After settling into the new municipal building, Plain City officials are preparing to sell one of the former village properties.
Council voted unanimously Monday to authorize Village Administrator Nathan Cahall to advertise the sale of the municipal properties located at 213 S. Chillicothe Street.
“We don’t necessarily have anything specific in mind,” Cahall said Tuesday regarding the future of the site.
Instead, he said the sale of the buildings is an effort by council to offset the cost of constructing the new municipal building, located at 800 Village Blvd. Cahall said the previous and current administration promised to divest of the properties once relocated.
He said the two buildings along S. Chillicothe Street, which formerly housed Plain City’s municipal offices, will be up for sale.
Cahall also explained that the public right-of-way behind the garage extends from Bigelow Avenue to Jackson Street. The village will maintain ownership of that alley.
While officials do not have a specific prospect in mind, the sale will follow a number of terms and conditions agreed upon by council.
At auction, there will be a $500,000 bid price reserve, which council maintains the right to waive.
Plain City will also maintain ownership of some portions of the property after the sale.
According to the terms and conditions, the back parking lot and former zoning office, a smaller building near the water tower, will remain as village property.
The purchasing party can use the lot for parking required by the zoning code, though it will also be open to the public and may be improved by the village in the future.
Cahall said Tuesday that the village has identified the area as a “good candidate” to add public parking. He said the “long-term plan” is to create a public parking lot that will also be used to service the business located at the site.
The garage area of the former administration building, which is currently used to store village equipment, will continue to serve that purpose for one year or until an alternative facility is constructed — whichever comes first.
The property is currently zoned B3 Central Business District.
Cahall said this leaves potential buyers a range of options, from leaving the buildings as is to a “modest renovation” or “robust redevelopment.”
The zoning classification is “intended to support and encourage existing and future businesses and reflect revitalization standards and strategies in the concentration of retail, service, office, institutional, commercial, recreational and cultural facilities that are compatible in the uptown area of the community,” according to village ordinances.
Cahall noted that residential uses are also permitted in the area.
While the zoning permits a variety of uses related to these purposes, a deed restriction that can only be waived by the village in the future will prohibit gas stations, car washes and auto repair shops at this location.
Additionally, potential changes to the building must abide by design guidelines laid out in the village ordinances.
Cahall said the building is “one of the older buildings in the village.”
It dates back to at least 1920, according to records from the county auditor’s office, but Cahall said it could be a reconstruction of an even older building.
All proposed changes will go before the Design Review Board.
“Any future remodeling or development of the site or buildings must restore and maintain the existing character and aesthetic portion of the Administration building…” according to the terms and conditions.
The village will maintain some control over the property, as officials will have the right of first refusal if the new property owner sells the property to a non-related party within 10 years.
Cahall said village staff is drafting a bid packet this week.
Afterward, the Ohio Revised Code requires bids to be advertised for five consecutive weeks. Cahall said he hopes to open bidding in approximately six weeks.
In other business:
– Council voted unanimously to approve by emergency an agreement with Byrne & Jones Construction for the Plain City Uptown Parking Lot Improvement Project.
The company will be paid $391,612.07 for completion of the project, with change orders not to exceed 10% of the project cost without further approval of council.