The Detroit City Council's Public Health and Safety Standing Committee held a virtual dangerous buildings hearing on Monday, May 4, 2026, to consider administrative appeals from property owners whose buildings were placed on the demolition list by the Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department (BSEED). The committee reviewed 40+ properties, with outcomes including withdrawals from the demolition list, orders for demolition, and referrals back to BSEED for further work. The hearing included testimony from property owners, discussions with BSEED Chief Patel and staff, and deliberation by Councilmembers.
To order our public health and safety standing committee for the purposes of our dangerous buildings hearings for today, Monday, May 4th, 2026. May the clerk please call the roll. Councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero. Present. Council Member Denzel and Tom McCampbell. Present. Councilmember Mary Waters. Madam Chair, you have a quorum present. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Given a quorum, we'll go right into the hearings for today. If you are here for a hearing, if you are online and you are calling in for a hearing, we will turn it over to the administration to share with you what you can expect before I turn it over to LPD. I just realized I started this meeting without LPD. Maybe they'll join us before uh before we get to them. But to the administration, if you wouldn't mind sharing with the public what they can expect from these hearings. It should be Mr. Washington. Oh, sorry. They are not on yet. One second. Okay. While we wait for the administration and for LPD, I might um briefly pause us because I want to make sure that they're both there. Um while we wait for all the players to join us, um, if you are listening in and you're here for a hearing, please raise your hands now. We will be conducting these hearings uh virtually. Uh so I don't see anybody here in the audience in person for a hearing, so I'm going to assume that we have folks online for today's session. Um so again, if you are online and you are here for a hearing, please raise your hand and we'll make sure to add you to our queue. If we can please note member waters has joined us. So noted, madam chair. Thank you. All right. Do we have anyone from the administration? And then once you've been moved over, if you can please state your name and title for the public. Who do we have as a participant with us? Yeah, madam chair. We just have Javon Perry with us up. Oh, okay. So no one from the administration is on the call with us. We will flag this for them. As soon as we see Mr. Washington, we can make him into a panelist. And this does give the public time to raise their hands. We're going to create a queue. And while we wait for the administration, just to give a brief overview to folks listening in. Uh when we conduct these hearings, I try to respect your time and produce these as quickly as possible while helping you in whatever outcome you need. Many times people call in uh at this process, they are looking to keep their property. If you are, I'm going to be asking you for your plans to address the issues laid out by BC. If we uh if if we believe that you have um a plan in place uh that can prevent the property from being dangerous, we will support an extension. That's all based on the conversation that we have, or if we believe um that there is no way to save the property, or that we can agree with you to demolish if you're looking to demolish the property as well. We're here to support you as well, Mr. Washington. Good afternoon through the chair, and my apologies for my delay.