Milford apartments to be razed in coming weeks

The Milford Village Council at its Tuesday, July 5 meeting approved a $26,430 bid from Cordelia Excavating of Clinton Township for the demolition of the former Woodlands Apartment building at 200 Peters Road.

The vacant three-wing, single-story building includes 24 units and was first ordered to be demolished by Timothy Brandt, the township’s building official, back in February 2009 after a dangerous building hearing was held. The demolition order was then upheld by the village’s governing body in June of that year.

Village Manager Arthur Shufflebarger said that the demolition is set to begin in one or two weeks and that the village is hoping to have it completed by the first week of September.

Since 2003, building tenants have brought forward numerous complaints about the building, ranging from collapsed ceilings to broken water pipes. Other tenants have claimed that the building’s conditions, including mold buildup, had also negatively affected their health.

Village Building Official Randy Sapalak has previously said that the building was putting people in dangerous situations and that it wasn’t being taken care of, leaving elderly tenants to fend for themselves.

The building’s owner, Milford Housing LLC, had previously filed an appeal of the ruling in Oakland County Circuit Court alleging violation of procedural due process and that the reasons given for the demolition order don’t fall under definitions outlined in the village’s dangerous building ordinance.

However, Judge Michael D. Warren, Jr. dismissed the appeal in October 2009.

The village states that once the demolition and site restoration are complete, the only site improvements that will remain will be the sidewalks along Peters Road, the drive approach, the parking lot, and the walkways along the parking lot.