[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6063411,"mediaKeyId","3269294-45536fc2f54d60840d205ad3da7cb149","parentId",3269294,"title","City reports progress on solar site acquisitions, outlines condemnations and relocation steps amid resident complaints","audioSeconds",1154,"startMs",2042000,"endMs",3196000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3269294-45536fc2f54d60840d205ad3da7cb149&start=2042&end=3196","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3269294-45536fc2f54d60840d205ad3da7cb149/thumbnail_2042000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6063411/Detroit/Wayne-County/Michigan/City-reports-progress-on-solar-site-acquisitions-outlines-condemnations-and-relocation-steps-amid-resident-complaints","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6063411-8a3e60e57feaf2c2497363a0e1f9d73b/orig.mp4?Expires=1773613298&Signature=fT5XbhxR5KwKzKBxDR6Ek9kl9D6TSxtCCL5xWwaEMeBieQZxNxAn9g97I6Fu01VibWhvNJsbbXvP2MkWcH0yKD-NyVi2DJqYnDC~C3NjT0f5XwGo75I6V789-ppzkeHN1bI1zF~73Ba38yN1UegdXU7SH0vbgmLDZm59L3vMWfLPEAf8i2MbuwoIYR3pGvGb-KWGKA7iC1MyU5z3VWrAzHVUnz5C3pnfYLcbyG647wGGU1nYjdrZWJFmimgkxy5XZ~Pto436sjjphr-1ZFKVZdEyi16hP4Wh~k~-Yc4~VfqNIkDfNGPyRUs7SiNoP2Nsr4E9uSiH279mETYN6zaizg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Detroit, MI ","date","2025-05-06T00:00:00Z","article","Detroit City Council heard a legal update Tuesday on the city’s neighborhood solar program and the related property acquisitions, with Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett saying the administration has completed acquisition of Phase 1 parcels and filed multiple condemnation complaints while also moving energy-efficiency upgrades for nearby homes into construction.

The update outlined why the city has filed condemnation cases, how many parcels are involved, and the status of relocation agreements — information that council members said they will receive in writing after the meeting. Council members and staff also responded to public commenters who said title records and foreclosure steps left homeowners without the legal protections they expected.

Mallett, corporation counsel for the city of Detroit, said: “Phase 1 legal update, we’ve acquired all 965 Phase 1 parcels, including 245 privately owned parcels. It is true that we have filed 104 condemnation complaints.” He added that the city is litigating “just compensation disputes in 23 condemnation cases, including 41 parcels, 20 of which are owned by a single landowner.”

The city described Phase 2 as well: Mallett said 430 parcels are included in Phase 2 (104 privately owned); 27 Phase 2 parcels have structures and 403 of the Phase 2 parcels are vacant lots, the majority owned by governmental entities, principally the Detroit Land Bank Authority.

Why it matters: Council members pressed administration representatives for details about whether people displaced by acquisitions relocated inside Detroit, how many vacant lots were already publicly owned before the project, and the pace and timing of construction. Those details affect neighborhood stability, how community benefits are delivered and residents’ trust in the process.

Discussion and community benefits: Councilmembers and city staff described community benefits layered around the solar sites. Patricia Steiner, a project staff member, told the council the city is more than halfway through energy-efficiency assessments in Phase 1: “There are 159 homes in Phase 1 that surround the solar areas and…we have done 81 assessments…11 homeowners have signed off on scopes of work. Six are underway right now having that work done. Three have been completed.” Steiner described the upgrades as “full electrical upgrades…new furnaces, new AC, new roofs, insulation, doors, windows” and said DTE and other energy dollars are being “braided and blended” to expand what residents receive.

Mallett addressed a specific title dispute raised during public comment about 19212 Danbury. He said the property was foreclosed by Wayne County, with a final, non-appealable foreclosure judgment dated March 31, 2024, and a notice recorded Aug. 19, 2024. Mallett said a quitclaim deed the former owners produced later “had no legal effect because of the county’s tax foreclosure” and that the city acquired the property from the Wayne County Treasurer by quitclaim deed recorded Oct. 29, 2024. “Because the city acquired the property directly from the county, there was no condemnation action to acquire the property in fee simple,” he said. Mallett repeated the administration’s position that the city followed the foreclosure and acquisition process used by the Wayne County Treasurer and that the city “owns the property” in question.

Resident feedback at public comment ranged from gratitude to frustration. Dennis Hadley, who said his energy-efficiency work was complete, told the council the contractors “did a wonderful job” and described new heating and water systems now installed in his home. But other residents — including Danielle Mertes and Hailey Henley — urged the council to investigate quitclaim receipts, nonappearing case numbers and whether displaced residents were offered relocation in Detroit. Mertes said her registered quitclaim receipt had unexplained fields and she called the sequence of events a “cover up.” The council and counsel declined to make new factual findings during public comment and asked administration staff to provide written records.

Partners and timeline: Mallett said the city has executed contracts and expects construction to begin “into this summer.” He said the program will work with the same neighborhood partners identified earlier, naming DTE and LifeStar as program partners for Phase 1 and Phase 2. A neighborhood solar partner who called into public comment, the Energy Alliance Group, said the program was resident-driven and congratulated Detroit for moving solar “directly” into neighborhoods.

What the council asked for: Council President Pro Tem asked the administration to email the full update and project documents to members so they could share details with residents. Mallett agreed to provide a written breakdown of where relocated households have gone and precise counts of in-city vs. out-of-city relocations. Councilmembers also asked for percentages showing how much vacant land in the project footprint was city-owned before the program began; the administration said the “vast majority” of vacant lots in Phase 1 and Phase 2 were owned by the Detroit Land Bank Authority but agreed to provide precise percentages.

Formal versus informal steps: The administration described many formal legal filings — condemnation complaints, quitclaim deeds and ongoing litigation — but council action at Tuesday’s session was limited to receiving the administration’s report and requesting follow-up materials. No council vote to alter existing contracts or developer assignments was recorded during the update.

Next steps: The administration will provide the council with the requested written materials, including a breakdown of where relocated households moved to, the documentation underlying the Danbury parcel determination, and the Phase 1/Phase 2 parcel ownership percentages. Councilmembers signaled they will review those documents and return with follow-up questions.

Ending note: The city framed the solar project as combining clean-energy development with direct neighborhood investments and energy-efficiency upgrades; residents at the meeting described both the tangible benefits already installed in some homes and outstanding concerns about title, foreclosure records and relocation offers. The council requested and the administration agreed to provide detailed written records to support further review.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Detroit City Council Formal Session 05-06-2025","oneSentenceSummary","Detroit City Council heard a legal update Tuesday on the city’s neighborhood solar program and the related property acquisitions, with Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett saying the administration has completed acquisition of Phase 1 parcels and filed multiple condemnation complaints while also moving energy-efficiency upgrades for nearby homes into construction.","taxTitle","Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan","taxId",48464,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6063406,"Council recognizes Air Quality Awareness Week and World Asthma Day after residents press for truck routes, buffers and stronger enforcement",6168,3552000,9720000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3269294-45536fc2f54d60840d205ad3da7cb149&start=3552&end=9720","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3269294-45536fc2f54d60840d205ad3da7cb149/thumbnail_3552000.jpg","/articles/6063406/Detroit/Wayne-County/Michigan/Council-recognizes-Air-Quality-Awareness-Week-and-World-Asthma-Day-after-residents-press-for-truck-routes-buffers-and-stronger-enforcement","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6063406-f7cb3ec6761b555818df7fbee3d15c57/orig.mp4?Expires=1773613298&Signature=iJRAJ-RV7-mePkT2xsdMa~Y-98LiysK0l9ORz~~Kg5i~C-dlEuUVTajWta4nl~BDavqBraFPPrdw66sRr9hkpk1gtYf6cHAdfIfFZUhcAjwDevGm6ftaySxdkutbo0jX68I0BBSi7Fbv8DOqm3VUgk~0iNkKm4oJYrcx9HQNcC7OhH~oB1xK0uXkbMHlxsF20nxsckatHoDCNBJcCRusOEAZEg-dHiXK8bU9482CFys179otplbZnCWfBBzYqG0xyvomb5tQ9PYetvsyB~pNoZcup6bKWwJnjtcluZlMHWRWlJedkZQ9wzhI7ZkA3M4DFhUUoYbBABH1VcOrH-zhwQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Detroit City Council on Tuesday adopted resolutions recognizing Air Quality Awareness Week and designating May 6, 2025, as World Asthma Day, after a string of public comments from residents, youth groups and environmental organizations urging more local action on air pollution, truck routes and cumulative industrial impacts.

Councilmember Leticia Johnson introduced the two resolutions and the council approved both without objection; Johnson used remarks to summarize national and local asthma statistics and to call for policy attention to cumulative pollution and environmental justice.

Why it matters: Residents and public-health advocates told the council that Detroit neighborhoods face concentrated industrial pollution and that local policy must do more to assess cumulative impacts, regulate truck routes and require buffering between industry and homes — measures they said would reduce asthma rates and improve public health.

What council approved: Councilmember Leticia Johnson read the resolutions on the council floor, noting that Air Quality Awareness Week promotes public education and that World Asthma Day highlights the burden of asthma, especially in underserved communities. She cited an Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America report that placed Detroit among the most challenging U.S. cities for people with asthma and urged support for community events and outreach.

Public testimony and requests: Advocacy groups and residents made several specific asks during public comment: Catherine Savoy of the Ecology Center asked the council to “help us hold industrial polluters accountable” and to pass a designated truck ordinance and cumulative-impact policies. Simone Sacovac, a 34-year Southwest Detroit resident, said: “Detroit and our neighbor communities host most polluting industries in Michigan…we host these for all of Michigan’s benefit and beyond, but we bear the concentrated pollution.”

Other callers and speakers asked for a range of actions that included truck-route restrictions, health-impact assessments, buffer zones between heavy industry and homes, funding targeted to impacted neighborhoods and stronger enforcement of existing laws. A coalition representative asked the city to \"allocate more home repair resources to protect people from Detroit’s polluted air.\"

Council directions and next steps: During public comment and later discussion, Councilmember Scott Benson asked the administration to generate a report identifying any correlation between air pollution and speed humps. The request was made from the floor and the council recorded a motion asking for that report; the chair called for the motion, there were no objections, and the council instructed staff to produce the analysis.

Advocates’ framing and council response: Speakers framed air quality as a public-health and equity issue. Several cited local hotspots — including industrial operations and refineries — and urged the council to use zoning, truck-route designations and revenue from corporate polluters to fund community health and mitigation. Councilmembers thanked the speakers and asked administration staff to coordinate follow-up.

Formal actions: The council unanimously approved the two resolutions recognizing Air Quality Awareness Week and World Asthma Day; the council also accepted a motion to request a report on the connection between speed-hump placements and particulate pollution, to be produced by relevant city departments.

Ending: Council members asked the administration to remain engaged with environmental advocates and neighborhood groups to translate residents’ requests into concrete policy options, including targeted enforcement, specialized funding for impacted neighborhoods and consideration of truck-route and zoning changes.

","Detroit City Council approved two resolutions recognizing Air Quality Awareness Week and World Asthma Day after multiple residents and advocacy groups urged action on industrial pollution, truck routes and cumulative impacts; council directed staff to follow up on related reports.","actionData","errors"]

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City reports progress on solar site acquisitions, outlines condemnations and relocation steps amid resident complaints

Council recognizes Air Quality Awareness Week and World Asthma Day after residents press for truck routes, buffers and stronger enforcement