Council members press administration on low sale prices for city lots; Kelly moves to defer one sale

Council members pressed the administration on the pricing and process for several redevelopment-sales listed as 7R2A through 7R2D during the Jan. 22 pre-meeting, raising concerns that some lots were being sold for very low per-square-foot prices.

Councilman Silva described a lot in the East Ward as effectively inaccessible except through an adjacent automotive business and said the site has been abandoned and neglected for decades. He said the buyer is the adjacent auto business intending to expand and that the parcel’s constrained access limits other buyers. Silva questioned whether the city should sell that parcel to a private owner for $7–$8 per square foot. “It’s been abandoned and neglected for 30 years, maybe 40 years,” he said, noting remediation costs and limited access as factors affecting marketability.

Councilman Gonzales pressed for documentation of how the city arrived at purchase prices and asked for appraisal material included in the resolution. Councilman Kelly moved to defer item 2b — the second redevelopment transaction on the docket — unless the developer engaged with him before the evening meeting; the motion to defer was seconded by Councilman Quintana and recorded in the pre-meeting transcript.

Deputy Mayor and Director of Economic and Housing Development Lisonbee Ladd said the practice for adjacent-property sales is to charge a per-square-foot price that is typically higher for business owners acquiring contiguous parcels but lower for residential transactions, and that recent sales have been closer to $10–$12 per square foot or appraised value. She said the administration would provide the letters of intent and the evaluation materials that council members requested.

The discussion concluded with an agreement to provide documentation to council and with the motion to defer item 2b pending developer contact.