An unnamed individual plans to make an offer on property in the Wayland Industrial Park, next to the Great Lakes Energy office on 133rd Avenue and is seeking a deal similar to what Keith Nickels and Josh Otto got last year.
City Manager Joshua Eggleston told the City Council Monday night that a purchase offer is being made for the property at 1065 133rd Ave., near its corner with South Main Street on the south edge of town. The city manager said the individual “wanted to use the Nickels agreement as a template,” but city officials are not making a response as yet.
Nickels and Otto last year bought a parcel from the city for just $20,000, over the objections of other businesses that paid much more. City officials maintained that they had tried to sell that same parcel, awkward in shape, for nearly 20 years with no success. So they reasoned that $20,000 was better than nothing, better than simply letting the site remain idle and not providing tax revenue.
Eggleston promised the council he would give updates on the situation as it progresses.
In other business at Monday night’s meeting, the council:
• Had the first reading on a proposed ordinance (No. 247) to opt out of permitting the sale, distribution and growing marijuana in the wake of voters in Michigan approving a ballot issue last November, legalizing the substance for recreational use.
Eggleston said the ordinance “includes provisions (for the city) to come back to the table once LARA (Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) adopts guidelines.”
The council is expected to decide on the ordinance at its next meeting Feb. 18.
• Heard the annual report from Fire Chief Joe Miller, who indicated the department now has 26 firefighters, who went on 348 calls during 2018 and Yankee Springs’ personnel is up to 25, with 14 certified firefighters.
“Things are working out pretty well for us and Yankee Springs,” he said.
• Listened to a presentation from Karen Weaver and Sue DeVries from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. about the city’s progress on becoming a “Redevelopment Ready Community.”
• Handed out a lot of praise for public safety officials and the Department of Public Works for the condition of streets during last week’s winter snowstorm that closed local schools for five straight days.
Once the city set the precedence on a sweetheart land deal for commercial land deal by the suggestion of “they” at city hall, what did the city council think would happen for other city owned properties?
The only people getting screwed in the Otto/Nickels deal was the taxpayers. But since they don’t complain how City Council and Mayor conducts business, guess there should be no favoritism in this offer either.
See what web is woven when you try to hide land deals and it backfires? Shame on everyone involved.
The city igovernment is in a conundrum now. Better make the same deal or a lawsuit for favoritism could be brought against the city.
I wouldn’t be so hard on your City Council and Mayor….it’s hard to believe they bought all that developable land without the taxpayers knowing about it before purchasing.
The township I live in bought honest to goodness “swampland ” for a project that never materialized because there was no money to do it.
Sure your City Council may have made so mistakes in marketing those properties. But would the taxpayers been pleased if money was spent trying to make vacant property more attractive to sell ??
Buyers must realize when they (business, industrial or residential) are the first few to purchase they wI’ll always pay close to listed price or more. As the development slows or in this case had come to a complete stop. The developer will almost always sell at a reduced price to make the property more attractive since fewer lots will be available.
To complain because you may have been first or second buyer gave you the pick of lots and maybe a few years of tax relief is not very logical .
It seems anyone with a fair amount of money could of at anytime purchased the vacant lots.
It would make sense the more businesses or industries surrounding the first buyers could possibly benefit them.
How long do the taxpayers in the City of Wayland really.want to own acres of scrub brush, which in reality they can not use. I’ve not seen any walking trails or bike trails there…even though deer abound in those scrub areas you can’t hunt them or any animal because you have an ordinance against it.
As I mentioned earlier “I have no horses in this rsce” just an opinion…if I did live in the city of Wayland . Three years ago I surely would of concently pushed for more aggressive marketing or at least have the city make that vacant land temporarily useable by its citizens.
At least in your favor as a city most of your scrub brush land is on the southwest border of the city. Not like for years just after you entered the city from the west before you reached the railroad tracks scrub brush lots were there for years.
Its like being the first one to buy a 60 inch flat screen tv. Your going to pay $2000.00 a year later they are $600.00.