Demolition Begins at 117 W Exchange St in Owosso as Part of Countywide Blight Elimination Efforts

April 9, 2026

Stakeholders gather to celebrate the beginning of demolition activities at 117 W Exchange St in Owosso. Pictured L to R: Lauren Poston, Fleis & Vandenbrink; Samantha Mariuz, Fleis & Vandenbrink; Amy Fuller, City of Owosso; Justin Horvath, SEDP; Julie Sorenson, Shiawassee County Treasurer and Shiawassee County Land Bank Authority board member, Cameron Horvath, Shiawassee County Land Bank Authority board member; Greg Brodeur, Chairman of the Shiawassee County Board of Commissioners and Shiawassee

The Shiawassee County Land Bank Authority (SCLBA) and the City of Owosso announced today that demolition work has commenced at 117 W. Exchange Street in downtown Owosso. The project, funded through the State Land Bank Authority's (SLBA) Blight Elimination Program, marks the latest milestone in an ongoing, countywide effort to eliminate dangerous and deteriorating structures and revitalize communities across Shiawassee County.

The structure at 117 W. Exchange Street — a building dating to 1907 — was red-tagged in June 2023 due to severe structural failure, including a collapsed roof and compromised first and second floors. W. Exchange Street will be closed near its intersection with Ball Street for the duration of the project.

The demolition is being carried out by Helier Excavating and is budgeted at approximately $178,000 in Blight Elimination Program funds.

"You hear a lot of talk about blight in the bigger cities, but there's also blight in smaller towns," said Justin Horvath, President/CEO of Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership, who provides staffing to the SCLBA. "Projects like this one on Exchange Street demonstrate exactly what's possible when local government partners together with state resources to tackle problems head-on. We're not just tearing down a dangerous building — we're investing in the future of our downtown and our community."

The SCLBA, established by the Shiawassee County Board of Commissioners in 2021, has now received a total of $1.477 million in Blight Elimination Program funding across multiple funding rounds from the SLBA. The program is supported by a combination of state appropriation funds and federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars and supports both demolition of unsafe structures and stabilization of buildings with rehabilitation potential.

In addition to several projects in the City of Owosso, completed and active projects include demolitions and stabilization work in Caledonia Charter Township, the Village of Bancroft, the Village of Lennon, the City of Durand, the Village of Morrice, and Woodhull Township.

"This is exactly the kind of community-driven partnership that the Blight Elimination Program was designed to support," said Greg Brodeur, Chair of the Shiawassee County Board of Commissioners and SCLBA board member. "Each project we complete removes a hazard, improves surrounding property values, and sends a clear signal that Shiawassee County is serious about its future."