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Detroit committee flags faulty notices, urges pause on demolitions while process is fixed
Summary
At an April 9 dangerous-buildings hearing, Chair Gabriela Santiago Romero and multiple property owners said inconsistent mailed notices and duplicate fines are harming people who had begun repairs; Romero urged a moratorium on demolition orders while the city improves notice, permitting and translation processes.
Chair Council Member Gabriela Santiago Romero opened the Detroit Public Health and Safety Standing Committee’s dangerous-buildings hearing and foregrounded a recurring problem: property owners are receiving confusing or duplicate notices and fines even after they have begun repairs or transferred ownership.
At the hearing Romero said the committee must address the communication breakdowns that leave owners without clear time or guidance to make repairs and asked the administration to act. “Do a moratorium on demos until we figure this out,” Romero said, pressing staff to pause city-initiated demolitions while outreach and notice procedures are reviewed.
Why this matters: dozens of property owners — many who said they recently bought buildings at tax auctions or inherited them — described arriving at the meeting…
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