Corktown building faces foreclosure, raises awareness for city drainage fees

Earlier this year, the Detroit Water and Sewage Department changed the way they calculate drainage billing for non-residential customers. It was supposed to help customers with high fees; instead, some are facing unforeseen circumstances.

2051 Dalzelle, a Corktown service station which has been owned by the same family since 1966, recently received a foreclosure notice for an overdue bill which they never received. They’re bringing awareness to their plight through social media. A sign reading #2051Dalzelle hangs over the door, and they’re hoping to reach others facing the same issue. Since going public, they’ve learned of other nearby properties who aren’t being assessed the fee.

Owner Arnold Carpen tells Curbed that they’ve never been billed for the drainage fees and it’s been adding up since 2013. He says the fees now equal about two times the property taxes. They were made aware of the fees after receiving the foreclosure notice from Wayne County.

Carpen says they’ve reached out to the Mayor, DWSD, the Wayne County Treasurer, and Gary Brown, the head of DWSD. Carpen says, “All have been unwilling to help, meet, or listen and have made no effort to right this wrong. During an in-person visit to DWSD they refused to discuss the issue and directed me to a postcard. I called the number from the postcard and they acknowledged that, according to their system, no bills had been sent or would be sent! DWSD has stated that they will do nothing about the foreclosure proceedings.”

Let us know if you’ve had experience with this issue or know other properties facing this situation. We’ll keep you updated. Meanwhile, they’ll keep trying to reach DWSD.