Fourteen senior citizens who call the Renshaw Senior Apartments home are waiting to find out whether Clawson voters will let the city sell the building out from under them. On Nov. 3, residents of the small Oakland County city will decide a ballot question that would authorize the Clawson City Council to sell or otherwise dispose of the city-owned complex at 121 Renshaw Ave.
The vote caps years of behind-the-scenes debate, according to the Detroit Free Press, which reports the Clawson City Council voted 5-2 to put the sale proposal, known as Proposal 26-1, on the ballot. Mayor Sue Moffitt was one of the two votes against placing the measure before voters. As the Free Press reported, Moffitt said senior services that would be funded by a sale have not been identified, and she said she is concerned about the lack of a plan for residents if the property is sold.
Clawson owns and operates the 15-apartment Renshaw property, which includes 14 one-bedroom units and a single studio apartment. The Free Press reports the studio has sat vacant since January, while the building maintains a waiting list despite having no income requirement — applicants need only be at least 60 years old and able to live independently, per the same account. One-bedroom units rent for $495 a month, generating more than $83,000 annually, while the vacant studio would rent for $465 a month if filled.
A Longtime Resident Who Doesn’t Want to Leave
Joanne McCauley, 85, has lived in Clawson for 66 years and waited five years to get into Renshaw. She moved in 13 years ago after being widowed at 48, and the Free Press reports she intends to remain in her home. McCauley’s daughter, 65-year-old Theresa Williams, lives next door — she sold her own Clawson home after her husband died, lived with her mother for a year, and moved into the adjacent apartment about a year and a half ago. Williams told the paper she is retired and lives on Social Security…