Casper city staff on Sept. 9 briefed the City Council on two city-owned parcels put out to bid and asked for direction on whether to accept offers and proceed to final council action.

City interim manager Zulima Lopez introduced the item and Liz Becker, city staff, reviewed bids and background. The Mesa parcel is about 4.3 acres near Jordan Drive and Central Drive; an appraisal on the parcel came in at about $300,000. The Wyoming Housing Network submitted a proposal to develop roughly 40 affordable units, including small-footprint “tiny” homes and patio-style homes, and said it would need to construct roads and utilities to serve the site.

After council discussion about past city practice of selling small unused park parcels for affordable housing and about the difference between appraised value and market offers, council members agreed to move the Mesa parcel forward for final consideration at the next regular council meeting. Becker said the city has previously sold other parcels below appraised value when there were non-economic public benefits and noted precedent for such decisions.

The second site, a Stoneridge parcel formerly designated as parkland and later rezoned residential, produced two bids: Caliber Construction offered $150,000 and the Ewing & Humans team offered $102,050.01; both bids noted the lack of immediate utilities to all portions of the lot and that splitting the lot would require additional utility work. Councilors raised questions about the steep slope and how splitting the lot would affect usable area.

Council direction on Stoneridge was procedural: staff will contact both bidders to clarify intentions, closing costs and other details before council makes a decision or solicits further offers. Becker said water and sewer service currently reach part of the lot, but a split would require running utilities to a second parcel.

City legal counsel reminded council that Wyoming statute 15-1-112 (as cited in the meeting) does not prohibit selling parcels below appraisal; the law allows the elected body to weigh non-economic public benefits when selling property. Several councilors described prior sales where the city accepted bids below appraisal to achieve public goals such as affordable housing and to relieve the city of maintenance costs for small, undeveloped parcels.

Councilors asked for clarifications about timing, intended use, closing costs and the feasibility of the bidders’ proposals; staff will report back after contacting the bidders. The Mesa item was set to return for a formal acceptance vote at the council’s next regular meeting; the Stoneridge bids remain under review by staff pending bidder clarification.