Oshkosh staff recommends selling Washington lots at $35,000 after right‑of‑way bids exceed budget

City staff told the Oshkosh City Council at a workshop that the lowest bid to complete right‑of‑way work for 18 lots at the Washington site came in at about $830,000, leaving the city short of funds to finish all work and prompting a staff recommendation to sell each lot at $35,000.

The recommendation, presented by city project staff, would price the lots higher than earlier estimates the city shared with potential buyers and partners (the staff said the city earlier suggested $25,000 per lot). Habitat for Humanity has expressed continued interest in acquiring nine of the 18 lots, the presenter said.

Staff said the bid covers private laterals, grading and stormwater preparation so that finished lots would be build‑ready; the city is not planning to cover utilities such as Internet. "The lowest bid came in at about 830,000," a city staff member told the council. Staff said the bid implies an average cost per lot of just under $46,000.

Why it matters: selling lots below cost would require the city to use capital improvement program (CIP) funds or borrow. Staff told the council that a $35,000 sale price per lot would leave an approximate funding gap of just under $200,000 (the presenter characterized the remaining shortfall as roughly $190,000), which the city could cover from housing CIP lines or other sources. The presenter also said DPW…