Parkersburg URA approves one sale, rejects another offer
Parkersburg City Councilmen Zak Huffman, left, and Chris Rexroad look over papers handed out by a bidder for Urban Renewal Authority property at 1401 St. Marys Ave. during Tuesday’s URA meeting. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Parkersburg resident Michael Brown speaks during a public hearing about his offer to purchase 1401 St. Marys Ave. for $6,500 and remodel the structure for his landscaping and contracting business during Tuesday’s Parkersburg Urban Renewal Authority meeting. The URA accepted his offer on an 8-1 vote. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Parkersburg City Council President Mike Reynolds asks a question during Tuesday’s Urban Renewal Authority meeting. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Parkersburg City Councilmen Zak Huffman, left, and Chris Rexroad look over papers handed out by a bidder for Urban Renewal Authority property at 1401 St. Marys Ave. during Tuesday’s URA meeting. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Parkersburg resident Michael Brown speaks during a public hearing about his offer to purchase 1401 St. Marys Ave. for $6,500 and remodel the structure for his landscaping and contracting business during Tuesday’s Parkersburg Urban Renewal Authority meeting. The URA accepted his offer on an 8-1 vote. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Parkersburg City Council President Mike Reynolds asks a question during Tuesday’s Urban Renewal Authority meeting. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
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PARKERSBURG -- The city's Urban Renewal Authority accepted one of four bids for a commercial building on St. Marys Avenue and turned down a second offer from a local businessman for a Fifth Street lot.
The authority, consisting of all nine members of Parkersburg City Council, also approved a demolition and authorized the Development Department to negotiate for the purchase of several pieces of property on Seventh Street during its meeting Tuesday.
The authority received four offers for land and a building it owns at 1401 St. Marys Ave., ranging from $2,500 to $10,000. The city purchased the property for less than $1,000 at a tax sale earlier this year, Development Director Ryan Barber said.
The authority voted 8-1 to accept an offer of $6,500 from Michael Brown to purchase the property. Brown said he plans to renovate the building to serve as the base for his new landscaping and contracting business. The other offers were from people proposing to renovate the roughly 960-square-foot building as a residence.
Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl noted the property is zoned for business or residential.
"I think that a business would be more proper to be there," she said.
Council President Mike Reynolds cast the dissenting vote, saying he believed $10,000 should be the minimum price.
That was also the reason Reynolds voted against Mike Williams' offer to purchase 318 Fifth St. for $4,000. It was rejected in a 2-7 vote, with Councilmen Roger Brown and Zak Huffman voting in favor.
Williams offered $3,000 for the property last month, and the authority voted to table it. He said Tuesday he increased the offer by 25% and still intended to use the property to expand his neighboring business, iTech. His application indicated a potential $200,000 investment and an additional 10 jobs.
In the public hearing on the proposal, Parkersburg resident Ray Vannoy pointed out that the city spent $197,000 to acquire the property and demolish the structure that had been on it.
"I'd just like to say, are we ready to lose money?" he said.
Reynolds took issue with Vannoy referencing council's decision at its regular meeting earlier in the evening to proceed with the purchase of a bulletproof Bearcat vehicle for the Police Department.
"Let's keep it to 318 Fifth St.," URA Chairman Rexroad said.
Reynolds said the offered price was "one thing I actually do agree with Mr. Vannoy on."
"If we're going to sell property, commercial property, for this low of a price, we might as well start giving it away as Christmas gifts," he said.
The authority unanimously approved the demolition of the structure at 1239 Lynn St., which the city purchased in September.
Code Enforcement Director Andy Nestor said he has placarded the house multiple times but police continued to remove people from it and a recently demolished neighboring structure.
The people who live next door "are scared due to the vagrants that are coming in and out of that household," he said.
The authority voted 9-0 to authorize the Development Department to negotiate on the potential acquisition of six parcels along the Seventh Street corridor: 1746, 1748, 1750, 1752, 1754 and 1810 Seventh St. The owners of some of the properties were in attendance and said they would be willing to negotiate but noted one of the structures was occupied and under a land contract.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.