August 8, 2023 |
Photo – Saratoga Town Hall – Bigfoot99 file photo
Saratoga officials are considering selling town-owned land. The planning and zoning committee chairwoman wants money from the sale to go toward bettering the community.
During last week’s Saratoga town council, Mayor Chuck Davis said he was approached by two different private individuals asking to buy the town owned land on Mrytle Avenue. Mayor Davis said he wants the council to decide if he should investigate what steps are needed to sell the land.
Mayor Davis described the property as an L-shaped portion of land near the future location of the Royal Springs subdivision south of town. The mayor said he and Public Works Director Emery Penner found out that the land was not set aside of any particular use. Mayor Davis said the property was part of the unsuccessful land swap between the town of Saratoga and Dr. Michael Jansson, owner of the Saratoga Hot Springs Resort.
In summer of last year, the 2.3-acre piece of property was appraised for $62,500. The appraisal was performed because the town was considering trading the lot for a small strip of Janssen-owned land adjacent to the town-owned property to the west designated to be the future site of Never Forget Park. The resort owner’s property was valued at $50,000, a number many residents found to be far too high.
The land swap was rejected by the sitting town council in a 3-2 vote.
During last Tuesday’s Saratoga town council meeting, Councilwoman Kathy Beck asked Mayor Davis if he had an estimate of how much work would be involved to prepare the land on the overlook for sale. Mayor Davis said Town Attorney Kylie Waldrip will handle the legal paperwork. The mayor said he wasn’t sure how the sale will need to be conducted.
Planning and Zoning Commission Chairwoman McCall Burau said the 2016 Comprehensive Master Plan set aside the land in question as open space. Burau asked if the sale proceeds could be set aside for recreational improvements of some kind.
Mayor Davis said the council could reserve the money for a specific use, but the sale wasn’t likely to happen until later in the year. Burau said selling the property would eliminate land allocated for residents to use.
Mayor Davis asked for a motion to allow him to investigate the sale of the town owned property on Myrtle Avenue. Councilman Jacob Fluty motioned, and Councilman Mike Cooley seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
