Clinton Township

Deadline approaching for vacant land auction

By Nico Rubello
C & G Staff Writer

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Clinton Township officials are hoping a public auction will put a number of vacant land properties back in the hands of private citizens.

The deadline to submit bids is 10 a.m. on July 26. Bids won’t be accepted after that time.

“There are some really nice pieces of property here, and we’re excited to offer these to the public,” said Clinton Township Treasurer Bill Sowerby. “This is the first time that we have bundled a number of vacant properties together for public auction.”

The township accrued the properties after reimbursing Macomb County for the unpaid taxes owed at the time of seizure, but officials agree they would rather have the land back on the tax rolls.

While the township holds sales of tax-forfeited properties throughout the year, those sales usually have homes on them.

The decision to hold an auction of vacant parcels was made because of the number of forfeited properties that can be built upon.

Thirty-one parcels are up for bid, including 13 condo units in two buildings. The rest are individual, vacant parcels of land, including two lots on Brywood Court, off Elizabeth; one on Sheridan Court; one on South River Road; three on Sharkey; one on Marino; one on Walter Street; and a commercial lot on Ferndale, behind the Big Boy.

The properties are marked with signs directing potential bidders to the township’s website.

The bidding process opened in late June, but Township Planning Director Carlo Santia said bidders usually wait until the last minute to turn in their bids.

Bidders can submit the necessary forms to the Clinton Township Clerk’s Office up until 10 a.m. on July 26. The Clerk’s Office is located within the township Civic Center, 40700 Romeo Plank Road.

The forms can be mailed in, but Santia recommended that the forms be submitted in person to the Clerk’s Office.

However, bids won’t be opened until after the deadline.

“We open all (bids) at the same time,” he said.

The process, however, carries some stipulations; for instance, no prior owner of a property is eligible to bid on that same property.

The township also reserves the right to reject any and all bids.

A complete list of properties for sale, as well as bidding forms, can be picked up through the Clinton Township Planning Department, located on the second floor of the township Civic Center, 40700 Romeo Plank Road, or by printing them off the township’s website, www.clintontownship-mi.gov.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Nico Rubello at nrubello@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1118.