Water damage, asbestos clean-up prompt evacuation of Village Plaza in Dearborn

Tenants of the Village Plaza in Dearborn are scrambling to find new space after being forced out of the 285,468-square-foot office building because of safety issues.

One tenant, Michael Bsharah, founder and CEO of Bsharah Public Relations, said he was told to "vacate the building immediately," due to issues involving "asbestos and fire retardant."

However, Michael Hamame of Village Plaza's management company, Cambridge Real Estate, said while there is asbestos contained in fire retardant on the upper floors, that isn't the primary reason tenants are being asked to leave the building at Michigan Avenue and Outer Drive.

Hamame said a broken pipe caused damage and they need to shut down the building's heating and cooling system to make fixes. He said the situation is temporary.

Bsharah shared the following on Facebook:

Bsharah told the Free Press that he received a letter from Cambridge Wednesday morning ordering tenants to leave.

The building has been under renovation for the last year, Bsharah said, but he was unaware of asbestos or other contaminants until he received the letter.

"For the management company to not inform tenants or potential tenants is a problem," said Bsharah, who plans to move out permanently.

"...Doing what I do for a living, particularly, not to be direct and honest about a potential crisis or a potential hazardous situation is unethical and just plain bad business."

Hamame said the order to vacate came because of the broken pipe, not because of citations from the state of Michigan regarding asbestos.

Jeannie Vogel, spokeswoman for the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, confirmed that a health and safety inspection was conducted in June, but no citations were issued.

"However, as required by the Michigan Asbestos Abatement Contractors Licensing Act (1986 PA 135), Sloan Environmental Services provided MIOSHA with notification of an asbestos abatement project at the site, which is scheduled to begin on 2/28/2018 and end on 6/29/2018," Vogel said in an e-mailed statement.

Sloan Environmental Services is scheduled to remove 125,000 square feet of asbestos-containing material from the site, she said.

In most buildings built before 1975, Hamame said, there is fire retardant that contains asbestos.

"[Asbestos in fire retardant] to our understanding is OK, as long as it is encapsulated, which it is," he said. "We bring in an environmental company to scrape and clean up any contaminated material."

According to the letter, broken pipes caused extensive water damage starting on the 10th floor and trickling downward, but the areas that were affected were unoccupied.

The letter also noted that undisturbed asbestos is not harmful but said a state of Michigan representative and certified consultants noted that some of the contained asbestos was displaced by the water damage and affected areas need to be cleaned.

"Environmental consultants did observe some areas where spray-on asbestos fireproofing had fallen on the 10th floor and 4th floor. We are presently unaware of any asbestos release which directly impacts your space, although once the cleaning processes commence this could be a possibility," the letter said.

Hamame said each lease is different, but tenants won't be charged for the time the space is not being used.

Attorney Eugene Smith, whose leased an office on the second floor for about 11 months, said management generally has been good about maintaining the building. Still, the evacuation has been a little disruptive, he said.

"The likelihood of me moving out and moving back is slim," Smith said. "I mean if I find another suitable location, why would I move back?"

Contact reporter Aleanna Siacon at ASiacon@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @AleannaSiacon