Ortonville- Village officials expect to close on the purchase of two properties in the village within the next 30 days, after which the homes on those properties will be demolished.
Village Manager Ed Coy said the village has a purchase agreement with the title holders of 21 Church Street and 61 Narrin Street. Both properties are owned by financial institutions. The Narrin Street home is a HUD property which the village is buying for $1. The home on Church Street is being appraised and what it will cost the village is not yet known.
‘These homes will be demolished and we don’t know what we will do with the property yet,? said Coy. ‘The one on Church Street, the lot is such that we can’t do anything with it. There can’t be a building on it, because it is too small. It will probably remain a vacant lot. We can sell it to the neighbors if they income-qualify; otherwise, it will stay in the hands of the village. We will have to mow it and maintain it.?
The Narrin property is large enough to have another home built on it, although that remains undecided.
Village officials continue to look at other properties to acquire in the village for either demolition or rehabilitation purposes as part of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, a federal grant established in October. Oakland County is receiving $17.3 million through the program and in March, $491,932.92 was formally approved for allocation to the village to address abandoned and foreclosed homes. The money can be used in three different ways? to tear down homes that are beyond repair; rehabilitate homes; and offer assistance to qualified potential buyers.