[8] During his daily drives through Detroit, Hantz noticed the countless empty lots and decaying houses, many of which were in foreclosure and/or were in city ownership, that he passed on his route.
[8] In response to this, the Detroit Planning and Development Agency offered neighbors the chance to purchase the land that Hantz was interested in.
[14] John Hantz also paid more for the vacant lots and those with abandoned housing structures on them than they were initially going for at auction in hopes of showing he was not unfairly benefiting from the proceedings.
[10] "[W]e have concern about large amounts of land being amassed in the hands of single individuals," urban farmer Malik Yakini says.
[16] Despite contentious community meetings and a strong activist presence against the project, plans for Hantz Woodlands were eventually approved 5-4 by the Detroit City Council in October 2013.
What may have once been decrepit buildings or over-grown lots has been replaced with scraggly trees and few signs of a concerted effort at beautification, possibly suggesting that Hantz Woodlands will not be a long-term enterprise.
[20] The project's 2013 agreement with the city of Detroit called for the demolition of 50 vacant city-owned structures, the planting of 15,000 trees, and the general maintenance and upkeep of the district properties.
In December 2014, Detroit mayor Mike Duggan presented the company with a certificate of completion for having fulfilled this agreement.