Crime by itself is not a sufficient excuse to freeze out developments. Security technologies are more advanced, abundant and affordable than ever. Be honest, there are light manufacturing industrial areas all over the United States that would be less than desirable to leave your car with the keys in it or be a nice neighborhood to go for a walk alone feeling completely comfortable.

Freeway access doesn't hold water. The reality is that there are plenty of interstates in the city making a majority of these sites readily available to them. Convenient in fact in many cases.

Contamination is an issue for some for sure, but not all or even the majority. It's not like they all where making PCBs or other chemical production. What a great majority of them where in the business of was metal fabrication of some sort for the auto industry. Usually a manageable containamation issue not requiring large sources of funds.

Demolition is required in a lion's share of these sites to allow construction of modern efficient facilities. Demolition is cheap, especially when offset against property acquisition cost of competing areas compared to Detroit.

Something is fundamentaly wrong in this state when in the current economy the only way to get employers to make capital investment in Detroit is to abate the property tax. But if that is how we are going to continue to do business indefinitely let's get on with it because we need the jobs, especially in our most challenged communities. The financial cost alone of doing nothing is already proven to be much too high.