Farmington Courthouse Property Still on the Market After 'Low' Offers

City of Farmington Economic and Community Development Director Kevin Christiansen brought four offers for the former 47th District Courthouse property on 10 Mile Road to city officials Monday and recommended rejecting all of them.

Council members, however, appear reluctant to let at least one of those opportunities pass them by. The property has been vacant for almost 10 years. 

Christiansen said all four proposals came in much lower than the city's asking price of $425,000. The offers include using the land for:

• 20 single-family homes priced in the $200,000-$250,000 range
• mixed-use office with residential
• mixed-use office with no residential 
• a church, which would be tax-exempt

Officials seemed to favor the proposal for homes, which represented the lowest offer (about one-third of the asking price), because of the eventual property taxes it would generate. 

Christiansen recommended the property stay on the market another 60 to 90 days. "We don't feel at this time that the asking price is too high because we've have a variety of offers," he said.

Council member JoAnne McShane said she heard rumblings that Farmington Public Schools might consider selling "the whole top of the hill" on the south side of 10 Mile west of Power Road, including district administration, bus garage and Ten Mile buildings. 

Christiansen said that hasn't been part of ongoing discussions about other vacant school properties. He said there may be an opportunity to combine the area, including the courthouse, as a planned unit development, which would allow different uses on the parcels. But it would take years to work out the intergovernmental agreements, put together a plan to sell the property, then drive it through the extended development process – plus the time required to relocate school district offices and buses.

Mayor Tom Buck pointed out that putting 20 single family homes within walking distance of downtown Farmington would benefit the school district, the city and the Downtown Development Authority. Christiansen estimated the tax revenues for the city alone would be $80,000 to $100,000 annually. 

"This property has really been overdue to be sold and developed," Buck said. "My inclination would be to accept the offer (with the 20 homes) and get the revenue." 

"It may even provide some momentum (for development in that area)," council member Kristin Kuiken said.