So at what point does the West Village Commons development emerge from the intensive care unit? Sadly, that much needed assistance feels a long way off now after seeing the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory quietly close its doors this week and quickly remove the equipment responsible for those tasty, pricey chocolates.

The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is the latest business to close in the Burton-Katzman developed West Village Commons project in Dearborn.

The Burton-Katzman team that sold the City of Dearborn and our elected officials on a project that seemed too good to be true has turned out to be just that — a project that so far hasn’t lived up to the hype. All that remains in the courtyard portion of the near vacant two-story structure is La Cigar and a struggling Maestro’s Restaurant.  A new bar called The Well is expected to open soon but that has been delayed, caught up in the bureaucracy of liquor licenses. It is doubtful this Burton-Katzman development will fill any time soon as the Bingham Farms developer is being sued by the City of Dearborn for failing to complete the very project it promised the city.

To be fair, there is a bright spot in the West Village Commons development. The portion of the building facing Michigan Avenue houses a Cold Stone Creamery, Sattva Yoga, a UPS store and the Kabuki restaurant. Those businesses, thankfully, seem to be holding on and they are doing it despite paid parking, which is another reason paid parking cannot be blamed for the current state of business in Dearborn.

We’ve lost track of the number of businesses that have closed on Michigan Avenue between Outer Drive and Brady. And, quite frankly, it is just too depressing to tally them up. It feels as if West Dearborn is sitting in this perfect storm — a devastated state economy, surrounded by other cities that are struggling even more (minus, the city of Allen Park, of course), and a string of empty, unkempt buildings that makes this stretch of Michigan Avenue even more unsightly and depressing to passersby.

Making matters worse is the fact no one can predict how many more businesses, such as the recent Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory closing, we are going to have to witness in West Dearborn before things get any better.

Let’s hope our elected officials have a plan to stop the hemorrhaging.