DEARBORN — In his second State of the City Address as mayor of Dearborn, Jack O’Reilly spoke Wednesday night at the Henry Ford Centennial Library about neighborhood renewal projects, public safety initiatives and the city’s efforts to attract new residents.

O’Reilly cited successes in implementing programs to buy, demolish, rebuild and sell low-cost substandard homes.

Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly

He said 11 homes were rebuilt in 2007 as part of Operation Eyesore, and 65 homes have been demolished by implementing the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Department’s Dollar Home Sales program, which allows low income families to purchase HUD-owned homes for $1.

He said expanded approaches are being planned that may include renovations of substandard homes, and efforts to assemble larger residential lots for bigger homes, more likely to appeal to new potential residents.

The mayor also pushed efforts to make sure that properties are kept up by getting all vacant and rental homes registered with the city.

He urged neighbors to help report unregistered rentals, which can be done online by visiting www.cityofdearborn.org/departments/buildingsafety/rentalid.htm.

A listing of registered rental properties is also available at www.dearbornfordcenter.com/dbnassessor/regent.asp.

A planned $70 million project to replace the Montgomery Ward building in Dearborn’s east downtown area with a major medical center and senior citizen housing will be the most visible revitalization effort in the city, O’Reilly said, but less visible developments along Michigan Avenue are also in the works. He cited several multi-million dollar hotel and residential construction projects.

O’Reilly also pushed community policing efforts, enhanced by a new community hotline to report suspicious activity. He said that even minor observations like an unknown vehicle circling a block should be reported by calling 313.943.3030.

Addressing current widespread feelings of economic uncertainty, the mayor said that Dearborn has always had an inherent ability to overcome times of adversity.

“It’s no secret that we’re facing significant issues brought on by the downturn in the economy and the foreclosure crisis… But Dearborn’s history has shown that we’ve come out of these challenges stronger and better prepared for the future.”

The website //welcomehomedearborn.com/ is the home of the city’s marketing campaign to attract home buyers, which the mayor’s address centered around.