Operates Michigan's only refinery in the Oakwood Heights neighborhood. As of 2011, was working on a $2.2B set of improvements to increase daily capacity from 106,000 to 120,000 barrels. The company is hoping to buy homes along Oakwood Boulevard and remove them to create a green space. The project is in part an effort to avoid environmental complaints. House prices will be $40,000 or the average of two appraisals, whichever is higher; plus a $5,000 allowance for expenses, a 50% bonus on the appraised price for owners, $1,000 for people who sign up before 2012, $500 for real estate advice, and up to $1,500 in mortgage assistance. The City may approve the sale of city-owned land to Marathon.
The project is seen as a test for possible Detroit Works Project incentives.
A byproduct of the refining process is petroleum coke or "pet-coke", which is being stored in an enormous pile northeast of the Ambassador Bridge. The pet coke is owned by Koch Carbon and is stored on land held by a member of the family of Matty Maroun. Mayor Dave Bing called for the removal of those piles by August 27, 2013
Sources
- Marathon eyes 300 homes as refinery project advances. Detroit News. 3 November 2011.
- Pet coke dust, an oil refining byproduct, blowing onto nearby homes, state confirms. Detroit Free Press. 14 July 2013.
