Guenther Homes Plans 4-Story Condo Development in Downtown Saline

At long last, there is new owner with plans for 147 W. Michigan Ave. in downtown Saline.

Guenther Homes, which is building at Saline Valley Farms in York Township and Thistledown Farms in Pittsfield Township, purchased the property for an undisclosed amount of money in an online auction that concluded May 30.

Jessica Ceccolini, of Guenther Homes, said the company’s plans are preliminary, but they envision a luxury condominium development on the property.

“It’s going to be awesome,” Ceccolini said. “It’s going to be our second condo project and it’s going to bigger than our Dexter project. We’re planning luxury condominiums with a brick stone façade.”

Ceccolini said they’re hoping to build a four-story building with underground parking.

At this point, Guenther Homes isn’t interested in the commercial/residential hybrid development the previous owners hoped to build, believing the market isn’t there for commercial.

Guenther Homes condo prices should be near what they are in Dexter, where a 950-square-foot unit starts around $350,000.

At the moment, there’s no timetable for the project.

“We probably wouldn’t start until fall or maybe even next spring,” Ceccolini said. “We only closed on the property yesterday.”

Ceccolini declined to comment on the price of the property.

It was sold during an online auction at www.rolloandbrad.com, with bids starting at $50,000.

Rollo Juckette, one of the owners of the auction company, said he knew the property went for more than $100,000. Brad Neuhart, the other owner, did not return phone calls from The Saline Post.

Ceccolini said they only heard about the auction recently and that they were surprised to come away with the property

“There we no bidders until the last 20 minutes of the auction. Then one guy started bidding. And after several bids, he stopped and we won the property,” Ceccolini said.

147 W. Michigan Ave was home to Steeb Dodge.  Around 2007-08, developer Mike Concannon planned the $9 million Village Marketplace and Lofts project. But the project fizzled when the economy tanked. The property went to four contractors who had a lien on the project and has been vacant ever since.

The 1.4 acre property is zoned for D-2, which allows mixed use. The property was most recently listed by Colliers International for $600,000.

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