Detroit Public Health and Safety Standing Committee Dangerous Buildings Hearing (October 26, 2026)

On Monday, October 26, 2026, the Detroit City Council Public Health and Safety Standing Committee convened dangerous buildings hearings. Councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero chaired, Councilmember Denzel McCampbell served as vice chair, and Councilmember Mary Waters was excused. Legislative Policy Division staff stated the hearings were legally required administrative appeals for approximately 45 buildings on the dangerous buildings list; the chair noted about 30 properties were before the committee. BSEED Assistant Chief Dilip Patel and Dangerous Building Clerk Devon Perry presented files, and City Government Affairs representative Evan Doherty explained the demolition deferral process. No agenda or minutes were supplied with the transcript, and some address spellings are uncertain because of audio quality.

Public Comments & Testimony

Properties Concurred for Demolition

• 7045 Callahan: Attorney John Dallow, with Corey Levin and Noah Nicholson, appeared for owner Cummingsmore Graphite. They stated the owner intended to demolish, was under a purchase agreement with a demolition contractor, and had received a letter of intent that day; if the sale did not close, the owner would demolish. The committee concurred with demolition and asked them to send the contract or quote to BSEED.
• 1805 Eason: Owner Andrew Chisholm said the house suffered fire damage in May after he bought it at auction and before insurance was in place. He initially asked for time, then agreed to demolish the property himself. The committee concurred with demolition and told him to email BSEED within two weeks with contractor information to try to avoid city-initiated demolition costs.
• 13122 Jane: No owner appeared. BSEED reported an Oct. 9 inspection finding a two-story dwelling open to trespass, an unmaintained yard, no permit, and the condition lasting more than 180 days; ownership was an LLC based in Kentucky. Vice Chair McCampbell asked the Land Bank to consider nuisance abatement to preserve housing stock, but the committee voted to concur with the block 9 recommendations, which included demolition for this address.
• The committee also concurred with block-by-block demolition recommendations read into the record, including 17603 LB, 10028 Appleine, 18611 Carry, 11416 Chatham, 13606 Cherry Lawn, 8690 Fielding, 13982 Kentucky, 14507 Lapon, 5835 Martin, 4672 Newport, 6367 Rutland, 17242 Teppertz, 13713 Trouster, 6651 East Verner, and 10993 Warden, among others. BSEED said 6651 East Verner had already been demolished through an emergency contract.

Properties Withdrawn from the Demolition List

• 1617 B Wick: Owner Eric said he purchased the property at a city tax auction three weeks earlier and was waiting for the deed. BSEED cited rear brick and roof issues and a missing vacant property registration. The committee withdrew the property.
• 8504 Pearson: Owner Kwame McKinney said the yard had been cleaned and the vehicles in question belonged to neighbors. The committee withdrew the property.
• 5099 Nottingham: Caller Ronald said debris had been removed, the house and windows boarded, and the front lawn mowed. BSEED acknowledged progress but asked for continued cleanup and regular updates. The committee withdrew it.
• 4802 Scottin: Owner Bryce said he was making repairs. BSEED asked him to start the permit process that week because significant work had been done without permits. The committee withdrew it.
• 3660 Somerset: Ryan Lally, for owner Rolandi Abdo, said Abdo closed on the property Sept. 18 and had already done work. BSEED asked for securing, vacant property registration, and permits. The committee withdrew it.
• 7530 Palmetto: Owner Ms. Hernandez, with a Spanish interpreter, said she was already working on the property, including basement flooding. BSEED asked her to secure second-floor windows, address the basement water, and pull permits. The committee confirmed the property was withdrawn.
• 10044 Vaughn: Owner Quayne said she was looking for a contractor. BSEED asked for yard maintenance, permits, and vacant property registration if it would remain vacant. The committee withdrew it.
• Additional withdrawals read into the record included 3957 Canton, 20053 Hickory, 15868 Kentucky, 14930 Lapon, 18095 Mount Elliott, 14121 Penrod, 11317 Rosemont, 16052 Tacoma, and 1514 Van Dyke.

Properties Sent Back to BSEED for More Time

• 2130 Franklin, Building 102: Owner Hanny Boutros wanted to keep the property and said she had sent progress photos. BSEED had inspected Oct. 8 and found a two-story commercial building open to the elements and overgrowth. The committee sent it back to BSEED for time to complete repairs.
• 1914 Fairport: Steven Greenfield, for U.S. Bank, said the bank foreclosed and was in the redemption period. He asked for time to secure, clean, and sell the property; he requested about one week. BSEED asked for securing, cleanup, and vacant property registration. The committee sent it back to BSEED.
• 8521 Central: Owner Deborah Bell called in late after the property had initially been included in a block concurrence. She said the house was damaged by arson and vandalism and the suspect was jailed on a $1 million bond. She asked about renovation grants; the committee said no specific grant was available and that the property owner would remain responsible for water bills and taxes even after demolition. BSEED cited openings, debris from a collapsed garage, overgrowth, and missing windows. The committee sent it back to BSEED with instructions to secure the property, clean the yard, and send progress photos.

Continued or No-Action Calls

• 9788 Traverse: Caller Anita was disconnected before completing her hearing. The committee asked staff to personally reach out to her and said the property would be brought back to the next hearing.
• Mr. Crowley called about 1443 Spring Garden, which was not on the day's demolition list. The chair said the committee could only hear properties on the list and directed him to raise it during formal session general public comments.
• A caller with a phone number ending in 570 was promoted to panelist but remained muted and was not heard.

Key Outcomes

• All actions were approved by unanimous voice votes with no objections.
• The committee concurred with demolition for 7045 Callahan, 1805 Eason, 13122 Jane, and the remaining demolition-list addresses read into the record.
• The committee withdrew numerous properties from the dangerous buildings list, including 1617 B Wick, 8504 Pearson, 5099 Nottingham, 4802 Scottin, 3660 Somerset, 7530 Palmetto, and 10044 Vaughn, plus additional listed withdrawals.
• The committee sent 2130 Franklin Building 102, 1914 Fairport, and 8521 Central back to BSEED to allow owners time to make repairs and submit progress photos.
• The committee continued 9788 Traverse to the next hearing and asked staff to contact the disconnected owner.
• BSEED and committee members repeatedly emphasized the need for permits, vacant property registration, and documented progress on properties allowed to remain standing.