Judge orders owner to demolish Packard plant in Detroit

DETROIT (AP) — 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 a March 31, 2022, 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 that covers several city blocks and demolish all buildings and structures on the property. Palazuelo bought the Packard property in 2013 for $405,000 at a Wayne County tax foreclosure auction. He said then that his plans were to restore and reopen the 40-acre complex as a mixed-use commercial, residential and cultural development.