Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan will use Wednesday’s State of the City address to announce plans for a crackdown on abandoned vehicles and outline next steps for solar farms being considered in select neighborhoods.
Duggan is scheduled to deliver the annual speech at 7 p.m. on April 17 from Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. The event is not open to the public but will be broadcast live online and on television – Channel 21 for Comcast customers or Channel 99 for AT&T.
Deputy Mayor Todd Bettison said the target audience for the address is Detroit residents and Duggan will largely focus on neighborhood revitalization and quality of life issues, which is why the mayor chose to host the event in the Dexter-Linwood neighborhood.
“Folks who live over there thought we forgot about them, but they kept being committed and they’ve been working,” Bettison said.
Bettison said the city supported the area by renovating Zussman Park, a new Dexter-Elmhurst recreation center is planned and work is starting on a streetscape project to improve safety and support businesses along Dexter Avenue.
The mayor is “tired” of seeing neighborhoods blighted by abandoned vehicles parked in the street or on grassy lots, Bettison said. Duggan will outline a new strategy to address nuisance vehicles, carried out by the Municipal Parking Department and Detroit Police Department.
“Just like we dealt with other nuisances like graffiti, business signs stapled to electric poles, overgrown alleys, we’re going to go change the culture when it comes to people who think they can park junk vehicles and litter our neighborhoods,” Bettison said.
City ordinances prohibit vehicles from being abandoned in a public location for more than 48 hours, including streets and alleys. It’s also illegal to park on lawns or other unpaved areas on private residential property. Abandoned vehicles can be towed, stored at an impound lot and eventually auctioned off if left unclaimed.
Bettison said residents who have junk vehicles on their property will learn Wednesday about enforcement rules, though he said existing ordinances won’t change. Bettison said residents who frequently call the city with complaints about rusting vehicles will “know relief is coming.”
“It’s a long-standing complaint,” Bettison said. “When you drive throughout the neighborhoods, you just see it’s a big issue.”
Bettison said Duggan will also provide an update on the city’s solar initiative, which aims to power municipal buildings using 250 acres of renewable energy farms. Neighborhoods that volunteer to partner with the city have a chance to sell their home for double the fair market value.
Detroit will choose six sites from a group of neighborhoods that submitted proposals to the city. The City Council will authorize the final plan.
Last year’s presentation included a defense for using tax breaks to spur development. Duggan said tax incentives promote development that otherwise wouldn’t happen due to Detroit’s high property taxes and construction costs.
The City Council approved a $60 million tax break for Dan Gilbert’s downtown Hudson’s site project in 2022. Duggan was on hand Monday for a press conference announcing General Motors is relocating its headquarters from the Renaissance Center on the Detroit riverfront to the new Hudson’s building on Woodward.
Duggan said Gilbert is working with GM, the city and Wayne County to find a long-term use for the Renaissance Center.
