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A right-of-way abandonment for portions of Woodbine Avenue, 33rd Street and an alley in Buena Vista has a price tag of $13,500 for Donald Austin Rehl, who has plans to build a house on property he owns near the Sayre manufacturing plant at 32nd Street.
Rehl owns approximately 300 mostly wooded acres in this area in the northeastern part of the city. He is building a house for himself and is planning to invest $300,000 in public infrastructure – water and sewer lines as well as road improvements – that can be utilized for a future residential subdivision he hopes to develop on his land.
In considering whether to grant the ROW Rehl sought, City Council members on Feb. 2 discussed whether to waive the sale price, which was based on a standard rate of 75 cents per square foot for 18,000 square feet of land.
Tyson Cooper and Mayor Bill Fitzgerald each spoke in favor of waiving the sale price, arguing that Rehl is preparing to make a substantial investment in public infrastructure that would benefit the city. Melvin Henson spoke in favor of selling the ROW at a reduced rate of 10 cents per square foot. Cheryl Hickman and Stanley Coffey said the city shouldn’t be giving land away.
Cooper made a motion to grant the ROW in return for Rehl putting $13,500 in an escrow account, with the funds being returned to Rehl if he makes the infrastructure improvements within two years. The motion failed on a 3-3 vote, with Danny Staton joining Cooper and Fitzgerald in casting their votes in the affirmative while Hickman, Coffey and Henson dissented.
Hickman made a motion to grant the ROW with a sale price for the land of $13,500. The motion passed 4-2, with Fitzgerald and Cooper casting the dissenting votes.
