Reduce Reuse ReRomney?

Last week the Wall Street Journal reported that the childhood home of erstwhile presidential candidate Mitt Romney is going to be torn down under a new plan by Detroit Mayor Dave Bing. The plan calls for the razing of 10,000 vacant or abandoned homes as a way to "right size" the city due to its shrinking population. Citizens have been calling for this plan to start ridding the city of decay and blight. Currently there are 90,000 of these homes.

The Romney home, which sold for over $600,000 back in 2002, is located in an upscale neighborhood called Palmer Woods. The house, which has been in and out of foreclosure since then, now stands abandoned and in a state of disrepair. In terms of sustainability, its been said that the greenest buildings are the ones that already exist.

Interestingly enough, the family lived there from 1941-1953, as the patriarch George Romney became the head of American Motors Corporation, Governor of Michigan, and ultimately the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. What do you think the former head of HUD might say about this turn of events? Doubtful that he would echo the sentiments of his son, who said, "It's sad...but sadder still to consider what has happened to the city of Detroit, which has been left hollow by fleeing jobs and liberal social policies."

The coldness of this remark shows a certain lack of reflection and total misunderstanding of what is actually happening. Detroit, like many urban areas are fighting to come back and this approach is only part of the solution. Mr. Romney is extremely wealthy due to his tenure in the investment banking world. The least he could do is acquire the property and rehabilitate it. Whether this would be an example of noblesse oblige, a token act of green preservation or a simple desire to maintain a sense of his own history, it would prove that he has an idea that unlike the world of Wall Street, some things are worth preserving. Offering worn-out platitudes about failed policies is the type of recycling we can do without.

Jonathan A. Schein is president/CEO of ScheinMedia, publisher of MetroGreenBusiness.com

 

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Comments

[StanMann]

12:43 PM on 05/19/2010

dawacu- the home should be torn down, the home is a blight, other people live in the neighborhood and keep their property up.

But then again as mentioned in the earlier post --- look at some of the listing for the Bloomfield Hills property now up for sale also!

http://www.propertyindex.com/HS2281512/1840-E-Valley-Rd-Bloomfield-Hills-Michigan/100/

And Look! It is even listed on the NYTs they just do not say it use to belong to the forever family who wants to be President -- Quick Mitt go buy this....

http://realestate.nytimes.com/sales/detail/2712-11682421/1840-E-Valley-Rd-Bloomfield-Hills-MI-48304

Typical Romney hypocrite!

[StanMann]

12:41 PM on 05/19/2010

rehab the home isl over a million dollars, far past it's value. This is a typical Romney ploy to shine a light on himself saying "ME! ME! Don't tear the home down I lived in for FIVE years as a small kid!" Make a memorial to me,my boyhood home, BECAUSE I am going to be POTUS

Romney who spent 42 million dollars of HIS OWN money in the last presidential bid, a million dollars repair on this 5,500 square foot boyhood home is his is too much for old Mitt.What Mitt wouldn't stay in an upscale black community on his visits back to Michigan.Mitt calls Michigan his home state. Of course, he rarely comes to Michigan.

THEN AGAIN -

One does not hear Romney complaining about the other boyhood slice of Michigan up for sale right now!

There is another piece of Romney's pass up for sale in Bloomfield Hills right now, right next to the Bloomfield Hills golf course

Price: $1,289,000
Lot Size: IRREG
Area: Bloomfield Hills, MI
County: Oakland
MLS/Web ID: 28108645
Calculate Monthly Payment
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Description

ONE OF THE MOST DESIRABLE LOTS IN THE CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS. NEAR BLOOMFIELD HILLS COUNTRY CLUB, THIS IS 2+ ACRE LOT IS VERY PRIVATE, TREED AND OVERLOOKS ITS OWN POND. THIS PROMINENT PROPERTY, ONCE PART OF THE ROMNEY ESTATE, IS READY FOR YOUR DREAM HOME. FABULOUS PLANS BY DOMINIC TRIAGALI AVAILABLE. MOTIVATED SELLER, MAKE AN OFFER. LAND CONTRACT TERMS AVAILABLE
http://www.weichert.com/20643600/.

[dawacu]

09:53 AM on 05/19/2010

This article assumes that someone will eventually want to build a house in that area of Detroit at some point. The greenest thing to do would be to rehab the house only if someone wanted to buy it, which isn't the case here.

Why buy a house he doesn't plan to live in? As a resident of southeast Michigan I can tell you that people buying houses they don't plan to live in to prevent them from being destroyed simply won't solve blight. Detroit is right to destroy these vacant houses because they have become havens of crime and make Detroit more dangerous and ugly than it should be.

[StanMann]

01:07 PM on 05/19/2010

See the NYTs article does NOT say the property was part of the George Romney family.
Mitt can go buy this, make it into an upscale memorial park for himself. Call it the Mitters Glove Cove for tired upscale golfers.

2 ACRE LOT NEAR BLOOMFIELD HILLS COUNTRY CLUB! One of the Most Desirable Lots in the City of Bloomfield Hills. Prestigious Sub. Very Private, Treed, Overlooking Pond. $1,289,000 Call Michael*

http://realestate.nytimes.com/sales/detail/2712-11682421/1840-E-Valley-Rd-Bloomfield-Hills-MI-48304

Detroit is a more dangerous place just having a Romney in it.