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Update on the Packard Plant.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019 ... to-pay-detroit-tax-bill/2815840002/ Salient portions follow.

The Spanish-born owner of the Packard Plant in Detroit has pledged to pay the property's overdue bills to avoid losing his portions of the massive factory ruin to foreclosure, his local attorney said Friday.

Kopietz said the Packard Plant's overdue balance is not actually for property taxes, but rather city storm water drainage fees that hadn't been paid. Those fees were then administratively added to the property tax bill, Kopietz said, even though Palazuelo was current on property taxes.

Kopietz said that Palazuelo told him this week that he intends to pay all of the overdue balance by the end of the month. The large size of the balance is more reflective of the vast size of the 40-acre plant, not late payment penalties.

The expected completion date for first phase of the Packard Plant's redevelopment was recently pushed to 2020 from late 2019.

On a separate front, the City of Detroit is making progress on demolishing a five-story, 300,000-square-foot building on the opposite end of Packard Plant that Palazuelo doesn't own. That city-owned parcel was blighted and holding back the surrounding neighborhood, according to Brian Farkas, director of special projects for the Detroit Building Authority. The demolition has been planned for years and marks the third city-owned Packard Plant structure to be razed.

"I don't think anyone wants to invest next to a structure that is collapsing," Farkas said. The building is expected to be completely down by late May at a cost of $1.3 million from the city's general fund. A city spokesman said there are no current plans to redevelop the site once the building is gone.

Attached is an aerial view from the City of Detroit roughly showing what they own. As a point of reference the small "Privately Owned" label in the far, upper left is East Grand Boulevard.

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With the investment made by the developer and city demolition removing the worst of the falling down buildings, has the area and particularly the surrounding neighborhoods close to where the money is being spent stabilized any or is the entire area still considered a place only the foolhardy would venture into without backup. I remember some posts a few years back that suggested anyone driving in the area stay in the car and keep moving ready to hit the gas even during daylight hours.

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This entire area has been on the skids since the late 1950s when Packard (or Studebaker-Packard-as some might insist) pulled out. The only thing that held the area together after Packard's departure was that there were lots and lots of big and small businesses renting space in the plant and they created jobs and generated taxes. But the people running Detroit smelled federal poverty pimp money- if only they could just get their hands on all of that Packard property and turn it into some kind of "enterprise zone." So? They got greedy and kicked out all of the existing tenants -imagining all this would turn into a bonanza. (Yesssss, I know it wasn't all this simple and yesss the ugly mess of drugs wormed its way in here too). Meanwhile there was a lengthy court battle and stupid demolition started when it was not supposedly authorized by the court... and then the buildings underwent years and years of vandalism while the city fathers sat and fiddled while Rome burned. There was MONEY to be made, so what did it matter if people were thrown out of work and businesses tossed out of their habitats? So the Packard plant turned into the world's largest abandoned industrial site with destruction and malicious mayhem totally out of control. Those who should have cared did nothing. In the end, the whole thing went down like the Hindenburg.

Anyway, the surrounding neighborhood was instantly converted to ghetto. Property was worthless. I know. My dad owned commercial property on Mt. Elliott within walking distance of the southern end of the plant (the parts the city now owns). When my father died in 1965 there were old Packard retirees living in some of our apartments. By the time I came back from Viet Nam in late 1968, I realized I had walked out of one war only to enter another one! I would go to collect rent and sometimes the new tenants would pull guns on me! And that was 50 years ago... so use your imagination on how it is now. It certainly didn't take a turn for the better! Frankly a lot of the houses and apartments around the plant are now vacant lots (including the commercial properties I owned). And with this, far fewer people in the area than there used to be. BUT... it is not the kind of area where I would even want to stop at a gas station-even if I was "packing heat."

Area stabilized? We won't see anything near this notion in our lifetimes. They're still tearing things down and there are untold numbers of gutted properties in the area. There are still "hot-sheet motels" in the area where they rent by the hour. One needs to prepare one's mind for a whole new level of sad devastation when talking about this area and other parts of Detroit. While there are certain areas that appear to be holding their own (and yes everybody talks about building going on downtown with sports stadiums and casinos). BUT even some of the areas that are hanging on have abandoned houses with the front doors standing open or boarded up.

The colossal greed and corruption and the conversion mentality that merely accepts what ought to be unacceptable has gone on so long, and so deeply ingrained that a total stabilization-much less recovery-is still on the level of science-fiction right now.

Sad to hear the neighborhood has not improved and still in such bad shape. Makes me wonder even if the developer completes a portion of what he has planned will anyone venture out and go there even with secured parking if they still couldn't be sure of arriving or leaving safely. Is the drive relatively short thru safer or cleaner areas and if not, has Detroit indicated any interest in improving or patrolling a designated route? If there is a long stretch of no mans land to go thru I would imagine not too many would want to venture to whatever meeting or business place is built no matter how nice the venue or famous the building.

Hello Howard: The surrounding neighborhoods are some of the poorest areas of the city and that is saying something. According to this article, Detroit is one of the worst cities to live infreep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019 ... -united-states-michigan/2804613002/ and with these stats:
1) Poverty rate: 37.9 percent (top 10 percent)
2) 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 2,057 (top 10 percent)
3) Median home value: $42,800 (bottom 10 percent)

Now find the poorest area of that city and you have the Packard neighborhood. You have to go 3 miles due west to the action of the revitalized area where all the hipsters live.

Howard, do yourself a favor and take a trip to Detroit for FREE using Google Earth. Type in the address 1580 EGB and "fly" there. Now use the zoom in feature and get to "Street Level" view and "drive" around the area. From the air you see buildings scattered about and many vacant lots. Now on the ground you will see that a good portion of the buildings you saw from the air are dilapidated. For a more urban experience, drive there in the night.