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hed In Belgium, Battle Builds Between Brewers and ‘Beer Architects’ Expat Treasures From Home Help Bridge the Distance: A Taiwanese Expat in the U.S. Small Business Economy Boosts Small-Business Optimism NY Heard & Scene Cultural Evolution: What’s On in 2015 World News France’s Piketty Refuses State Honor Gear Learn to Embrace the Digital Detox Technology Making Change: Mobile Pay in Africa Economy PLAY Yield-Hungry European Investors Face Tough 2015 New property owner begins building a home on former 'swamp of doom' in Ann Arbor neighborhood For several years, a large cement pit in a southeast Ann Arbor neighborhood that residents labeled "the swamp of doom" was a constant source of irritation and frustration for residents upset with the owner and city over the property. The half-finished home foundation filled with water when it rained, and, as it continued deteriorating, wildlife took up residence and it became a danger for neighborhood kids. Now, the old foundation has been cleared, the pit filled, plans for a new home approved and work on the house is underway. "They got the new foundation in, the wall framed in and they're doing well. It's a new person in charge of it. The old owner's uncle," said Ralph Welton, the city's chief development official. "The neighbors are happy." Early in the year, Ann Arbor City Council Member Stephen Kunselman, who lives nearby, circulated photos of ducks floating on the swamp's waters and called for the city to press its former owner, Mahmoud Alkahla, to address the situation. Officials discovered the backfill around the pit was actually composed of old tires, car parts, lumber and other debris covered in soil. After months of pressure from the city in mid-2014, Alkahla hired a contractor to remove the foundation at 3300 Nordman Drive, but the pit remained for months. In September, Alkhala, at the city's behest, finally quit-claimed the property to his uncle, who is now managing the project and hiring contractors to complete work. "He's got paid contractors doing everything and it looks very good," Welton said."I've been by there and there have been inspections. It's moving along." Alkahla demolished a home on the property after purchasing it out of foreclosure in 2010, then planned a 2,000-square-foot house. But instead of hiring a construction company or contractors to execute those plans, Alkahla moved forward on the foundation project alone, despite having no prior homebuilding experience, Welton said. The foundation was poured with plywood forms instead of steel forms as is standard, and the plywood forms blew out during the first pour in 2012. The city ordered the property cleared and secured in June. Tom Perkins is a freelance writer for The Ann Arbor News.