Ferndale Council Approves Demolishing E. Hazelhurst Home

Ferndale Council Approves Demolishing E. Hazelhurst Home
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 20, 2016)
Ferndale, MI – “I think this is the beginning house of many,” said Ferndale Mayor Pro Tem Melanie Piana as City Council discussed the fate of 465 E. Hazelhurst.
Officials approved a $50,842.00  bid Monday night to tear down the home and put the cost on the homeowner’s tax bill.
Since 2009 Code Enforcement at the home, and the City has taken steps through Oakland County Court to order the property brought up to code, or be demolished as “public nuisance abatement.”
A timeline presented to Council shows the damage and what steps the City took to compel the owner to make repairs:
 
2009 – Interior fire; this is also the last year we believe the home was occupied
2011 – Interior fire; according to our records, the insurance company refused to pay for repairs
Early Summer 2015 – Neighbor complaints received of water in basement, overgrown rear yard
July 2015 – Search warrant obtained. Building Official, Fire Marshall, and certified mold specialist entered the property to inspect. Thousands of gallons of tainted water were pumped out and the home was condemned for:
o Irreversible mold damage
o Major holes in roof
o Vermin investation
o Nonfunctioning plumbing, mechanical, and electrical systems
o Substantial accumulation of miscellaneous items stacked floor to ceiling throughout
August 2015- Condemnation process proceeded with support from City Attorney
August 2016 – Oakland County Circuit Court approves condemnation and abatement
September 2016 – Building Official obtains additional search warrant for final verification of conditions identified in July 2015. All conditions except basement water persist, in addition to further deterioration of home. Building Official contacts Oakland County for preferred demolition vendor, executes a site visit with the vendor, and receives a quote from vendor.
From 2010-2016 there were 22 code enforcement violations at the property as well.  Court documents show that the homeowner believes the City should be partly responsible for the costs because the flooding happened when the sewer system could not handle the storm water from the 2014 flood.  The court approved the City’s request to abate, yet the homeowner has filed for a stay to prevent the demolition.
Oakland County Circuit Court has a hearing scheduled for Nov. 30.  City Council approved the demolition on the condition that it not be done until the court process is complete. If the court permits them to continue, the process should take about two weeks.
The $50,842.00 fee will be put on the taxes for the property. If the property owner defaults on their taxes, Oakland County could foreclose on the property, in which case the City would lose the money spent tearing the house down.
Mayor Dave Coulter inquired about the cost of the demolition, noting that he’d seen cities like Detroit have lower costs.
City Planner Justin Lyons said other cities have been doing multiple homes at one time, thus gaining by economies of scale.  Also, in this case the home is filled with items packed floor to ceiling which raise the cost of demolition.  Additionally, the City is requiring proper asbestos removal procedures and that the dirt used to fill the basement area be imported, clean fill.
Piana said that 11% of homes in Ferndale are vacant, and expressed hopes that staff could come up with recommendations for how to deal with blight issues for those homes. “We have persistent problems with these properties,” she said.
Many vacant properties are owned by banks that have acquired them after foreclosures.  In the E. Hazelhurst case, the owner reportedly moved after the fire in 2009.

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