Judge orders owner to demolish Packard plant in Detroit

DETROIT – A judge has ordered the demolition of the deteriorating Packard auto plant in Detroit, finding that it had become a public nuisance.

Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Brian Sullivan wrote in an order that the plant’s Peruvian owner, Fernando Palazuelo, and his company, Arte Express Detroit, must remove all rubbish and debris from the sprawling site and demolish all buildings and structures on the property, which covers several blocks on Detroit’s east side.

The March 31 order declared that the more than 30 parcels owned by Palazuelo “are a public nuisance which interfere with common rights enjoyed by the general public by significantly threatening the public’s health, safety and welfare.”