Ypsilanti may ask court to order repair or demolition of Thompson Block building

The city of Ypsilanti is likely to ask a court to order the demolition or repair of the Thompson Block building, according to the Ypsilanti Citizen.

Assistant City Attorney Karl Barr told the Web site he expects to ask a circuit court to "abate" the Thompson Building at 400 N. River St. in Depot Town after the structure was severely damaged in a suspicious fire in September.

The city of Ypsilanti is asking the Thompson Block building owner to take action on the damaged structure.

Ypsilanti Fire Chief Jon Ichesco asked Thompson Block owner Stewart Beal in a Nov. 9 letter to destroy the building or permanently stabilize the structure to prevent its collapse.

In a Nov. 13 response, Beal wrote he had complied with the order. However, Ichesco believes the structure is still dangerous, and further action is required, according to the Ypsilanti Citizen.

From the story:

“I think it's going to play out once we get this filed and before the judge,” Barr said this afternoon. “I am hopeful but not optimistic that we can avoid taking this to circuit court.”

Beal was given temporary approval to occupy the roadway for 90 days and set up scaffolding to support the remaining structure shortly after it was engulfed in flames in the early morning hours of Sept. 23. Both the east-bound lane of Cross Street and north-bound lane of River Street have been closed since the fire.

Contact AnnArbor.com's Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.