How does this reinforce the city's vision?

Point-for-point comparison

How the Blight Removal Task Force recommendations support Detroit Future City & the Mayor's 10-point plan

The following text illustrates how the Detroit Blight Removal Task Force’s recommendations support key recommendations from Detroit Future City and the Mayor’s Every Neighborhood Has a Future plan.

A full listing of the 10 points from the Mayor’s Every Neighborhood Has a Future plan is below.

Mayor's Every Neighborhood has a Future 10-point plan

Point 1: Establish a single Department of Neighborhoods (DON).

Point 2: Base the DON in 7 Neighborhood District Offices to create true partnerships with Neighborhood Groups/Block Clubs.

Point 3: Seize Abandoned Houses/Drug Houses through nuisance abatement program Mike Duggan started as Prosecutor.

Point 4: Create positive incentives to move families from sparsely populated areas into stronger neighborhoods.

Point 5: Rebuild neighboring business districts, beginning by seizing abandoned storefronts and moving in entrepreneurs.

Point 6: Streamline demolition process and strategically target neighborhoods.

Point 7: Crack down on illegal scrappers and their scrap yards.

Point 8: Create much tougher code enforcement.

Point 9: Require banks to participate in neighborhood redevelopment.

Point 10: Reform Detroit Land Bank so we can re-use vacant land.

What is the context for our work?

Two points of contact for community engagement:

An ongoing, open information portal enabled by technology, available at all times to all residents.

Neighborhood-based point of contact through the Neighborhood District Manager Offices.

Mayor's Every Neighborhood has a Future

Supports Point 1: Establish a single Department of Neighborhoods (DON)

Supports Point 2: Base the DON in 7 Neighborhood District Manger Offices to create true partnerships with Neighborhood Groups/Block Clubs

Detroit Future City

Civic Engagement

“Extend the capacity for civic engagement by building on four key components of long-term civic capacity: city government, philanthropy, Detroit institutions (including business and nonprofit sectors), and Detroit residents.”

“Develop and share knowledge and information inclusively, continually, with transparency, and demonstrating that the input has value and is being used.”

“Engage people with a mosaic of tactics that have varied and broad appeal and possibilities, and that are woven together to have combined effectiveness.”

“Extend the capacity for civic engagement by building on four key components of long-term civic capacity: city government, philanthropy, Detroit institutions (including business and nonprofit sectors), and Detroit residents.”

What do we know?

  • 84,641 out of 377,602 properties in Detroit need intervention.
  • Most of these by far are residential: 73,035.
  • The MCM team has identified about 40,077 structures that meet the Task Force definition of blight and should be removed.

Mayor's Every Neighborhood has a Future

Supports Point 2: (Base the DON in 7 Neighborhood District Manager Offices to create true partnerships) by providing a shared knowledge base.

Supports insight to realize Point 3: Seize Abandoned Houses/Drug Houses through nuisance abatement program Mike Duggan started as Prosecutor.

Supports information basis for Point 6: Streamline demolition process and strategically target neighborhoods

Helps pinpoint priority parcels for Point 8: Create much tougher code enforcement.

Detroit Future City

City Systems

“Actively manage change, by continuing discussions that have already begun for removing regulatory barriers to interagency cooperation at the city and regional levels, as well as establishing an interagency platform for coordinated decision making about city services.

Where do we go first?

The goals of Maximizing Community Impact (MCI) are to:

  • Improve quality of life for the greatest number of people in the city, and
  • Improve opportunities for reinvestment in Detroit’s neighborhoods.

Mayor's Every Neighborhood has a Future

Provides geographic analysis to support the Mayor’s entire code enforcement and nuisance abatement efforts, including Point 3: Seize Abandoned Houses/Drug Houses through nuisance abatement program.

Provides geographic analysis to aid in decisions about how to enact Point 6: Streamline demolition process and strategically target neighborhoods.

Shows how priority areas for investment will dovetail with and benefit from Mayor’s efforts on Point 8: Create much tougher code enforcement.

Detroit Future City

Land Use

“Alliance with Framework Zones that guide citywide and investment decisions in terms of the best ways to make positive change in areas with a range of physical and market characteristics.”

Neighborhoods

“Address quality-of-life issues for all Detroiters with a set of citywide strategies that work in all Detroit neighborhoods.”

Economic Growth

“Transform the city’s land into an economic asset.”

Land Assets

“Use vacant public land and structures in neighborhoods to stabilize them.”

“Link public facility and other decisions to larger strategies.”

How do we decide what to do?

  • Legal tools to streamline blight removal and support Mayor’s code enforcement and nuisance abatement efforts.
  • Strategic Assessment Triage Tool (SATT) to rapidly and consistently evaluate intervention options for each property.

Mayor's Every Neighborhood has a Future

Recommends specific legal and procedural changes to support the Mayor’s code enforcement and nuisance abatement efforts, including Point 3: Seize Abandoned Houses/Drug Houses through nuisance abatement program.

Recommends specific legal and procedural changes to support Point 6: Streamline demolition process and strategically target neighborhoods.

Recommends specific legal and procedural changes to support the Point 8: Create much tougher code enforcement.

The SATT is an entirely new diagnostic tool that will support the Mayor’s entire 10-point Neighborhood Plan because it will assure a first-ever ability to make consistent yet fine-grained decisions by parcel.

Detroit Future City

City Systems

“Actively manage change, by continuing discussions that have already begun for removing regulatory barriers to interagency cooperation at the city and regional levels, as well as establishing an interagency platform for coordinated decision making about city services.”

The SATT tool offers two formal points for Community Engagement to shape and refine decisions at the beginning and near the end of SATT analysis, through presentations at community meetings:

“Develop and share knowledge and information inclusively, continually, with transparency, and demonstrating that the input has value and is being used.”

“Engage people with a mosaic of tactics that have varied and broad appeal and possibilities, and that are woven together to have combined effectiveness.”

How do we remove blight?

  • Because demolition and deconstruction have such immediate transformative impacts, this chapter focuses on the removal of structures and the clearing and maintenance of vacant lots.
  • Focus on safest available practices that can lead to economic opportunities and clear the way for healthier environments in Detroit.
  • Highlights 430 job creation opportunities for Detroiters.

Mayor's Every Neighborhood has a Future

Supports progress on Point 6: Streamline demolition process and strategically target neighborhoods.

Detroit Future City

Economic Growth

“Support the Four Key Economic Pillars [including] industrial “Encourage local entrepreneurship and minority-owned business.”

“Improve education and skills development.”

“Transform the city’s land into an economic asset.”

Neighborhoods

“Address quality of life issues for all Detroiters with a set of citywide strategies that work in all Detroit neighborhoods.”

City Systems

“Create innovative landscapes (blue and green infrastructure) that actively clean the air and water to provide better environmental quality and public health for Detroit.”

Land Assets

“Transform largely vacant areas through blue and green infrastructure.”

“Make landscape interventions central to Detroit’s survival.”

How do we get ahead of blight?

  • Promote property tax policy that levels the playing field for property assessments over the next two years.
  • Stem the tide of properties at risk of foreclosure through auction bundling, owner occupied payment assistance, and reverter clauses.
  • Key city and state actions are needed to enact or strengthen laws that prevent or address blight.

Mayor's Every Neighborhood has a Future

Supports local and state framework to target irresponsible owners and support:

Point 3: Seize Abandoned Houses/Drug Houses through nuisance abatement program Mike Duggan started as Prosecutor.

Point 5: Rebuild neighboring business districts, beginning by seizing abandoned storefronts and moving in entrepreneurs.

Point 7: Crack down on illegal scrappers and their scrap yards.

Point 8: Create much tougher code enforcement.

Detroit Future City

Economic Growth

“Transform the city’s land into an economic asset.”

Land Use

“Develop innovative regulatory reform.”

City Systems

“Actively manage change, by continuing discussions that have already begun for removing regulatory barriers to interagency cooperation at the city and regional levels, as well as establishing an interagency platform for coordinated decision making about city services.”

Neighborhoods

“Address quality-of-life issues for all Detroiters with a set of citywide strategies that work in all Detroit neighborhoods.”

Who is leading the process?

The Mayor’s Office must lead, in collaboration with the Emergency Manager’s office, to address blight head-on.

The centerpiece of this work will be the newly enhanced Detroit Land Bank Authority, working in concert with the Mayor’s office and the Department of Neighborhoods.

Mayor's Every Neighborhood has a Future

Point 1: Establish a single Department of Neighborhoods (DON).

Point 2: Base the DON in 7 Neighborhood District Offices to create true partnerships with Neighborhood Groups/Block Clubs.

Point 9: Require banks to participate in neighborhood redevelopment.

Point 10: Reform Detroit Land Bank so we can re-use vacant land.

Detroit Future City

City Systems

“Actively manage change, by continuing discussions that have already begun for removing regulatory barriers to interagency cooperation at the city and regional levels, as well as establishing an interagency platform for coordinated decision making about city services.”

Civic Engagement

“Extend the capacity for civic engagement by building on four key components of long-term civic capacity: city government, philanthropy, Detroit institutions (including business and nonprofit sectors), and Detroit residents.”