ELKHART — Momentum is gaining for a project that could result in the demolition of two vacant buildings and the redevelopment of a group of properties in the city of Elkhart.

The ball started rolling Monday when the Elkhart County Commissioners adopted a resolution to transfer the tax sale certificates for four parcels to the city. The properties are among a list of 26 pieces of land that were not sold during the county’s annual tax sale last year.

One of the properties, located 700 W. Beardsley Ave., features a dilapidated building that will likely be demolished with the help of grant funding if the city takes ownership. The property’s owner, State Realty Corp., of Rego Park, N.Y., owes $61,023.24 in back taxes and fees on the land, according to the County Treasurer’s Office. The owner has about 120 days to come forward with the payment before the tax sale certificates are officially transferred to the city.

“We’ve had our eye on these particular parcels for a little over a year,” city brownfields coordinator Dennis Correll said, adding that the land would remain open green space until the city decides what to do with it.

The city plans to redevelop three properties with the help of Habitat for Humanity of Elkhart County. One of the parcels is located at 1032 E. Beardsley Ave., another is northeast of 1029 Erwin St. and the last property is near the intersection of Erwin Street and Conn Avenue. Back taxes and penalties for each of the properties range from roughly $2,300 to $9,850, according to the County Auditor’s Office.

Once the tax sale certificates are in the city’s name, a building would be demolished on the East Beardsley Avenue property, and the city has grants available to clean up the site, Correll said.

Tom McArthur, Elkhart’s Habitat executive director, noted that five homes could fit on the land, which is in a residential neighborhood. The location of the properties, McArthur said, is a bonus with their proximity to a grocery store, parks and Beardsley Elementary School. “That location has so much going for it, and it really needs to be developed,” he said.

County Administrator Tom Byers said the remaining 22 properties that the city has applied are being reviewed

The county’s next tax sale will be Oct. 2.

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