The city is looking to sell two adjacent vacant parcels on Fifth Avenue South, but with a caveat: start building on them within six months or surrender them back to the city.
The council on Tuesday approved declaring the two lots near Fifth Avenue’s intersection with 23rd Street South as surplus. The city will now advertise for sealed bids to purchase the lots, requiring a minimum bid of $1,000 per lot.
The Lowndes County tax assessor’s office records show the lots appraised at $1,800 each, but tax assessor appraisals are typically significantly lower than true market value.
The conditions of the sale, per a resolution the council approved Tuesday, would require each lot’s buyer to begin single-family home construction there within six months after closing, completing that construction within 18 months. If the same buyer purchases both lots, construction must begin on the second lot within 12 months of closing, with completion in 24 months.
If a buyer fails to meet those standards, the property would revert back to the city.
“The thing is to develop the city,” Mayor Stephen Jones said.
Jones said one person has “been calling me for the last year” interested in buying the property but not at market value. City Attorney Jeff Turnage said there might be more interest in purchasing and developing those lots.
Advertising for bids with a required minimum bid amount below the appraised value opens the door for the city to tack on extra requirements, Jones said.
“If you want to come in and pay the $1,800 … for each lot, then we don’t really have the right to put that on there as long as they’re paying fair market value,” he said. “But if they’re getting it for anything less than the fair market value, we can (include) these stipulations. … That’s how we look at it.”
Turnage said if there are no bites, the city might have to reconsider its approach.
“If it doesn’t work, we’ll bid it again without those (requirements),” Turnage said. “At least, that would be my recommendation.”
Bids are due to the municipal clerk’s office by 2 p.m. April 6.
In other business, the council:
■ hired Neel-Schaffer Engineering to conduct a topographical survey of the city landfill property on Armstrong Road to determine its exact remaining capacity at a cost not to exceed $5,000;
■ appointed Lakeysucha Bailey and Pierre Beard to the Planning Commission; and
■ approved hiring four entry-level police officers and three certified police officers, bringing the roster to 48 (of a budgeted 54).
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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