Lewiston council discusses sale or conversion of Sugar Lane city parcel; residents, council weigh park versus split sale

During resident input and the mayor's report, Lewiston council members discussed a small city-owned parcel on Sugar Lane and possible next steps, including selling halves to adjacent property owners or converting the parcel to a small park.

The mayor said the city previously sold the north-side parcel and has received “numerous phone calls about the piece on the South.” The mayor proposed placing a public hearing on next month’s agenda to sell the south parcel in two halves to adjacent owners “so that it can't be built on.” She said the parcel is not intended to be sold as a buildable lot and that she would contact property owners and check the sale price the city obtained for the north parcel.

A council member suggested turning the parcel into a small park with a pavilion. That council member said: “How about putting a little park there with the pavilion?” The mayor responded that maintaining ownership for a park would preserve the city's option to remove improvements if a roadway were ever needed: “That way we still maintain ownership. We can tear the pavilion down if we ever need to use it for a roadway.”

Council members and the mayor discussed maintenance problems on the parcel — overgrown weeds, people storing items, and unclear fence lines — and acknowledged a survey likely would be required to clarify boundaries before any sale or improvement. The mayor said she would follow up with the two adjacent neighbors and that she had not scheduled the public hearing because an appraisal had not yet been received.

No formal motion or vote occurred on the Sugar Lane parcel at the meeting; council members asked for further outreach to neighbors and for the mayor to obtain the missing appraisal and any survey information before returning the item to a future agenda.