By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com

Northfield Township officials are exploring options for selling a bulk of properties to a homeowner’s corporation.

Township Manager Mark Lloyd updated the Board of Trustees on the conversation he’s had with the potential sale of 70 to 80 township properties to Horseshoe Lake Corporation. Lloyd said there is still work to be done as the township is seeking around $70,000 for the sale, but the corporation is more along the lines of offering $20,000. Horseshoe Lake was also said to be asking for a 50-year term for paying it off, with Lloyd saying that wouldn’t be acceptable. Still, the manager said this is a move that has been going on for a while and he hopes they can keep negotiations going.

HLC representatives, according to a memo in the Board’s agenda packet, have shown interest in establishing a Special Assessment District, or SAD, to fund the purchase, but would like more information. The township is working to provide that and seeking an answer on starting the SAD process by June 15th.

Three township properties in the neighborhood that are on Shady Beach have been taken out of the dealings. HLC was said to have asked that they be removed, but staff didn’t have specifics as to why. Trustee Josh Nelson was interested in getting those properties onto the free market as soon as possible. The Board of Trustees elected to put them up for auction once they got it in formal writing that HLC wasn’t interested in those properties.