Detroit Disputes Sale of Jail Site to Plymouth Township

Detroit officials are weighing a decision about a 190-acre parcel of land at 5 Mile and Ridge roads that a city Law Department claims was illegally transferred to Plymouth Township in a tax foreclosure sale, the Detroit Free Press is reporting.

The parcel, the site of the former Detroit House of Corrections, or DeHoCo, was obtained by Plymouth Township in September 2011 for $606,150, the Free Press reported. The land was sold because of unpaid taxes, the report said.

The site has been closed since 1986.

The issue was due Thursday afternoon before the Detroit City Council's Budget, Finance and Audit Standing Committee.

In a Sept. 19 letter to the council, Timothy Beckett, supervising assistant corporation counsel in the Law Department's real property and tax appeals section, said the Wayne County Treasurer has declined to take steps to to correct the issue.

"Contrary to State Law, the Wayne County Treasurer forfeited, foreclosed, and conveyed to Plymouth Township certain real estate owned by the City of Detroit that was part of the DeHoCo property," Beckett wrote. "The Wayne County Treasurer has been contacted and has declined to take any steps to correct these actions."

A copy of the letter was provided last week to Plymouth-Canton Patch by Richard Sharland, a write-in independent candidate for Plymouth Township Supervisor who informed the City of Detroit about the issue. 

"The Law Department is continuing its investigation and evaluation of the situation, and will be consulting with the Planning & Development Departments regarding pursuing corrective action to recover its property," Beckett's letter indicated.

Plymouth Township Supervisor Richard Reaume told the Free Press that Detroit has not contacted the township about the issue and that he's unsure of how the sale could be reversed because the township has a deed to the property, the report said.

For more, read the Detroit Free Press report.