Council rejects lot sales over zoning, lack of plans

The City Council rejected a bid for two foreclosed lots because the bidder failed to submit drawings or site plans to ensure the projects are appropriate.

The Council also determined the lots at 409 E. Elm and 504 W. Main St. were not properly zoned for what the buyer had in mind. The City still has about 20 foreclosed lots on its rolls. A planned code enforcement push as well as a June 6 Sheriff ’s sale of seven Olney properties will likely add to that number, City Administrator Arpegea Pagsuberon said.

The would-be buyer placed the minimum bid on both lots but did not submit the detailed drawings required by the city’s bidding rules, Mayor Rue Rogers told the Council at their May 22 meeting. “He’s saying the property on Main Street would be used for a single building for a two- to four-family multi-tenant use or tenant house of five separate rooms with individual bath and showers and shared kitchen and family room space,” Mayor Rogers said. “The property on Elm would be for a single family or duplex.”

In his bid, the would-be buyer said he “cannot justify spending money to draft plans, perform engineering surveying, et cetera, for any parcel before I control ownership and have approval from the appropriate governmental entities for my proposals.”

He also said he has “plans I’ve used or will be using on other sites in other cities.” However, City Attorney Bill Myers said the business district zoning where the lots are situated does not allow multi-family dwellings. “I don’t think you can rezone that as multifamily residential,” Mr. Myers said.

The Council rejected the bids and reiterated that buyers must at least submit a drawing of the shape and dimensions of the planned structure with a minimum bid in order to be accepted. “This is one reason why we ask for the information on the front end,” Mayor Rogers said. “So you don’t accept a bid and they buy it then realize, ‘Oh, we can’t do that.’” The Council also tabled a discussion of what to do with approximately $42,000 in proceeds from the sale of 10 lots to Crombie Properties of Olney, a Jacksboro developer who plans to build single and multi-family homes in Olney this year.