle, can you hear us?

4:36

Yes, can you hear me?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Dangerous Buildings█████████████████████████████████████████████86%
Legal Affairs██4%
Procedural██3%
Home Repair Services█2%
Blight█2%
Vacant Properties█2%
Demolition█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Public Health & Safety Standing Committee: Dangerous Buildings Hearings - October 20, 2025

The Public Health and Safety Standing Committee convened to review approximately 70 properties on the dangerous buildings list. The session featured testimony from property owners regarding the status of their properties, discussions with Building and Construction (B-Seed) inspectors about required repairs, and legal inquiries regarding property ownership. The committee focused on verifying compliance with safety codes, determining whether properties could be salvaged, and directing owners to appropriate city departments for assistance with repairs, demolition, or ownership clarification.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the withdrawal of properties from the dangerous buildings list where owners demonstrated compliance with repair requirements or where items were already resolved (e.g., 7591 Santa Rosa, 2063 Taylor, 13320 Wilshire, 7629 Dexter, 13763 Sparling, 7411 Central).
  • Approved the removal of properties from the list where the structural issues were mitigated or the property had already been demolished by the owner (e.g., 14219 Elmdale, 17601 Chester).
  • Approved recommendations for the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th blocks to either order demolition, withdraw from the list, or return jurisdiction to B-Seed for further inspection based on the specific hearing discussions.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Danielle Wandsley (5937 Cooper Street): Expressed concern regarding a previous hearing; staff confirmed her property was not on today's list and was being reviewed separately.
  • Camila Wallet (4900 South Martindale): Stated she secured the roof with tarps but requires further repairs; committee directed her to continue working one-on-one with B-Seed.
  • Mr. Amir (7591 Santa Rosa): Announced that repairs were completed and the property was ready to be removed from the list; stated intent to pull permits within the next month.
  • Jacqueline Turner (2063 Taylor Street): Confirmed permits to repair were in place and the property was resolved.
  • Tiffany (6043 Beagle Street): Expressed that while the roof is tarped and secured, she cannot immediately afford full roof repairs; suggested certification of vacancy to the committee as a temporary measure.
  • Lynn Marie Adams (13320 Wilshire): Via attorney Anthony Adams, confirmed that permits would be pulled within the week following consultation with an insurance company.
  • Shahida Mohammed (3295 Glendale Street): Expressed a desire to keep the property following a house fire on July 9, 2025; disclosed she is currently homeless but returns to the site 2-3 times weekly to manage belongings; disputed the classification of the property as unoccupied.
  • Sean (14321 Ardmore Street): Stated he is marketing the vacant property for sale to an investor but acknowledged the property has received numerous blight tickets; expressed willingness to secure openings and remove overgrowth by the next hearing.
  • Yvonne Murray Madden (17601 Chester Street): On behalf of Strategic Alliance Development Corporation, expressed intent to purchase the property confirmed the listing had been withdrawn.
  • Maximilian Schuford (7629 Dexter): Representing property owner Alma Richard; confirmed renovation plans are moving forward and the property was withdrawn.
  • Angela (2943 South Bassett): Stated she is looking to sell the property; admitted that while some sections are tarped, a recent inspection on October 16th failed due to backyard overgrowth; agreed to email photos of completed work.
  • Hisham (13769 Sparling): Stated he boarded up windows and cleaned debris for this property (distinct from 13763 Sparling) and intended to sell it; agreed to email photos for verification.
  • Mona Walker (14219 Elmdale): Clarified that the structure had already been demolished by the owner and agreed to send photos of the cleared lot to finalize the process.
  • Wanda Fenderson (716 Green Street): Expressed confusion and hesitation due to a discrepancy in property ownership correspondence following her husband's death; she is the second wife and has not finalized the deed; sought legal guidance before proceeding with demolition or repair plans.

Discussion Items

  • Occupancy Clarification (3295 Glendale Street): Councilmember Benson and the Vice Chair disputed the classification of Shahida Mohammed's fire-damaged property as "vacant" despite her homelessness, noting she retains personal belongings and visits frequently. The committee decided to connect the owner with the Housing and Revitalization Department (HRD) to determine eligibility for assistance, rather than proceeding with immediate demolition.
  • Maintenance and Blight Standards (14321 Ardmore Street): Councilmember Benson noted that bi-weekly landscaping does not justify the presence of leaves and debris lasting over a season; warned that if the property is not improved by the next hearing, the committee would be less supportive of retention.
  • Ownership Ambiguity (716 Green Street): After identifying that Wanda Fenderson is not the current legal owner (her late husband Joe is on the record, with a discrepancy in the mailing name), the committee discussed the risks of a lien if the city demolishes a structure the owner does not control. The decision was made to halt proceedings and refer the owner to the Detroit Immigrant Center for free legal consultation regarding probate and ownership rights.
  • Deferral Requirements: The Administration outlined six mandatory steps for property owners seeking deferral or demolition orders: proof of ownership, payment of inspection fees, securing openings (boarding), removal of debris/abandoned vehicles, payment of delinquent taxes, obtaining permits, and submitting a deferral application.

Key Outcomes

  • Withdrawn from Dangerous Buildings List: 5937 Cooper St, 7591 Santa Rosa, 2063 Taylor St, 13320 Wilshire, 7629 Dexter St, 13763 Sparling St, 7411 Central Ave, 3771 24th St, 4860 25th St, 1954 Covert St, 18636 Hays Ave, 19531 Ashton Ave, 1268 West Graham Blvd, 13831 Pinewood Dr, 18826 Fleming Ave (partial list based on specific caller confirmations and block motions).
  • Demolition Ordered: Properties including 19531 Anvil, 19935 Ashton, 5503 Barham, 5590 Beaconsfield, 14635 Bentler, 15751 Burt, 14801 Chicago, 632 Claremont, 19410 Dunberry, 2449 Elmhurst, 10090 Elmira, 8068 Emily, 14330 Evergreen, 18108 Fairport, 15757 Fielding, 18826 Filler, 11106 Findlay, 18901 Fleming, 80324 Slawn, 15504, 14764 (partial list based on block motions), 11407 Hartwell, 9018 Keller, 8833 Manor, 5525 Pacific, 15747 Piercing (partial list based on block motions).
  • Returned to B-Seed for Further Review:
    • 3295 Glendale St: To assess housing resources and occupancy status (Nov 17 hearing deferred pending HRD contact).
    • 14321 Ardmore St: To verify overgrowth removal and securing of openings prior to the Nov 17 hearing.
    • 2943 South Bassett: To verify photos of repairs (wall patches, overgrowth) and structural defects.
    • 13769 Sparling St: To verify evidence of boarded-up windows and roof repairs.
    • 716 Green St: To await legal resolution regarding ownership status before proceeding with demolition or repair directives.
  • Directives:
    • Property owners of withdrawn properties must still maintain vacant property registration if they intend to keep the site empty.
    • Owners sending photo evidence must include all four sides and the backyard.
    • Wanda Fenderson directed to call the Detroit Immigrant Center at 313-288-9904 for legal aid regarding property ownership and potential liens.
    • Shahida Mohammed directed to contact HRD for assistance with housing and revitalization resources.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon, everyone. I would like to call to order our public health and safety standing committee for the purposes of our dangerous buildings hearings for today, Monday, October 20th, 2025. May the clerk please call the roll. Councilmember Gabriella Santiago Romero. Present. Councilmember Scott Benson. Councilmember Mary Waters. Member Waters did indicate that she would be absent, so her absence is excused. Clerk has noted. Madam Chair, you have a quorum present. Thank you, Madam Clerk, given a quorum. We'll go right into the hearings for today. For folks that are online or joining us in person, you are here at our dangerous buildings hearings. We will get started shortly after we hear introductions from the administration, followed by our legislative policy division explaining the purposes of these hearings. I'll go over what to expect once we've heard from the administration and from LPD to the administration. And request a deferral or demolition order. This means that you must do the following. One, provide proof of ownership and interest in the property. Two, pay all required inspection fees. Three, secure all openings on your building from trespass and the elements and remove all exterior debris, abandoned vehicles, overgrowth, etc. Four, make or pay arrangements regarding any delinquent city taxes. Five, obtain the necessary permits to bring your building into compliance with all applicable codes. And six, submit uh completed deferral application. Thank you to the administration LPD. Thank you, madam chair. In addition to the important information just shared by the representative of the administration about the nature and potential consequences of these hearings, people should be aware these are legally required. Excuse me. Administrative appeals hearings from previous informal hearings with the Department of Building Safety Engineering and Environment, B seed. These are the legally required hearings for all the buildings on today's dangerous buildings list in order to demolish them or for the owners to oppose demolition. This is the committee's opportunity as required by law to either approve the demolition or reject it to assist the committee in making this determination and to provide due process. Representatives of BC that are here with the files, inspection reports, photos, and other data for these hearings. Thank you. I will now turn it over for BC to introduce themselves, beginning with our not inspector. Mr. Patel. Thank you, Madam Chair. My name is Dilip Portel. I'm the assistant at the property maintenance BC. Simon Lasseter, Dangerous Buildings Clerk. Thank you both for being here. And for the public that are that may be online, we will now begin our hearings. So if you are here for a hearing, please raise your hand now. I do not see any folks here in person. We have a list of around 70 properties on our agenda for today. I will share that usually we have anywhere from 20 to 40 people that call in for these hearings. I try to keep them short and sweet and to the points. So again, these are hearings regarding uh dangerous buildings. And if you are here and you would like to save your property from demolition, we are going to ask you what are your plans. We are going to see whether or not the house can be salvaged or if it's too dangerous and we need to move forward demolition. And if we agree to demolition, we can have that conversation when we get there.

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