Council advances rezoning and approves five‑year commercial rehab abatement for 31720 Van Born Road

The Wayne City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance to rezone 31720 Van Born Road from multifamily to B‑2 C (conditional) and also approved issuing a five‑year commercial rehabilitation exemption certificate for the same parcel.

Planning staff said the property is the former Willow Creek assisted‑living facility and has been boarded up for years. The conditional B‑2 C zoning would allow only indoor storage on the site. The applicant, who was not present for the first reading, proposes to convert the building to an indoor storage facility. City staff told council the buyer, identified on the record as Mr. Hamouch, projects approximately $7,000,000 in rehabilitation investment.

Under Michigan’s commercial rehabilitation law, an abatement can run up to 12 years; council approved a 5‑year certificate for this owner. "He’s projecting that he's going to spend approximately $7,000,000 to rehab this building," a city official said. Council discussed timing and the fact that this parcel has been vacant and heavily vandalized; staff said the applicant expects to complete work in roughly two years and the tax abatement would continue for the approved five‑year term.

Council conducted a roll call on the rezoning first reading (which is procedural and does not finalize the rezoning) and on the abatement certificate. For the rehabilitation certificate, the roll call showed one dissenting vote; the measure carried. The applicant is expected to appear at the second reading and at the council meeting in April to provide further project detail.