City Council Delays Decision on Docktown Purchase

The city council decided Wednesday that it would like more information from the city manager and city attorney before purchasing Docktown, property that could cost as much as $10 million, according to Mayor Jeff Ira.

At a March 8 city council meeting, the , a 60-day due diligence period to research the possible benefits and feasibility of purchasing the property. This period is up soon, and the council will need an extension of a few days, Ira said.

“But we will have a decision soon, possibly within the next week,” Ira promised.

Though no plans are definite yet, the council can explore several options from housing to businesses to even storage facility in the area. But Ira said the main issue was identifying a source of capital outlay from the site.

“If we were to do something with the site, it has to be something that has to generate its own cash,” Ira said.

Otherwise, an acquisition would put a pinch on the city’s budget, he said. The city anticipates a multi-million dollar deficit over the next few years and is cutting in all areas.

“Anything that’s going to put a drain on the general fund right now is a no-go,” Ira said. “We can’t be and then purchase this property.”

However, Ira explained that the city was considering the purchase because any time an opportunity arises, the city is proactive in examining it.

But rather than utilizing resources to research the purchase, Councilmember Rosanne Foust—the one dissenting vote—said back in March that the council should continue focusing on .

“Docktown has been of concern to the city for a very long time,” Foust said. “I’m all for more information about issues that could affect the city long-term, but downtown is our priority first.”

Ira said a Docktown purchase still has too many uncertainties, including jurisdictional issues, what funds would be used to purchase the property: housing or general, and long-term maintenance costs.

Ira said that the price tag could likely drop from $10 million because of a small contamination issue, but nothing insurmountable. He added that once the land becomes city-owned property, there is a different sense of responsibility than that of a private owner.

“Residents could show up to city council meetings and demand certain repairs on their property,” he explained.

But he said the council hasn’t ruled out the possibility of examining how this piece of land could possibly connect with the larger city-owned area. The city already owns 60 to 70 percent of the land, and owning nearly 90 percent could help the city further protect the waterway.

“Someday there could be a great vision there,” Ira said. “But there is no time to dedicate to that. There’s a commitment to downtown first.”