Real-estate firm pitches marketing and pricing options for Atchison County Lake

Midwest Land Group told the Atchison County Commission on Dec. 17 that the county-owned Atchison County Lake could attract strong buyer interest but will require more due diligence to set a firm price.

Drew Yarkovsky, representing Midwest Land Group, reviewed a marketing presentation covering property history, utilities, existing leases, access and comparable sales within a 30-mile radius. He said typical recreational properties in the area produce “low fives” per-acre values on sold comps, calculating a fair-market recreational value of about $51.57 per acre from recent sales. Because surface water commonly commands a premium, he said his firm doubles per-acre land value for lake surface area and recommended applying a marketing premium (he suggested 9%) to reflect the property’s uniqueness and to account for professional marketing.

Using those assumptions Yarkovsky presented high- and low-end listing examples. He said a starting list price in the low six-figures-per-acre aggregate could be reasonable; in his examples that translated into a recommended price roughly in the $1.06 million to about $1.64 million range depending on whether the full historical 74.49 surface acres are counted or current siltation reduces the water area.

Commissioners pressed for more technical detail. They asked about dredging estimates, whether mineral rights or timber restrictions exist, the status of hunting leases and whether roads and easements have been surveyed. Yarkovsky said leases exist (year-to-year hunting leases on part of the property), utilities near the west entrance include a meter and hydrant (a leak may affect hookup), and the lake’s surface area is somewhat silted compared with historic acreage. He recommended a formal survey, confirmation of utilities and review of leases and easements before any listing.

Commissioners described competing priorities for county funds — for example, road and bridge needs — and emphasized staff should weigh maintenance costs and potential future public services demands before deciding whether to sell. The county did not vote to list the property; the presentation was to inform an initial decision.

Next steps noted during the meeting included: staff verification of property lines and leases, a deeper engineering assessment of siltation and dredging costs, and additional pricing scenarios once those details are available.