State Officials OK Plan for Former Wyandotte Police/Court Building

The former police/court building at Biddle and Ford will be demolished to make way for a medical office building under a plan approved Tuesday by the Michigan Economic Growth Authority.

The project has been years in the making, but can now proceed as it’s been given the OK from state officials, City Administrator Todd Drysdale said.

The project is eligible for $210,000 in tax credits to cover the costs associated with demolishing the building and cleaning up several environmental hazards on the property.

Because of the old police firing range that once stood on the property, Drysdale said, the land has lead contamination, in addition to asbestos and soil issues that need to be addressed before new construction can begin.

The plan calls for a 17,500-square-foot building to be erected on the property. The project is expected to create up to 70 new jobs with a total capital investment of about $2 million.

It falls in line with the city’s longtime desire to create a medical campus downtown, stretching from to Ford Avenue, Drysdale said.

Once the building is demolished and the site remediated, the city plans to transfer the property to Joseph Daly of Northline Biddle, L.L.C. in Wyandotte, which will develop the project. That's expected to occur this fall.

The Wyandotte project was one of seven similar projects approved by the state on Tuesday.

“Today’s actions will help transform blighted, contaminated or functionally obsolete properties into new centers of economic growth and activity,” Michael A. Finney, president and CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corp., said in a press release. “At the same time, our economic gardening strategy is working to help companies grow and increase job opportunities in Michigan.”