For Sale Cheap:  One gigantic office complex in the middle of a nice residential neighborhood in Marshall.

Thirteen years ago, Marshall's third largest employer walked away from the community, leaving 569 employees to find new jobs or transfer out of town, or in many cases, out of state.   According to the W.E. Upjohn Institute, the  State Farm Insurance Company's Michigan Operations Center had a payroll of about $20 million a year in 2003 dollars.   With the exception of the empty building, it just vanished from the local community by 2006.  And then there's the hit that local governments took from the loss of tax revenue.

Fast forward to today, and an announcement that Calhoun County will auction off the building as little as the amount of taxes owed.   The auction is to be held on Friday September 30th.

The property will be sold at auction with an initial minimum bid of $245,500, the amount of back taxes that were owed on it at the time of foreclosure, according to Calhoun County Treasurer Christine Schauer.   She says the current 2016 taxes owed to the City of Marshall must also be paid by the successful bidder. Registration for the auction will begin at 10 a.m. on-site. To register as a bidder, a $50,000 cashier’s check will be required. Registered bidders will be able to tour the facility after obtaining their bidder card.

The 15-acre property has been vacant since April 2006 and was foreclosed on April 1, 2016. The property includes two buildings, a 211,027-square-foot office building at 410 East Dr. and a 41,591-square-foot industrial warehouse at 820 Mann Rd.

“Putting the former State Farm regional center up for auction is our best chance at getting it back into productive use and back on the tax rolls,” Schauer said. “We are eager to see this vacant building used again, which will be good for the local economy and help recover lost tax revenue that supports local schools, roads, public safety and programs for seniors and veterans.”

The office building includes a reception area, abundant office and cubicle space, training rooms, conference rooms, a kitchen and cafeteria and a loading bay. The warehouse includes 22-foot ceilings, shelving units for inventory, reinforced concrete floors, two loading docks and a 9,602-square-foot front office with an open floor plan and cubicles. There is air conditioning and a sprinkler system throughout both buildings, and the property includes a lighted parking lot accommodating up to 680 vehicles.

Prospective buyers may go to https://www.tax-sale.info/listings/auction/476 and create an account to view details about the property and review the rules of this auction. Interested buyers may contact the Treasurer’s office at (269) 781-0807 or treasurerstaff@calhouncountymi.gov with questions.

 

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