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Clatsop County authorizes auctions, sets minimum bids for multiple surplus parcels amid blight and HOA cost concerns
Summary
At a work session the board authorized staff to offer multiple county‑owned properties at public auction with set minimum bids. Properties include a 2.91‑acre parcel with a manufactured home, several Seaside and Red Bluff Road parcels, and Fishhawk Lake lots for which the county has paid significant HOA dues.
Clatsop County staff presented a package of surplus properties the county acquired through foreclosure and asked the board to authorize public auction and set minimum bids. Commissioners agreed to proceed by consensus and asked staff to return with follow‑up if auctions draw no bidders.
The sales matter because the county is incurring ongoing costs — in one case HOA dues totaling about $63,000 since 2017 — and because several properties are in poor condition, creating neighborhood blight and potential public‑safety concerns.
Property details and minimum bids discussed by staff include:
• Large parcel (identified in staff materials by internal number 84375): roughly 2.91 acres with a manufactured home and outbuildings; staff stated a real market value of about $291,042 and recommended a minimum bid of $175,000. Staff noted encroachments and that the parcel is in a floodway, which could limit development options.
• 33731 U.S. Highway 26: contains a tipped‑over mobile home visible from the highway; staff listed a real market value of $64,604 and a minimum bid of $35,000.
• 82080 Red Bluff Road: a residential lot with a house in substantial deferred maintenance and reported squatter activity; recommended minimum bid $55,000.
• Fishhawk Lake lots (71906 North Shore Drive and 71459 Fishhawk Road): county staff said the county has paid nearly $63,000 in HOA dues since 2017 on these parcels. Minimum bids were set at $1 each to attempt sales and stop further HOA assessments; staff noted low market activity and multiple Fishhawk parcels currently listed for sale.
• Seaside parcels at the corner of Avenue and Roosevelt Drive (two lots): staff said the city is pursuing beautification of the corridor; minimum bid recommended $75,000 for the lot discussed.
• 82396 Vine Maple Road (subdivision lot): deferred maintenance, vehicles and an RV on the property; staff recommended auction at the posted minimum.
Heather Chapman, the county property‑management administrator, emphasized that "the county sells everything that we own as is. So, if you it is buyer beware, do your diligence, go to the title company, go to planning, make sure that you have all of your ducks in a row before, coming to an auction." Staff said that if properties fail to sell at auction they can be offered later by sealed bid or private sale, including options that permit private sale price points down to 15% of the minimum under existing practice.
Commissioners raised several concerns: Commissioner Webb urged caution about selling property located in a floodplain and asked county counsel about potential liabilities; county counsel referenced ORS 275 as the statutory framework for county property sales. Commissioner Thompson and others expressed frustration with neighborhood blight and asked staff to pursue more rapid remediation where public safety or nuisance concerns exist. Assistant county management staff noted the county’s categorization committee — which includes county counsel, planning, surveying and public works — vets each property before it is brought to the board.
The board did not record a roll‑call vote. Commissioners signaled agreement to proceed with the auction listings and minimum bids as presented and asked staff to return with alternate pricing or additional actions if no bids materialize.
