Council approves demolition of downtown parking structure; contractor to begin this month

The Wayne City Council on April 1 approved a bid award to demolish the downtown parking structure and convert the site to a parking lot, awarding the low bid to Hamrich of Carlton, Michigan, for $687,472.50 plus a $10,312 permit fee, for a total of $697,784.50 to be paid from Community Development Block Grant funds.

The council’s approval followed a presentation from Alan Cruz of Hennessy Engineers, who said the contractor expects to begin mobilizing this month once contract signatures, bonding and insurance are in place. “It’ll take probably about a month to a month and a half to complete the entire demolition and construction of the new parking lot,” Cruz said.

Cruz said the contractor will coordinate staging and emergency operations with the fire department; Michigan Avenue will remain open during the work. He said there may be short, temporary lane or entrance closures and that any night or Sunday work would be coordinated to minimize community impact.

Council members thanked staff for getting the project to bid and noted the structure has been an eyesore. Councilman Quarles offered the motion to approve; Councilman Darwish seconded. The motion carried.

Rizwan, the owner of the building just east of the structure, agreed in a separate licensing arrangement to allow the city and the demolition contractor to stage equipment in his parking area during the project. The licensing agreement requires the city to repair any damage to his asphalt; staff said the contractor will lay 1.5 inches of asphalt within 45 days after project completion, and Rizwan will be responsible for restriping.

City staff described the demolition method as a top-down, controlled dismantling rather than explosives. Cruz said demolition plans include maintaining a controlled footprint and preserving public safety while removing the structure.

The council’s packet included the list of bidders and the low bid. Several council members asked about when work would begin and how long it would last; staff gave the timeline above and said the contractor is coordinating with the fire department on staging.

The council also approved a separate licensing agreement with MPC LLC (the adjacent property owner) to use the east parking lot for staging during demolition; the arrangement requires the city to address any asphalt damage as described above.

The council did not set a longer-term redevelopment plan for the site at the meeting; staff said the lot will be backfilled with engineered aggregate so future development can reuse the subgrade without settlement concerns.

The demolition and parking-lot work are funded with Community Development Block Grant monies, and staff said mobilization will begin after the city completes contracting requirements.

Votes at the meeting on the demolition item were recorded as in favor; the motion carried.