Detroit blight map lists buildings approved for demolition

Residents hope map helps organize abandoned building demolition, expedites process

DETROIT – The city of Detroit launched an interactive online tool Friday for residents to see what properties are on the demolition list.

The map is color-coded -- "approved" is in green, "in process" is in yellow and purple is used for "completed." This is a much-needed resource in the eyes of many Detroiters.

"I definitely will try to use it to see if the tool is going to help make them come out faster," said Patrick Jamison.

Jamison lives on a one-block stretch of Glenfield Avenue which has six homes approved for demolition. On the map, 12001 Glenfield Avenue is on the list. Local 4 checked it out.

The front window is blown out on the house. The front door is knocked in and the grass is well overgrown -- several of the homes on the block are barely visible from the street because they are engulfed in brush. That's causing a lot of concern for neighbors.

"Occasionally you can see people going in these houses. You don't know if they're staying in there," said Jamison.

To give you some perspective, the map shows nearly 12,000 highlighted properties. However, it lists only the City Council-approved demolitions, meaning there are many more vacant and dangerous buildings not listed.

Demolition is a 36-step process. The biggest challenge is funding which costs between $8,000 and $10,000 per property. With funding, a demolition takes 60 days to complete. So, if just the six homes approve don Glenfield Avenue were torn down in succession, that alone would take a year.

View: Detroit demolition map