Holyoke committee recommends sale of East Hampton Road parcel to adjacent owner for $7,500

The Holyoke development, government & neighborhoods (DGR) committee voted Jan. 26 to approve the sale of a city-owned parcel on East Hampton Road, Parcel 14400057, to an adjacent property owner.

The sale was filed Jan. 20 by Councilor Meg McGrath Smith and brought before the committee after staff indicated the mayor had approved a purchase price of $7,500. The proposed buyer, Linda Narakach, told the committee she has owned the neighboring lot for years and intends to join the city parcel to her property and proceed with a boundary survey; she said she has engaged Harold Eaton and Associates to complete that survey.

Committee members sought clarification about the parcel’s potential to be developed once combined with Narakach’s lot. Councilor McGrath Smith asked whether the contiguous land would have frontage adequate for a building lot; Narakach said a combined parcel would be more practical for putting a house on the site and that the smaller existing lot might be grandfathered but was less attractive on its own.

City staff and participants outlined the administrative steps the sale followed: it began at the city council, proceeded to the DGR committee, then to the mayor, back to the council and returned to the DGR committee for recommendation. Meeting participants stated the mayor had approved the purchase price prior to the committee hearing.

A member moved to approve the sale and the motion received a second. The chair said there were no objections and recorded the ayes, describing the vote as unanimous on the record; the transcript does not include a roll-call tally of individual votes.

The committee’s recommendation forwards the sale to the next appropriate step in the city process. The buyer said surveying work is planned next; future filings or permitting steps will depend on survey results and any needed municipal approvals.