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Owner of infamous eyesore Packard Plant racks up fines for inactivity by city of Detroit
A Wayne County Circuit Court judge is ordering Fernando Palazuelo to remove trash and debris - and work on demolishing the several parcels he owns, after declaring them a public nuisance and a threat to public health safety and welfare.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Detroit's old Packard Plant's days look to be numbered after the city council approved a nearly-$1.7 million contract to demolish the blighted structure.
By a 9-0 vote, Detroit City Council members gave the green light for a firm to level a portion of the 40-acre site on the city's east side. The $1.685 million contract is being funded with money from the federal government that was approved in the American Rescue Plan Act.
The previous owner of the plant, Fernando Palazuelo, had promised to revitalize the site with business amenities. But years of abandonment and a lack of progress led the city to suing the owner. Palazuelo never appeared for his court date.
A judge ordered the plant demolished on April 6 and ordered Palazuelo, a real estate developer out of Peru, to pay for both the site's deconstruction and removal of debris. According to the order at the time, if the businessman failed to meet timelines set by the judge, the city would be allowed to move in.
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It was last purchased by Palazuelo's company back in 2013.
The old Packard Plant in Detroit
Homrich Wrecking Inc. was awarded the contract to demolish the structure.