Ilitch buildings get notices as Freep inquires about lack of blight tickets

As the Free Press was inquiring earlier this week about the lack of blight tickets given to two windowless Ilitch family-owned buildings, a correction notice was posted at the properties highlighting many of the issues the news organization was raising.

The two buildings — the former Hotel Ansonia at 2447 Cass Ave. and the former Atlanta Apartments at 2467 Cass — have not received blight tickets since the family purchased them in 2009. This absence of ticketing comes in spite of the fact that both buildings lack windows and are not securely closed — two violations of city code that are supposed to lead to fines. The Free Press made the inquiries after the city moved to condemn a house on the same street near the new Little Caesars Arena.

A notice dated Monday was posted on the buildings demanding a series of corrections be made by May 30.

These corrections include registering the vacant building, securing a required Certificate of Compliance and correcting failures to maintain vacant buildings or structures in accordance with city code.

The City of Detroit maintains that the lack of tickets was not because the building department was giving the Ilitch family special treatment, but because communication was occurring and the city believed progress was being made in terms of keeping the buildings intact.

"With the large surplus of buildings across the city, we give correction orders and if we don't hear back, we revisit them," Tiffany Crawford, a spokeswoman for the Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department, said Wednesday.

"Looking at the activity from 2012 to 2017, we were issuing correction orders that they meet particular criteria, so as far as how it was addressed, it wasn't because it was the Ilitches. We sent out notices making requests for them to comply with the information."

Detroit's Property Maintenance Code states that vacant buildings or structures must have exterior windows or doors that are "maintained in sound condition and good repair" that "fit tightly within their frames" so that "rain or dampness" can't enter the building.

"Any window which is broken, cracked or missing glass or glazing shall be replaced and maintained in good repair, or the opening for the building or structure shall otherwise be adequately secured," the city ordinance states, adding that "all openings of a building or structure shall be closed and secured using secure doors, glazed windows, commercial-quality steel security panels, or filled with like-kind material as the surrounding wall to prevent entry by unauthorized persons."

Barricades, the code states, "shall be secured to the building or structure in such a manner that entry to the building or structure through the barricade is not possible, unless the barricade has a lock device and is designed to be opened and closed to allow for authorized or legal access to the building or structure."

Should these rules not be followed, Sec. 9-1-20 of the code states that a ticket should be given — $750 the first time, $1,250 the second and $1,500 the third for any building less than five stories.

While the Ilitch buildings are surrounded by a fence, the windows are not secured, which goes against code. The barricade that currently surrounds the building appears to have recently been fortified with a black tarp that now covers a barbed wire fence.

A look at the buildings over the years via Google Maps Street View shows that from June 2009 through July 2017, the tarp was not there. A wrought iron fence was once in front of the building but as it deteriorated, the barbed wire was used to patch it.

Information on the city's Blight Violation Portal, shows that 2447 Cass Ave., which was purchased by the Ilitch family in September 2009 for $150,000, received eight blight tickets between 2006 and February 2009. It has not received a ticket since.

Documents from the city indicate that the building received a correction order in August 2013 to barricade all openings to the elements. This was deemed "met." And it received another correction order in September 2012 for failing to pay the annual inspection fee, failing to comply with existing violations and failing to secure an annual "Certificate of Compliance." These, according to city documents, were deemed "not met."

Similarly, the building at 2467 Cass Ave., which was purchased by the Ilitches in December 2009 for $450,000, has no history of blight tickets, according to the portal.

Documents from the city indicate that the building received a correction order in November 2013 to barricade all openings to the elements. This was deemed "met."

Another correction order was issued on May 22, 2017, for failing to pay the annual inspection fee, failing to comply with existing violations and failing to secure an annual "Certificate of Compliance."

The city did not follow up on this order, Crawford said, because right after it was issued, the Detroit City Council approved Councilwoman Raquel Castañeda-López's request for an "interim historic designation" for the buildings to stop them from potentially being demolished. The limbo — which remains today — meant the city stopped focusing on the buildings.

That is until this week.

The Free Press reached out Wednesday to Olympia Development of Michigan, which is owned by the Ilitch family, for comment on the correction orders but had not heard back at the time this story was published. Olympia built the new arena.

With regard to the state of the buildings, Olympia said earlier this week: “We continue to evaluate possibilities for future development for properties throughout our portfolio, including these. We are in regular communication with our public partners, believe these buildings are adequately secured and have received no notices otherwise.”

The Free Press asked about the buildings after reporting that the city is moving to possibly condemn a ramshackle house at 2712 Cass Ave. next to the new arena. Since 2009, owners of that house have accumulated 50 blight tickets.

Reach Allie Gross at aegross@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @allie_elisabeth.