Staff reports on demolition, redevelopment, code enforcement and court scheduling for building cases

City staff on March 6 gave a series of operational updates about active demolition, redevelopment projects, code enforcement and a change to court scheduling for building-department cases.

John Myers, the city’s building official, told commissioners that the demolition contractor at the former Big Lots site must install a six-foot metal chain-link fence across the property and that citations will resume immediately if fencing and site controls are not installed. "We've required them to do that. We will stay on top of that until we see a 6 foot fence across the front of that," Myers said, and he described ongoing photographic documentation and escalating citations for unauthorized parking and storage on the site.

Myers also reported progress on other projects: the Sheets property plan-review is roughly 70% complete and the developer has pulled some permits for dumpster enclosures and site work; the Quad project at Kelly and Tofford is scheduled to begin underground storm-sewer work the week after the meeting, with staff estimating a roughly 28-day sequence for certain underground and concrete tasks once crews start. Staff and the developer expressed a goal to start visible site work before the end of the building season.

Separately, a city prosecutor (Aubrey) and Myers said the 9 Mile reconstruction will continue through the summer with phased work on utilities and road replacement and that Consumers Energy has completed gas-main replacements for the corridor. The prosecutor reported an operational change with the local court: building-department cases will now be scheduled twice a month on court days devoted to code and building matters so staff and the city attorney/prosecutor can use the full court block for those hearings.

Economic development staff noted outreach to businesses during construction: a small-business resource fair will be held at City Hall on Wednesday, April 30, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with more than a dozen business-support organizations invited to help businesses navigate construction impacts, incentives and available assistance.

City staff also described steps to improve minute-taking (moving the process in house to deliver minutes within seven business days) and said code-enforcement officers are using new digital tools to increase daily inputs and follow-ups. A staff member said enforcement inputs are averaging between 31 and 70 entries a day under the new system.

Commissioners asked for continued transparency and community updates as construction progresses and for staff to provide a regular project-status briefing at future meetings.

No formal vote was required for these informational updates.