Pallets in Ypsilanti
Willow Run built over 8,500 B-24 bombers, and GM ran a transmission plant there until 2010.
What is here
- History
- Willow Run built over 8,500 B-24 bombers
- Closed
- GM transmission plant, until 2010
- Also
- A university
- ZIPs
- 48197, 48198
Ypsilanti's industrial buildings carry a long past and a mixed present. Some are empty, some are rented to small tenants, and the land around Willow Run Airport is shared with Van Buren Township across the county line.
What clearance work looks like
- Buildings with pallets left by earlier tenants.
- Small shops with a few stacks of mixed age.
- Yards where pallets have weathered outdoors for seasons.
Weathered wood is the issue: sun, rain and freezing take a toll, and pallets that look sound may be brittle. Mixed and broken piles explains how a clearance copes with that, sorting what can be repaired from what is a core.
Next to Van Buren
The airport and the industrial land at its edge sit on the boundary with Van Buren Township, so a route there often covers both sides.
Questions about old industrial land
The building is empty but full of pallets. Who owns them?
Probably the owner of the building, unless a former tenant retains them. A buyer will want that confirmed.
Should we wait for dry weather?
For outdoor stacks, yes. Wet pallets weigh more and are harder to judge.
Is there a minimum count?
Say how many you have. Larger piles are easier to place.
Sorting after neglect
A stack that has sat for years is best sorted by touch: lift the end of a board and see whether it holds. Anything that flexes goes to cores.
Willow Run in the record
Willow Run built over 8,500 B-24 bombers, an output that made the site famous, and GM ran a transmission plant on the land until 2010. The buildings that remain hold small tenants. A pallet request from such a building should say which part of the former complex it is in, since the site is large and a driver can lose an hour finding the right gate.
Because the buildings are old, floors may be uneven and doors low. Measure the clearance of the door you will use and say so, so that the right truck is sent.
University neighbors
Eastern Michigan University sits in the city, and the campus produces small, steady flows from stores and construction. A request from a university contractor should name the project and the dumpster pickup date.
Tenants who left
Old industrial units often hold the pallets of tenants who moved out. Check the lease before listing them, and ask the landlord to confirm in writing.
Through roads
I-94 and US 12 (Michigan Avenue) are the through roads, with Business US 12 and M-17 (Washtenaw Avenue) carrying local traffic. Willow Run Airport lies on the east side of the city.