Macomb is looking to demolish more abandoned houses in town. It will pay for the work with money left over from a $200,000 Strong Communities Program state grant that paid for previous demolitions.
Community Development Coordinator John Bannon told the city council he has a list of 13 more houses that are in poor shape.
“We do not anticipate having sufficient funds to demolish all of these. Probably five to nine and it will depend upon the amount of the bids that we receive,” he said.
Bannon said a house can be taken off the list if the owner fixes its problems.
The properties, listed in order of priority, are:
- 722 North Pearl Street
- 118 Harmony Lane
- 408 South McArthur Street
- 250 North Bonham Street
- 129 Chandler Street
- 421 North Lafayette Street
- 302 West Calhoun Street
- 720 East Carroll Street
- 521 East Pierce Street
- 421 East Jefferson Street
- 530.5 West Orchard Street
- 407 West Orchard Street
- 420 West Orchard Street
The city council will be asked to approve the plan at its first meeting in February.
Bannon said the city has already demolished 16 properties with the grant funds and has at least $40,000 left for additional projects.
Properties for Sale
The city also has 13 properties to sell. In a memo, Bannon said the city acquired 11 of them through the Blight Reduction Program (a state grant). The grant required the city to hold onto the properties for three years. That time frame expired in December, 2021.
The city also acquired two other houses to reduce blight, though those were not funded through a grant.
Bannon recommends selling the sites through a sealed bid process, with each property sold separately.
The properties are:
- 341 West Carroll Street
- 1003 East Carroll Street
- 314 West Chase Street
- 810 South Garfield Street
- 415 West Jefferson Street
- 720 West Jefferson Street
- 502 West Kelly Street
- 517 West Kelly Street
- 457 South Madison Street
- 501 West McDonough Street
- 321 West Woodbury Street
- 609 West Woodbury Street
- 633 West Woodbury Street
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