Spokane County holds public hearing on sale of seven surplus parcels; decision deferred to Aug. 19

Spokane County staff on Aug. 12 presented seven surplus parcels for possible sale or auction and opened a public hearing; the board did not make a decision and scheduled formal action for its Aug. 19 meeting.

Matt Zaracore, identified in the meeting as the county road engineer, briefly described the seven parcels and the disposal process. The properties are being offered through GovDeals with a 5% commission; winning bidders would sign purchase-and-sale agreements and close through a title company. If bids are not received, the county will offer unsold parcels over the counter under the same conditions.

Key parcels and appraisals presented by Zaracore included: - Whitman Pit (Fund 501), approximately 1 acre on Wood Road, appraised at $11,000; previously offered without sale. - Rock Lake School Pit (Fund 501), about 1.75 acres on Williams Lake Road, appraised at $22,000. - Rimrock area parcel (Fund 10), roughly 40 acres on Indian Bluff Lane with potential to subdivide into four 10-acre parcels, noted encroachment by a neighbor septic system, appraised at $409,000. - 115 Evergreen Road (Fund 10), an older scope house previously offered without a qualified bidder, appraised at $399,000. - Road-fund parcel from the couplet project with swales; the county plans to grant an easement to the City of Spokane Valley for the swales before sale. - University and Eighth vacant house lot (Fund 110), appraised at $102,000, described as buildable. - Narrow lot near Ninth, appraised at $19,000, described as long and narrow but buildable and currently used for parking by the adjacent owner.

Victor Lemur, procurement specialist with Spokane County purchasing, said the August 12 presentation was informational as part of the public-hearing process and that official action will occur at the board’s Aug. 19 meeting. The board took no votes on the sales during the Aug. 12 session.

Discussion versus formal action: the Aug. 12 session included staff presentation and public-hearing opportunity only; the board deferred a decision to the Aug. 19 regular meeting. Staff emphasized prior unsuccessful attempts to sell certain parcels and noted anticipated interest in others because of location or development potential.

Clarifying details: staff said GovDeals will charge a 5% commission; winning bidders must close with a title company; unsold parcels may be offered over the counter. Several parcels had previous attempts to sell without receiving qualified bids.