Visit Detroit while it's still available...

http://www.smithso...-happen-180951587/

Quite a lofty goal for a city with $0.00 in their accounts. I think they'll be there for a little while longer.

lol yea sure whatever you say bud

Most of the buildings in Detroit have already been torn down. I took a trip there a couple weeks ago, and i couldn't even find one abandoned building.

Posted by relik Most of the buildings in Detroit have already been torn down. I took a trip there a couple weeks ago, and i couldn't even find one abandoned building.

I'm here right now and there's plenty... Don't know where you went.

Yeah. That's what Detroit needs. More green space.

I heard they tore down Packard last month.

Posted by relik I heard they tore down Packard last month.

nope. locked up solid. gonna make it into hi-end yuppie lofts. and a water park to boot!

Posted by Oelky I'm here right now and there's plenty... Don't know where you went.

He probably crossed the bridge into Canada.

While certainly there has been some decent progress over the past decade, each mayor, city council, etc. over the past 20 years has talked about how they're making it a priority to remove abandoned, eyesore/nuisance buildings.

For example, when I moved to Detroit in 1997, there was a lot of specific talk about how Michigan Central Terminal had to either be redeveloped or demolished, & an ultimatim was given to the property owner (Manny Maroun) that if he didn't take action within a couple months, Detroit would demolish it & bill him.

Since I could easily see MCT out of my living room window, I was looking forward to being a daily witness to the redevelopment, or sad witness to the tear down. But ol' Manny apparently knew he could safely ignore anything the City of Detroit said, and 17 years later...

Tearing down abandoned houses is relatively easy but if it's a funding matter of doing that versus having a couple more police on the streets or spending the $$ on repairing EMS rigs, most people would prefer that. I think most of the houses that've been torn-down have been a result of federal grants & donations from corporations.

Problem with taking legal possession of an abandoned commercial building with the plans of tearing it down is once you take control, you're responsible for the proper hazmat remediation -- lead paint, asbestos tiles & insulation, etc. PLUS any ground contamination, so it's infinitely cheaper for the city to just do nothing other than trying to send out legal notices.


/-/oolie

Posted by /-/ooligan While certainly there has been some decent progress over the past decade, each mayor, city council, etc. over the past 20 years has talked about how they're making it a priority to remove abandoned, eyesore/nuisance buildings. For example, when I moved to Detroit in 1997, there was a lot of specific talk about how Michigan Central Terminal had to either be redeveloped or demolished, & an ultimatim was given to the property owner (Manny Maroun) that if he didn't take action within a couple months, Detroit would demolish it & bill him. Since I could easily see MCT out of my living room window, I was looking forward to being a daily witness to the redevelopment, or sad witness to the tear down. But ol' Manny apparently knew he could safely ignore anything the City of Detroit said, and 17 years later... Tearing down abandoned houses is relatively easy but if it's a funding matter of doing that versus having a couple more police on the streets or spending the $$ on repairing EMS rigs, most people would prefer that. I think most of the houses that've been torn-down have been a result of federal grants & donations from corporations. Problem with taking legal possession of an abandoned commercial building with the plans of tearing it down is once you take control, you're responsible for the proper hazmat remediation -- lead paint, asbestos tiles & insulation, etc. PLUS any ground contamination, so it's infinitely cheaper for the city to just do nothing other than trying to send out legal notices. /-/oolie

They've been demolishing houses at a pretty good clip. That's been their primary focus.

Aside from the Brewsters, we haven't really lost any locations to demo lately. If it doesn't have direct proximity to downtown, I'm just don't think the plan they've laid out will make any bit of difference for explorers.

Posted by /-/ooligan Manny Maroun

* Matty Moroun

Well, Detriot has a RoboCop Statue now so that's..........good?


It will be scrapped or destroyed within 4 months. Wait and see.

I was in Detroit a couple weeks ago, and like a bunch of cities it has fallen due to the economy. Some of the old structures are beautiful, too bad that no one will take responsibility of them and cleaning the mess. Not sure of the church name, but I saw the steeples being rebuilt, a good site to see..

I drive truck for a living, and seeing what was the heart of the country fall apart is really sad. The rust belt is getting rustier, i see oil wells sitting dead, roadways falling apart and old family homes that are abandoned with mobile homes next to them because they are cheaper.

We need to do something as a country, before we become a third world nation...

Until then exploring opportunities are massive....

a few pics from my drive through..

S1

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An abandoned auto factory would be a adventure and a half.

Posted by Sinister1 Not sure of the church name, but I saw the steeples being rebuilt, a good site to see.. click to view

Saint Josaphat. The steeple was damaged in a bad storm over the winter. It's been a big deal here that people have helped them raise money to repair it.

Posted by relik Most of the buildings in Detroit have already been torn down. I took a trip there a couple weeks ago, and i couldn't even find one abandoned building.

I too went recently, there was only one abandoned house, the rest had workers and security guards all over them. They are really moving fast on this one.