City reports $495,000 appraisal for old liquor-store property; council discusses sale and parking implications

City manager Johnson told the Morris City Council that an appraisal of the old municipal liquor-store property returned a value of $495,000 for 12,600 deeded square feet, or roughly $39.29 per deeded square foot. "The appraisal came back as 495,000 for 12,600 deeded square feet or $39.29 per square foot," Johnson said, and recommended staff meet with finance and liquor-store management to plan marketing and eventual sale.

Council members raised questions about what portion of the adjacent parking was included in the appraisal and whether public parking should be preserved. Johnson said she has begun consulting the city-county attorney and the League of Minnesota Cities resources about drafting legal documents to maintain some public parking if the council decides to do so. Council members also discussed the value-added features of the building such as rooftop solar panels and whether any grant or utility funding tied to the solar installation imposes obligations on sale or transfer; staff will check grant terms and report back.

The council noted the retail building footprint was approximately 4,500 square feet and that the new liquor store is about 10,080 square feet, leaving the old site as roughly 12,600 square feet of deeded property in total as used in the appraisal. Staff reiterated that proceeds from the sale should be applied toward the new liquor-store debt and that a public sale process will be used so all interested parties can bid. Johnson said staff is building a list of interested buyers and will coordinate next steps with finance and legal counsel before initiating marketing.