ADRIAN — The Adrian City Commission voted on Aug. 4 to approve the purchase of 227 N. Winter St., also known as Courthouse Commons — but what the city really wanted was a narrow strip of land that is located south of Courthouse Commons and is owned by the same people.
The city had previously purchased the former Daily Telegram, Access Shoppers Guide, and Eagles Club buildings on North Winter Street, as well as a house on the same block, and demolished all of those buildings earlier this summer. The goal is to clean up the riverfront area and create an attractive parcel that can eventually be sold for residential development.
However, Mayor Angela Sword Heath said, there was a narrow strip of land separating one part of the property from the other, which would have blocked those plans if the city were not able to buy it. The owners of Courthouse Commons also own that strip, and the city was not able to get an agreement to buy that strip without also buying Courthouse Commons.
The purchase price agreed to by the city commission was $250,000. The sellers are James W. Daly and Anne Marie Daly. James Daly is a local attorney and member of the Lenawee County Commission.
According to the sale agreement, the city will take possession of the small strip of land to the south as soon as the sale is closed, while the seller will have until Jan. 1, 2026, to vacate the building and turn it over to the city. The intention is that there will be no tenants in the building when the city takes possession.
