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Council debates real-estate sale policy after citizen seeks to buy parcel with mountain-bike trails
Summary
City staff proposed clarifying the real-estate sale policy to handle unsolicited purchase requests for properties not publicly listed. Council discussed routing such requests to the Planning Commission; one resident, Rick Gufferson, inquired about buying a roughly four-acre parcel that includes mountain-bike trails, raising questions about trail connectivity and zoning.
Council discussed a proposed update to the city's real-estate sale policy to clarify how unsolicited purchase requests for parcels not listed for sale should be handled.
Staff said the policy should ensure fair, equitable opportunity and proposed sending candidate parcels to the Planning Commission for review before council action. "My thought would be taking to Planning Commission and to recommend to council to list certain properties for sale," staff said, highlighting the need for an appraisal or certified survey when a property is to be listed.
As an example, staff described a citizen inquiry from Rick Gufferson about a parcel that abuts his property and contains mountain-bike trails. Staff cautioned the parcel may be roughly four acres, have steep drop-offs and be largely unbuildable by itself, and that selling any portion would require evaluating trail connectivity and potential rerouting to preserve public access. Staff recommended appraisals and planning review before any sale and suggested contingencies in offers tied to zoning approvals.
Council treated the item as discussion-only and directed staff to draft policy language and return with options for handling non-listed property purchase requests.
