Tom Tolen / news@whmi.com


The former Lindbom School property in Brighton - which has been the subject of debate, blight and controversy for years — has finally been resolved with the announcement of an agreement between the city and the developer, the S.R. Jacobson Development Corp. of Bingham Farms.

The mothballed, former elementary school at 1010 State St. on the city’s northwest side has been vacant for 13 years with many proposals over the years for its use - all of them ultimately going by the wayside.

Many meetings were held and different parties entered the picture seeking to develop the 10.5-acre parcel into housing units. That includes a proposal for single-family homes and another for senior housing and assisted living, the city ultimately denying the project, saying it was too dense and the height was out of scale with the adjacent residential neighborhood.

The developer and owner of the property subsequently filed suit against the city, charging a violation of constitutional rights regarding due process and the unlawful taking of property. The negotiated settlement and court order by Livingston County Circuit Judge Matthew McGivney, announced Thursday, involves a consent judgment that city officials said, quote, “addresses the concerns of the city and many of its residents, including a reduced density and modified, two-story plan.”

The property also has been the site of many problems for city police including trespassing, vandalism, and illicit drug use. The site also has had the additional problem of an underground plume of contamination - the chemical compound trichloroethylene. TCE, as it is known, is an industrial solvent and degreaser which emanated from a former industrial site on North 5th St. The consent judgment requires that ventilation systems be installed in the townhomes to eliminate the potential contamination.

The most recent downsized proposal, offered a year ago, would have resulted in 140 townhomes and a clubhouse. The city says the consent judgment will further reduce the number of townhouses to 123. The consent judgment also requires the building to be demolished within one year of the court order.

A press release from the City is attached.