Detroit City Council wants more action on neighbors’ complaints about smelly Stellantis Jeep plant

Detroit’s City Council is calling for Stellantis to resolve long-standing complaints about foul odors emanating from a Jeep assembly plant by relocating some of the nearby residents.

The council last week approved a resolution urging the automaker to “offer home buyouts at fair market value.” It also asks Stellantis to cover the costs of retrofitting homes near the plant with air filters, air monitors, HVAC systems and new windows — or to “completely and permanently eliminate the noxious odors emanating from the facility.”

Stellantis has agreed to a $1.8 million fund to repair residents’ homes to protect them from local environmental effects, the resolution said, but the money is “apparently insufficient” to meet residents’ needs.

Air pollution issues near the Detroit Assembly Complex – Mack date to 2021 when the plant began production and neighbors started complaining of foul paint smells.

Since September 2021, Stellantis has been subject to a half-dozen air-quality violations, including for odor and elevated levels of pollutants; officials have said the air is safe.

Stellantis spokeswoman Jodi Tinson said that while the company works to solve the odor issue, it is using “interim odor controls, which have proven to be effective,” and that the plant is in compliance with permitted emissions limits.

The company applied last May for a permit to install a regenerative thermal oxidizer, which it identified as the solution for paint odor emitting from the plant, but the state has yet to approve it.

“We respect the right of Detroit City Council to issue this resolution,” Tinson said in an emailed statement. “We are working to complete the installation of the new regenerative thermal oxidizer and have it operational as quickly as possible to permanently resolve the odor issue.”