Council orders make-safe or demolition timelines for multiple long-vacant properties

The Lansing City Council on March 10 approved a series of make-safe-or-demolish orders and advanced several show-cause cases for properties the city has long identified as unsafe.

Council Member Pella Vanaglu summarized city code enforcement recommendations for multiple addresses, saying the properties are fire-damaged or in long-term disrepair and that the Department of Economic Development and Planning (EDP) recommended make-safe or demolish orders with varying timelines. The council voted to refer six show-cause matters to the Public Safety agenda and later approved four specific orders with 60-day compliance timelines.

Why it matters: Council actions set firm deadlines that can lead to city-funded demolition and special assessments if owners do not comply, affecting neighborhood conditions and city maintenance costs.

Council discussion and staff recommendations Council Member Pella Vanaglu read EDP case details into the record, including original red-tag dates, State Equalized Value (SEV) figures and repair-cost estimates. For example, 204 East Cavanaugh (original red tag 06/27/2022) had an SEV of $49,554 and an estimated repair cost of $51,177; the recommendation was a 21-day make-safe-or-demolish order. 2407 Dunlap (red tag 05/04/2021) was noted as fire damaged with an SEV of $26,800 and repair cost estimated at $49,680; EDP initially recommended 90 days but noted trade-permit progress and indicated it might accept a 30-day tabling.

Public speakers who own or are renovating affected properties gave updates at the show-cause hearing. Nick Counselor said he’d bought the Cavanaugh property and listed completed work including new framing, insulation, roof, siding, HVAC, plumbing and electrical; he said only final inspections remain. Brian Helmich said his electrical and plumbing rough inspections passed and that contractors were finishing furnace and water-heater work. Ken (identified as a contractor) reported two or three inspections left on Parkview Avenue and said he expected to schedule the final building inspection soon.

Formal actions - The council referred the six show-cause hearings (204 E. Cavanaugh; 1612 Martin St.; 2407 Dunlap St.; 108 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.; 3134 Viking Rd.; 1212 Parkview Ave.) to the Public Safety agenda for March 11 for further processing. (Referral recorded.) - The council later passed four separate resolutions ordering make-safe-or-demolish actions (1232 N. Washington Ave.; 1300 W. Maple St.; 308 E. Cesar Chavez Ave.; 5141 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.) with compliance windows of 60 days. Several motions passed unanimously; one council member was excused from the vote on 1300 W. Maple because of an indirect family interest, and the body voted to excuse that member before taking the roll. Council votes on these resolutions were recorded as passed (see “Votes at a glance” in companion article for tallies).

Clarifying details reported to the council - EDP provided specific red-tag dates, SEVs, and estimated repair costs for each property; where EDP reported trade-permit progress, council discussed short tabling options. (EDP recommendations were read aloud by Council Member Pella Vanaglu.) - Several property owners reported active permit pulls and recent inspections passed (electrical, plumbing, mechanical); a small number of projects said only final inspections or a certification test remained.

What happens next Owners subject to the make-safe-or-demolish orders have the specified days to comply; the council record notes these properties will also appear on the Public Safety agenda for further enforcement steps. If compliance is not met, the city may proceed with demolition and place special assessments for recovery of costs.

Ending note Council President Koss closed the business with unanimous passage on the resolutions that were not subject to recusal; property owners present used public comment time to report active progress on repairs and permits.