As Relton suggests, this facility will still be standing for years to come. I was involved in demolition orders for dozens of buildings in a neighboring state and know first hand that unless the local government has both the money and the fortitude the demolition will not happen. As this is essentially the legal taking of property through an administrative order, all means of appeal are available to the owner. This alone could take years if the owners are so inclined or have deep enough pockets to pay the lawyers. More likely, an out-of-state or in this case an out-of-country owner will simply laugh at the order. Unfortunately, the City of Detroit cannot absorb the costs involved in demolishing a building like this one. To abate the asbestos, heavy metals and PCB's alone would take a year and cost millions, hell the preliminary studies would take six months and cost half a million. The only hope for the city to demolish the building would be to find a bucket full of money, do the demolition, file a lien on the property and pray for a buyer at a price that exceeds the lien. While I am not familiar with Michigan law, I do know that in other states, the liability monkey can easily climb on the cities back if they are not careful with how they proceed if the owner fails to comply with the demolition order.
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