Waldport will get appraisal for land, buildings along Lint Slough Road to help gauge interest in selling them

 

BY QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com

WALDPORT – The city of Waldport will get appraisals for the property and two buildings it owns along Lint Slough Road to help determine if it makes sense to sell, lease or use them itself in some way.

The two buildings – one is 4,650 square feet and the other is a 2,600 square foot shop – were once the city’s shops, which since have been moved out of the tsunami zone to the Dahl Industrial Park. From 2016 to late 2021 the larger building had been used by a distillery company, which leased the property for $2,200 a month.

City Manager Dann Cutter told the city council last week that there has been interest in the properties – but to purchase one or the other, not both, and not to lease.

“I’m having a lack of interest in someone wanting to lease them,” he said.

The properties are zoned for commercial use, which would prohibit heavier industrial use without a zone change or conditional use permit. And both are in a newly designated federal flood plain, which means that any substantial remodeling would require the buildings be raised several feet.

A potential user of either building would need to invest in improvements, Cutter said, and are reluctant to do that if they are leased and not owned.

There was some initial reluctance among the council to sell them and a motion by councilor Jayme Morris to divide the properties and put them on the market died for lack of a second.

“It would be tough to see that property go and then in two years discover we need it,” said councilor Jerry Townsend.

But after a further discussion in executive session allowed to discuss real estate negotiations, the council returned to open session and voted unanimously to seek an appraisal of the land and buildings if they were split and put on the market as two separate properties.

In other business, the council:

• Voted to move council meetings to 4 p.m. the second Thursday of the month starting in July with the hope the later time would make it easier for working residents to consider running for a vacant council seat in November;
• Approved applying for a $750,000 grant from Oregon State Parks & Recreation to help develop Southworth Park along Highway 34 in downtown Waldport. The grant would cover the cost of a large playground, a public restroom, 3,500 feet of paved walking paths, a hard-surface sports court and a covered picnic area;
• Learned that the Lincoln County School District had received an appraisal of $700,000 for the former elementary school cafeteria, gym and garden property that was returned to it March 31 by Seashore Family Literacy. Cutter told the council that he expects the school district will put the property on the market, but hopes there is the potential for some sort of partnership with the district. “We want that asset to be available to the community,” he said.