Highland Park council holds special meeting on land-bank demolition plan after county representative no-show

Highland Park City Council held a special meeting July 17 to discuss a conditional agreement with the Wayne County Land Bank that would allow the land bank to demolish more than 60 blighted properties and return the parcels to the city, using $7,500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding allocated by Commissioner Martha G. Scott. The council met with the item on the agenda but Mr. Anthony Cartwright of the Wayne County Land Bank did not attend.

The absence of the county representative prompted questions from council members and repeated public comments asking the council to clarify the memorandum of understanding (MOU), the terms for return of property, oversight of demolition contractors, and which parcels are covered. “The most strategic, responsible, and community centered path forward would be possibly to allow Wayne County to demolish the 60 plus blighted properties and authorize the land bank to sell the parcels on the city's behalf,” resident Alexis Ramsey told the council during the public-comment portion, offering a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis she said supported cooperation if the city retains oversight.

Why it matters: the plan would remove hazardous structures at no direct demolition cost to the city, but residents and some council members said the city lacks staff capacity to hold and market dozens of parcels if properties are returned. They raised concerns about liability for maintenance, how quickly parcels would be returned to the tax roll, and the city’s past experiences with property transfers.

Residents raised specific local concerns. Mark Holmes, who lives at 250 Tyler, said a neighboring vacant property, 252 Tyler, was removed from a land-bank auction after work crews capped utilities and excavated the yard; he also said demolition crews left a large hole in the street on Tyler that has not been patched. “If they're funding this, they should be able to stop and take care of this because they're putting people in people's vehicles at risk, and it's an eyesore,” Holmes said.

Sandra Luis said she understood the Highland Park Housing Commission was preparing to sell or demolish 26 properties and asked the council for clarity; the council responded that staff would look into her question. Laria Young, who lives next to Highland Park Towers, said she has watched that building deteriorate and urged the council to press for action. Jamille Edwards asked the council to examine water-bill responsibilities for parcels the land bank would demolish, saying residents are currently bearing some bills tied to vacant properties.

Several speakers cautioned the council not to accept a deal that returned parcels the city could not manage. One commenter noted the land bank sometimes sells properties at very low prices and urged negotiating terms that protect Highland Park from speculative buyers and prolonged vacancies.

Council action at the meeting was limited to procedural motions: the council voted to open the floor for public comment and later adjourned. A council member noted that Mr. Cartwright had told the council he would attend but did not. No formal MOU was presented or approved at the meeting, and no vote on authorizing demolition or transfer of property was taken.

What comes next: council members and staff said they would follow up on the questions raised about specific parcels, auction listings, water-bill responsibilities, and street damage reported by residents. The record at the meeting includes the council’s statement that the $7,500,000 ARPA allocation exists and was discussed as the funding source for the demolitions, but key terms of the conditional agreement and a full copy of the MOU were not presented at this special meeting.