City Commission Approves New Round of Housing Demolitions in Muskegon

Andrew Trzaska | November 12, 2013

Muskegon city commissioners authorized a large amount of structure demolitions at their meeting Tuesday.

City staff periodically proposes demolitions of blighted properties to the city commission for approval after hearings are held with the city’s Housing Board of Appeals. Properties in question are considered hazards to public safety or otherwise a public nuisance.

If attempts to repair a property are deemed unsatisfactory by that committee, its owners cannot be reached, or it is otherwise clear that its owners have abandoned the property, city staff can recommend to the commission that the structure be torn down. This is especially true if the costs to repair the property are more than the structure is worth.

In every case presented at Tuesday’s meeting, communications between the city and the owners broke down. Sometimes, multiple notices sent by certified mail were returned to the City of Muskegon. In other cases, only some were claimed. In some cases, neighbors vouched for the unsafe nature of the properties at meetings. In all cases, the owners did not appear at their scheduled Housing Board of Appeals meetings.

The list of properties up for demolition in this round is as follows:

• 224 W. Grand
• 850 Turner
• 860 Emerson (Garage only)
• 1324 Pine
• 1459 Terrace
• 868 W. Hackley
• 345 W. Grand
• 709 E. Apple

Demolitions are set to be completed within 30 days, with city staff currently set to put the work up for lowest responsible bid in the coming days.