It’s rare that an empty lot is up for sale on Jos. Campau. You can probably pick this one up for fairly cheap through the Wayne County Treasurer’s auction going on now.
By Charles Sercombe
Yearning for a piece of the action in Hamtramck’s main business district?
If so, there is still plenty of time to bid on an empty lot at 11431 Jos. Campau, just north of Caniff and next to Club Aces.
The lot is up for auction through the Wayne County Treasurer’s Office. As of Wednesday, the bid was at $4,100. Bidding started out at $500, and will end on Oct. 28 at 10:15 a.m.
While the lot is only about 30 feet wide, it goes back about 100 feet.
The building that had been there was destroyed in a gas explosion and later demolished. The property was forfeited to the county because of unpaid taxes.
While it’s not common these days to build a stand-alone building with those dimensions, there is certainly no shortage of creative ideas on what could be built here, or done with the property without building anything.
Currently in housing circles, smaller is better. There is a growing movement to build dwellings no more than 400-square-feet. Why not run with that idea and string together a series of small office spaces – fashioned from shipping containers? — and rent them out to start-up companies, or pop-up retail outlets who only want to stay for a month or so?
With Hamtramck taking off as a culinary destination, how about allowing food trucks to line up on one side and turn it into a food court?
During the summer, wouldn’t it be nice if this could be turned into a tiny festival ground featuring bands and DJ’s?
You’ve heard of Shakespeare in the Park, why not Shakespeare in a Lot?
Or, in keeping with the micro idea, this could be a great spot for rotating neighborhood festivals during warm weather.
Skateboarding is also extremely popular, and we could imagine a skateboard park being installed.
Come on you creative types, let’s hear what you would do with this lot. Email your suggestions to us at news@thehamtramckreview.com.