Hillsdale starts the fight against blight

Home City News Hillsdale starts the fight against blight

On Aug. 26, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder kicked off the largest blight removal effort in state history, and the City of Hillsdale is attempting to follow suit.

The Michigan State Housing Development Authority is spending $100 million to reduce the number of vacant and abandoned properties in Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Pontiac, and Saginaw.

Mary Wolfram, Hillsdale economic development director, said Hillsdale and others are facing similar problems to these large cities in regard to blight.

“Many communities have the same problems as us. Buildings are old, they might be contaminated, and the cost of fixing them up exceeds their value,” Wolfram said. “That is why those buildings are still there, still vacant, and still blighted.”

While there are many smaller cities in Michigan, like Hillsdale, which could benefit from government funding for blights, this money is “difficult to obtain and there are a lot of strings tied to it,” Wolfram said.

Without a grant, there is little the city can do to fix up the large, vacated buildings, such as the old flour mill in Hillsdale’s downtown, but many are working to improve the smaller buildings and residential properties.

“Buildings that have been run-down for years are getting fixed up,” Wolfram said. “We are using the tools we have and that’s working.”

For the past year, Hillsdale’s City Council has made the town’s blight problem a priority, issuing more than 45 property maintenance citations, according to Kim Thomas, Hillsdale assessor and code enforcement officer.

Councilman Brian Watkins said this is a much larger amount than in previous years.

The rise in number of citations is partially due to Hillsdale’s code enforcement office partnering with the city police department. By the police officers taking care of smaller violations like tall weeds and grass during their patrols, the code enforcement office has been able to tackle bigger issues like deteriorating buildings.

Decrepit buildings, both commercial and residential, stunt Hillsdale’s growth, because they drag down housing values and discourage businesses from expanding their companies here.

“Companies have looked at our abandoned buildings to expand their business, but because they are contaminated or have the potential to be, they chose to move to other cities instead,” Watkins said.

Since more citations have been issued recently, many Hillsdale residents, like Richard Smith, have commented on the increase in painting and fixing up around town.

At Hillsdale’s Sept. 16 City Council Meeting, Smith noted his satisfaction that Hillsdale City Manager Linda Brown had taken action on two run-down properties he had raised concerns about in May.

“I immediately noticed that lawns were being mowed and things were being picked up,” Smith said.

Despite the city’s progress, Smith and other Hillsdale residents continue to raise concerns about neglected properties.

“Every council packet we get, we have residences in it that need to be cleaned up and have been cited,” Councilman Scott Sessions said.

Although the blight issue is not one which can be solved immediately, primarily due to a lack of funds, many are working to contain the problem.

Wolfram contends one solution could be raising the fine on violations.

“Right now the highest fine is $500 and that’s not enough to greatly influence business owners,” Wolfram said. “If you are an individual homeowner, $500 may be big, but for a business owner, that may not be big enough to fix up a building.”

Watkins is working with Planning Commission Member Laura Smith to propose codes which would hopefully prevent future commercial blights by forcing vacated buildings to be registered and designating local contacts for out-of-town business owners.

“I can sit and complain or do something,” Watkins said. “So I’m choosing to do something.”

Watkins’s attitude mirrors that of most residents who agree that they want the City of Hillsdale cleaned up.