A small home in Independence Township is stirring unease with nearby residents, even though the home is no longer standing.
Residents on Mann Road have raised concerns about the property, situated on the north side near Sunburst Avenue, one of several abandoned homes in the same stretch.
Neighbors have stated that the property is dangerous, with piles of burnt ruins, old appliances, garbage, and several open cisterns dropping more than five feet into the ground. A school bus dropped off two children less than 25 yards from the site this past Thursday afternoon. Though there are signs saying ‘No Trespassing? posted on surrounding properties, no signs are posted on property with the burned down home. Yellow security tape remained wrapped around several trees on the property, but is torn and does not prevent anyone from accessing the area.
‘A kid could get stuck in there,? said one concerned neighbor, regarding the exposed cisterns and openings in the ground. The neighbor spoke on the condition of anonymity. ‘If somebody gets stuck in there, nobody would hear them.?
The resident also said serveral neighbors are concerned about rodents, which they worry will start to nest in the ruins or trash that has accumulated.
The abandoned homes grouped together are currently owned by Mann Development and Sidec Ventures, LLC – subgroups of JR Management, a property management company in Bloomfield Hills.
Rick Linnel, a representative from JR Management, said he disagrees that the property represents a danger, though he admits he did not visit the area recently. The single home that is burnt, Linnel said, is the result of training by the Independence Township Fire Department. Linnel said he loans the property to the firefighters at no charge for practice.
Linnel stated that the residents who live near the propoerties in question were mailed notifications about the work, but the resident said that is not the case.
‘I’ll I’ve heard from them hearsay,? they said.
A representative from the Independence Township Fire Department confirmed the department burned the property for various training exercises, including collapsing drills, but the department was not responsible for the condition of the property before or after the exercises were over.
Eric Pendley, Assistant Building Director for Independence Township, confirmed the property owner carries all responsibility for the area. Pendley noted that the homes along the north side of Mann Road are part of a larger piece of property slated for Planned Unit Development. Pendley said the project is part of the Steeple Chase development, which is intended to be turned into apartments/condominiums. Pendley added that the developers have already gone through the planning commission and the property was rezoned, but they are awaiting building permits from the township.
Those permits, according to Linnel, are what the developers are waiting for before they begin work on the property, including cleanup. Linnel said removing the abandoned homes, including the property used by the ITFD will be taken care of all at the same time after they have the permits to redevelop the property.
Linnel said at this time, major work on the project is not likely to begin until 2007.