Amid the determined resilience of Detroit, among the echoes of industrial might and whispers of urban renewal, is the central role of Detroit Build Department (DBD). This dynamic force, established in 2014, isn't your typical city agency. It's a catalyst, an advocate, and a champion for reimagining Detroit's landscape, brick by revitalized brick. In 2023, the city announced plans to demolish another 2,000 dangerous homes within 12 months, accelerating the rate of clearances.
Their goals are ambitious, yet meticulously tracked using a publicly visible Tracker and Dashboard. By December 2023, nearly $125M has been spent on demolishing over 5,000 buildings. Of the plots made vacant by demolitions, 2,000 have been made available for sale.
A typical month has 200 demolitions, shared among the following contractors during 2023 (brackets indicate number of projects):
- Salenbien Trucking & Excavating Inc. (450)
- Gayanga Co. LLC (304)
- DMC Consultants (285)
- SC Environmental (272)
- Adamo Group Inc. (214)
- Homrich (211)
- Leadhead Construction (152)
- Inner City Contracting, LLC (86)
- Blue Star (80)
- Moss Company LLC (47)
- RDC Construction Services (46)
- J Keith Construction Services (37)
- Detroit Next (14)
- 3D Wrecking, LLC (8)
Demolition process
Demolition contractors have a strong mandate to hire locally so keep an eye on their websites, or click the button below to look through vacancies for Detroit Buildings Department.
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