More Detroit schools to be demolished

Detroit expects to start tearing down 11 vacant schools by year's end, Crain's reports.

The big picture: Commercial demolition continues to be a major priority for Mayor Mike Duggan's administration, with the looming question remaining of how to equitably use the vacant land left behind.

Flashback: As enrollment dropped, nearly 200 Detroit public schools closed between 2000 and 2015, per a Regrid report. Structures — some historic — remain empty across the city, while all that's left of others is empty land.

Context: A 2020 study of 63 vacant schools by the city identified which should be targeted for preservation and which were less salvageable.

• While developers aim to turn one northwest school into apartments, the city says many schools would be too costly to fix.

Zoom in: One school in the city's study that's on the list to be demolished soon is Stephens Elementary at 5974 Seneca, built in 1913. It would have cost $15.6 million to rehab.

• The building is in "above average condition," per the study, but not in a "strong real estate market" area — lots of vacant lots and land bank-owned properties nearby.
• However, "strong block clubs in the area" are "protective of the school," which is next to a park.