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Found an empty lot on Gratiot that changed how I see downtown development

I was driving home from my night shift last Wednesday and stopped for coffee near Gratiot and Orleans. While waiting I pulled up the city's property portal just out of curiosity. There's a 1.2 acre lot there that's been vacant since 2015 and the county lists it as blighted. But get this - the assessed value dropped from $180,000 in 2018 to just $45,000 now. That surprised me because I always assumed empty lots in that area would hold value or go up with all the new construction nearby. Turns out the city has a backlog of over 300 similar properties they can't move fast enough. Has anyone here successfully bought one of these county-owned lots and actually done something with it?

2 comments

2 Comments

viola_ward4d ago

Buying a county lot sounds easy but the red tape is a nightmare. A buddy tried to grab one near Eastern Market and it took him over a year just to close. Short money up front, but you'll pay for it in patience and permit fees.

rosebarnes4d ago

Oh man, I gotta disagree a little bit with you @viola_ward, the red tape is bad but it's way worse for parcels under city control than county ones from what I've seen. The county ones actually move faster once you get past the initial paperwork because they don't have the same zoning headaches. I helped a friend close on a county lot in Corktown in about 4 months flat, so your buddy's 1 year timeline might have been the unlucky exception.