FLINT -- $37 million is on the way to Flint to demolish abandoned homes and handle foreclosed properties. The federal government gave Flint $12 million for neighborhood stabilization work, followed by another $25 million, totaling $37 million in grants.
“It’s unprecedented,” said Flint Mayor Dayne Walling. “It gives us so many opportunities to deal with our homes that need to be demolished, renovated or properties that need to be acquired for further reuse,” he said.
The effort will be handled via partnership with the city and Genesee county governments.
“The county has the ability to clear title on these properties and clear the back taxes,” Walling said. “The city will be directing the redevelopment and the renovation work,” he added.
Former Genesee County Treasurer Dan Kildee said there are about 6,000 abandoned homes in the city and 18,000 abandoned lots.
“If it works out the way I think it should, as properties are rehabilitated and then sold, the money that comes from the sale of those properties can go into more demolition and relief,” Kildee said, just before boarding a plane to Atlanta to assist southern communities in dealing with urban decline.
Mayor Walling said the money will arrive in February, with work beginning in the summer.The project will target four regions, including the northwest corner of the city, the northeast corner, and the institutional corridor along the Flint River.
