Kevyn Orr, Detroit’s emergency manager, has expressed his belief that the city can clear its backlog of 78,000 blighted buildings within the next 18-36 months.
"Orr told the Free Press on Tuesday that Detroit’s 2-month-old blight task force, co-chaired by Quicken Loans founder and chairman Dan Gilbert, will soon have a plan to deal with all of the estimate 78,000 blighted structures 'in basically a year-and-a-half to three years, to remediate the city of all blight, in some fashion,'” reports Tom Walsh.
As we noted recently, the task force is leading an effort to document the city's crumbling and vacant properties - the first step in tackling the scourge. Walsh notes that the database could be completed early next year.
New Orleans' experience in clearing properties damaged and abandoned following Hurricane Katrina may provide a model for the shrinking city.
FULL STORY: Tom Walsh: Orr dreams of a blight-free Detroit within 3 years
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