Why an Absentee Owner Is Finally Cleaning Up This Rotting Sears
One worker cleaning up the Livonia eyesore said, "I think there were a lot of people f—ing around in there; probably f—ing too"
Livonia — Frustrated residents might have noticed unusual activity at the old Sears building at 7 Mile and Middlebelt over the past few days. Cranes have been removing the large lettering on the front facade, and crews are boarding up the numerous broken windows.
The old Livonia Mall anchor, now standing as a faded remnant of mass consumerism, has alarmed area residents as its blighted bones have become an eyesore for the city and a shelter for wayward homeless seeking to avoid the harsh Michigan winters.
But the story behind the story is hostage-taking by billionaire investors buying, holding, and running former or current malls and their anchors into the ground while waiting for the perfect deal to materialize, which could take decades.
Eddie Lampert, the controversial owner of the Sears building and about 200 shithole properties around the country through various firms, has held the Sears building in a holding pattern with a bizarre 30-day closing window, warding off any potential buyers while paying a yearly $500 blight fine as the building and parking lot have decayed like rotted teeth.
But according to sources in Livonia city hall, city inspector Jerome Hanna decided he’d had enough and took action against Lampert. Details are few, and Hanna has not responded to inquires, but whatever the hell he did resulted in swift action.
Rumors quickly proliferated through the city, but sources have alleged certain fines were levied by Hanna’s office on Lampert for several key ordinance violations to include the Sears sign, broken windows, and the general disrepair of the parking lot writ large.
One city official with knowledge of the cleanup but without authorization to discuss it simply stated:
“Those a—holes finally complied”
On Monday, work crews were observed putting up particle board around the service center bay doors and the rear service tunnel. Later that day the Sears lettering started to come down and changes continued on Tuesday as crews were actually cleaning up the property and cutting down weeds and tall grass.
It’s a Christmas miracle. What in the hell did Hanna do? Kick down Lampert’s doors and threaten to take a flamethrower to the place?
According to contractors at the site, maintenance will be regular moving forward and the lawn and parking lot will be regularly maintained. Both workers who spoke with Michigan Enjoyer stated they had been inside the building while working to secure it from continued incursions by trespassers. “It’s pretty bad in there, man” stated one worker who acknowledged there was evidence homeless had been dwelling in the structure. “I think there were a lot of people f—ing around in there; probably f—ing too.”
This is a good first step and a sign Livonia isn’t screwing around anymore with out-of-state absentee landlords enjoying the decline in taxable value of their real-estate investments.
As for now, the building remains listed for sale on Transformco’s website and sources in city hall had no inside knowledge on any potential pending sale, but that didn’t stop multiple city officials openly pondering the notion a change in ownership could be event horizon.
But the larger issue remains for communities burdened by these monoliths of a bygone era. Privately owned, these structure like SEARS can’t be forced-fed to developers. Built in 1964, the SEARS building is virtually useless today and the teardown and remediation of the land might cost more than the building is worth.
Nevermind the fact that if the building gets purchased, the land rezoned, and a mixed-used development plan presented, a coterie of NIMBY activists will flow into city council meetings raining ex-hippie hellfire.
Even worse, some 75-year-old affluent white liberal with a $1.2 million house in Deer Creek will pour a glass of water on the parking lot and call it a wetland. Maybe somebody will run for mayor promising to save the Sears and convert it into a community center with a cute little coffee shop.
But the hero of the story is Jerome Hanna who went full “Vincent Hanna” in HEAT. Is this guy good or what?
