Eyesore of the Week

2335 Commonwealth Ave., Lansing

This small, dilapidated and junk-strewn house on Commonwealth Avenue, off Lake Lansing Road between Old U.S. 27 and the Eastwood Towne Center, was owned by Robert Duane Wicke, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2022 for attempting to coerce and entice children to engage in sex acts. He hadn’t paid taxes on the property since summer 2022, and the Ingham County Treasurer’s Office took over the red-tagged, 71-year-old, single-story, 809-square-foot home in June.

The property was part of Tuesday’s (Aug. 26)  scheduled Ingham County Land Bank auction of 55 properties that county Treasurer Alan Fox hopes will be purchased and rehabilitated. Most were within the Lansing city limits, but others were in Mason and Meridian, Lansing, Aurelius, Vevay, Onondaga and Ingham townships. Fox said Ingham is “one of only three counties that hold real estate auctions in person, and we’re the only one that holds open houses.” Thirteen houses were available to be viewed during four different open-house sessions last week. There were also two Q&A sessions held, one in person and another via Zoom.

Fox added that he and his staff “do everything we can to educate potential buyers” and try to make sure they understand the homes are sold “as-is” and what they have to do to bring them up to code and get red or pink tags removed, if they exist. They prefer to sell to contractors and developers who already have a sense of what’s involved in rehabilitating the houses.

The next auction is Sept. 21. Those seeking information on auctions for Ingham and other Greater Lansing counties can find it on BippusUSA.com.

   “Eyesore of the Week” is our weekly look at some of the seedier properties in Lansing. It rotates with Public Art, by Bill Castanier. Have a suggestion? Email eye@lansingcitypulse.com  or call in a nomination at 517-999-5061.