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Denton staff outline criteria to identify and sell surplus city property; council signals support
Summary
City real estate staff proposed a new, collaborative process to identify underused city properties for reuse or sale and recommended seven properties for possible sealed‑bid sale; staff estimated proceeds of $1–$2 million and asked council for direction to proceed with the criteria and bid sales.
City staff presented a proposed, standardized process for evaluating the city’s real property inventory and identifying unneeded or underutilized parcels that could be repurposed or sold.
Deanna Cody, deputy director for real estate, told the council staff and a consultant developed evaluation criteria that consider physical characteristics, prior listing history, department needs and funding restrictions tied to the source of acquisition. "It is important to note that proceeds from any of the sales... will be returned to the fund source that those funds came from," Cody said.
Staff recommended selling seven currently identified surplus properties by sealed-bid auction with the option to set minimum or reserve bid prices and provide periodic milestone updates to council. Cody said staff anticipates advertising the properties for sale in roughly 4–6 months if the council directs staff to proceed.
Council members pressed procedural details about how to provide direction and about marketing beyond the statutory newspaper notice; Councilmember Holland suggested property signage and other outreach. Staff noted the legal requirement to publish notice in a newspaper but said the city has additional marketing options.
The presentation included a placeholder for a closed session on property-specific deliberations should council desire more confidential discussion. Council members expressed general support for the staff recommendation and asked staff to return with bids and milestone updates under the normal procurement process.
Next steps: staff requests council direction to adopt the proposed criteria and to proceed with sealed-bid sales of the identified properties; specific parcel-level deliberations may be handled in closed session as allowed by law.
