The long-abandoned Packard plant -- one of the largest derelict properties in the nation -- will be among the properties for sale this September at the Wayne County auction of properties foreclosed on because of property-tax delinquency, Crain's Detroit business reports.
Gary Anglebrandt writes: "The starting price for bidding will be about $975,000, the sum of the taxes owed on 43 parcels that make up most of the sprawling Packard plant property, county officials said. Another four parcels on the fringes of the property belong to the city of Detroit and will not be included in the auction.
"The auction, likely to occur between Sept. 20 and Sept. 26, will put the 43 parcels up for bidding as one bundled property. If no sale is made, the parcels will go up for auction again in October but at a bundled price of $500 per parcel. Theoretically, one buyer could walk away with all 43 parcels for $21,500."
The plant complex is composed of about 43 buildings and has 3.5 million square feet of space. Nearly all of its thousands of windows are broken, and many of the buildings themselves are collapsing. Fires break out frequently, and many of the buildings are used as a dumping grounds for everything from old shores to used pleasure boats.
