The Dearborn City Council is expected to approve the demolition and abatement of the Oakman Apartments during its Jan. 14 meeting.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – The demolition and abatement of the Oakman Apartment buildings at 5104, 5112 and 5120 Oakman Blvd., is expected to be approved during the Jan. 14 City Council meeting.
The project, which was discussed during the Jan. 9 mayor’s briefing with the council, follows years of unsuccessful attempts to revitalize the properties.
In a Dec. 26 memo to the City Council, Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said the property has languished in recent years under multiple owners and developers who were unsuccessful in their renovation attempts.
The Economic Development Department requested $248,525 for demolition and abatement services, to be funded through the general capital improvement fund, economic development, capital project support and building demolition services.
Bids were requested Nov. 6, with a Dec. 3 due date. Adamo Demolition, the lowest qualified bidder, has been recommended. Adamo did the demolition of St. Alphonsus Schools and the former Montgomery Ward Building at Michigan Avenue and Schaefer Road.
The Oakman Apartment buildings have been vacant since 2017, and have continued to deteriorate in the interim.
After numerous public hearings, the structures were declared dangerous buildings in 2021 in accordance with city and state statutes.
In November 2023, the demolition appeals board upheld the ruling.
The city has surveyed the property and has planned for asbestos abatement and utility disconnections.
It is hoped that the demolition of what has been deemed an eyesore near the city’s border with Detroit will eliminate an unsafe structure and a source of blight, as well as creating an opportunity for redevelopment in the area.