Land bank official says 800 West Main 'had to come down'; agency, OSHA and EGLE on site

Justin Horvath, who said he represents the Shiawassee County Land Bank and the Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership, updated the council on the demolition at 800 West Main in West Town. Horvath said the structure was unsafe and cited two structural engineering reports plus the city building inspector's review. “We can tell you with confidence it absolutely had to come down,” he said.

Horvath said MiOSHA and the state environmental agency (EGLE) have visited the site to review safety and environmental issues and that the land bank hired an independent technical contractor to monitor the work. He told the council the demolition was funded largely by a state grant passed through the county land bank with additional dollars from the property owner, Brett Lewinsky, and that the contractor will be required to remedy damage to an adjacent building as part of the contract.

Council members asked why the road was not closed during demolition after videos showed unsafe practices; a city building official said a pre‑project meeting recorded that the contractor planned a partial lane closure but chose not to close the entire road, and the building official said he will require full road closures for similar future projects when appropriate. City staff said the building inspector had previously shut the demolition down when the adjacent building became unstable and that staff have been holding the contractor to account.