There was a bit of concern last month when Fernando Palazuelo, the new owner of the dilapidated Packard Plant, hadn't paid thousands of dollars in back taxes to complete the sale. Well, he's paid the piper and is ready to roll.
Palazuelo has cleared his debt and will implement plans to refurbish the 60-year old wasteland immediately, according to Motor City Muckraker. The first step is to remove dangerous debris from the property. (So, basically everything?)
Once the work is complete, Palazuelo plans to restore the iconic brick bridge over East Grand Boulevard. The bridge, which was used to transport the shells of automobiles to the engine area, has been heavily vandalized.
"Our first line of business is taking care of the dangerous debris on both sides of the administration building," project manager Kari Smith said. "We are going to remove all of the debris."
Palazuelo has said he wants to develop a mix of residential and retail on the property, and — the thing we all want — possibly a go-kart track. Except it probably won't be fully realized until 20 years from now. But hey, Rome wasn't built in a day.