Eye Sore: 229 S Detroit St., Lansing

This 812-square-foot home in Lansing Township, between Michigan Avenue and Prospect Street, is in foreclosure with $47,284 owed for 2022 and 2023 taxes. Most of that is from 2022, when the township replaced the home’s roof by court order for $31,543. Township Community Development Director Daniel Richards said that while an original estimate by Exteriors of Lansing to remove the roof and replace shingles was about $10,500, “The whole roof had to be replaced, with new rafters and everything, and that gets expensive.” Speaking for owner Sharon Boonyasith, John Hall said estimates he received on the roof were $8,000 to $11,000.

He added that he and Boonyasith did not received notice of the show cause or judicial foreclosure hearings in February but hoped to speak to a judge regarding “who would approve a $30,000 roof with trusses.” The value of the two-bedroom, one-bath home, built in 1920, is estimated at $75,851 on homes.com. Ingham County Treasurer Alan Fox told City Pulse in December that Boonyasith is the type of owner his office tries to prioritize when it comes time to helping the county’s most vulnerable owners stay in their homes.

“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.