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Council Wants Owner To Pay For Demolition
POSTED: Tuesday, April 7, 2009
UPDATED: 6:47 pm EDT April 7, 2009
DETROIT -- It may finally be the end of the line for Detroit's old Michigan Central Train Station.
City, community and business leaders have debated for years what to do with the building, which is owned by billionaire businessman Manuel "Matty" Moroun.
Tuesday, the Detroit City Council voted to tear the building down and make Moroun pay for the demolition.
Council passed a resolution that calls for an emergency demolition order.
"I want it down now," said Councilwoman Barbara-Rose Collins. "It's obviously a public hazard."
The building was closed in 1988. Since then, it has been used to film several movies, but Council President Monica Conyers said, "it should've been down years ago." According to Conyers, the city can use its blight ordinance which would allow the city to take over the neglected property.
City attorneys have been asked to draft a report about how to enforce the resolution.
Detroit Mayor Ken Cockrel, Jr. hopes to use $3.6 million in federal economic stimulus money to demolish the train depot. Several council members oppose the idea of using city or federal money for the project.
"The city should have no obligation whatsoever to tear it down," said Collins, who described Moroun as a "sweet person ...though he's a king of his own little kingdom."
Conyers, who is also against using federal money, said she is willing to give Moroun one final chance if he "came up with some type of plan to make it viable," like using the building as a shopping outlet.
Moroun, who owns the Ambassador Bridge, has been focused on a plan to build a second bridge next to the Ambassador Bridge. He has 30 days to respond to council's emergency demolition resolution on the train depot.
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