Matty Moroun purchases McLouth land
Within the flurry of activity to rehabilitate I-75 came a much-needed call for land rehabilitation at the former McLouth steel site in Trenton. Beginning in the fall of 2018, discussions had commenced between the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Environmental Quality, and the Department of Justice over a proposal by Crown Enterprises to purchase the entire plot of land from the Wayne County Land Bank for the sum of $4 million.
Crown Enterprises was owned by the family of Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel Moroun. In announcing this latest riverfront acquisition, Manuel’s son Matthew acknowledged previous sore spots in public relations, referring mostly to the derelict Michigan Central train station in southwest Detroit. Their new focus would be on “changing the narrative” in their future dealings with the community.
There were still some divisive voices heard among members of the Wayne County Commission, as two members specifically indicated all impressions were wasted with Moroun and Crown Enterprises. However, Trenton mayor Kyle Stack helped lead the argument that such an acquisition would be in the best interests of the city. It was mentioned that had this deal fallen through, the McLouth land could have ended up in the hands of a land speculator, with no clear blueprint as to what would happen with the land in the future. As far as they were concerned, Trenton believed the land languished long enough.
Crown would announce a two-year demolition proposal which would rid the property of 47 buildings, followed by a 6-year timeframe of possible development, ranging from a shipping port to an unspecified clean industrial complex.
Demolition began symbolically in January, 2019 with the leveling of the McLouth guard shack.
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