By Jim Bloch
The city of St. Clair’s Dangerous Building Commission has threatened to level the unfinished and dangerous assisted living complex at 300 Carney Drive.
The city’s commission voted unanimously at a special meeting Aug. 14 to give the owner of the property 60 days to rectify a laundry list of ordinance violations or face the wrecking ball.
The unsecured building, known as Hampton Manor, is wedged onto a narrow parcel of land, slightly less than 10 acres, north of the former Gearing Elementary School and south of the homes along Vine Street. The building is roughly 56,000 square feet. The facility was designed to feature 70 units, including 24 memory care units, 22 single bedroom units, 21 studio apartments and three two-bedroom units.
The property has been owned by Shahid Imran of Investor Lands Holding of Flushing, LLC, since May 2023.
The threat of demolition appears to have worked. As September ended, the roof of the complex had been shingled. Several windows had been installed. The gate was still open, allowing direct access to the site, but the site seemed tidier.
The city’s ordinance enforcement officer, Thomas Lukenhoff, reviewed the numerous code violation at the site for the commission’s meeting, including improper grading that is causing flooding to the homes along Vine Street; the lack of a lockable security enclosure; the absence of No Trespassing signs; the presence of construction materials on a site with expiring permits; and an accumulation of trash, rubbish and refuse.
Lukenhoff called it “an unsupervised construction site.” He said the building was an “attractive nuisance,” meaning that it attracts trespassers of various kinds, including children; there have been reports of kids playing with radio-controlled cars in the facility.
On April 7, Dee Boulier, the city’s building official, issued a stop-work order as crews installed electrical infrastructure without the proper permits.
Lukenhoff said that building was not protected by a fire suppression system. The company was ordered to make sure the roads around the building were sufficient to support emergency vehicles, such as fire trucks and ambulances, in the event of a fire.
“This directive was ignored,” said Lukenhoff. He reported that Boulier was allowing the contractor to finish the shingling to protect the roof and install windows to protect the interior.
“Windows were stacked beside the structure, but this, too, was not executed,” Lukenhoff wrote. Overall, the structure has remained unfinished and unoccupied for more than 180 consecutive days.
“I want to thank Mr. Lukenhoff and administration for putting together a very thorough packet (for the meeting),” said City Attorney Jim Downey, discussing the special Dangerous Building Commission’s meeting with the city council at its regular meeting Aug. 18.
“The evidence was adduced at the hearing, a very well attended hearing I might add,” said Downey, as heard on the recording of the council meeting posted on YouTube. “The Dangerous Building Commission found that the property was dangerous building as described in our ordinance. I’m in the process right now of reducing the testimony and exhibits into findings of fact and an order … to the property owner. The Dangerous Building Commission has given the property owner 60 days to bring the property into compliance or else the commission has authorized (me) to begin the process of having the building demolished.”
Jim Bloch is a freelance writer based in St. Clair, Michigan. Contact him at bloch.jim@gmail.com.
