The Haines Borough’s coveted lot at the corner of Third Avenue and Main Street will remain in public hands, for now.
The Planning Commission last week voted 4-2 against putting the 32,600-square-foot parcel up for sale after the borough received two requests to buy the lot. Commissioners Brenda Josephson and Donnie Turner were in favor of classifying the land for sale, pending an approved investment plan that would be carried out within three years.
The spot has been the subject of debate, with some residents pushing for its official designation as a park or recreational space.
Both parties who requested the borough sell the lot attended the commission’s meeting, but both were vague about their plans for it.
Lori Smith, who made the request with her husband Mark, said she and her husband were looking for a building “to have a business.” Smith said her husband is a physician looking for office space, though she also has “some retail interests.”
Smith said she would supply a business plan “of two or three things we’re considering” once the land was made available.
Terry Pardee, the other interested person, was even less clear about his plans for the property. “I just want to make sure that property is available for sale to go into the private sector,” he said.
Pardee pointed out that during his discussions with borough staff, no one told him he needed to have a business plan ready to be considered. “Not one time was there a suggestion that (the commission) needed a business plan up front. Not once. If that were going to be part of the criteria, I would have had one in place,” he said.
Pardee said when voters bonded to build the new Haines School, they were told the old school lots would go into the private domain and get back on the tax rolls. “I haven’t heard anything yet that is going to do that by making it just a nice place to hang out,” he said.
Many of the commissioners were unwilling to consider classifying the .75-acre lot for sale without more specifics.
Commissioner Heather Lende said she wasn’t interested in putting the land up for sale for speculation, and that with the two recent sales of Main Street land to the Haines Brewing Company and Aspen Hotel, those businesses provided detailed plans up front.
“With both of the sales that we did, there was a very specific need for that particular thing that would work there the best. And I’m not hearing that from these (residents),” Lende said.
Commissioner Rob Miller called the vague plans “pretty half-baked,” but clarified he isn’t opposed to selling the land to the right buyer filling the right niche.
“I haven’t heard anything tonight that makes me feel I want to be in a hurry to sell it,” Miller said.
Commissioner Turner also wanted to see some sort of business plan and guarantee the land would be developed, though he firmly believed the land should be put back in private hands to generate property and sales tax revenue.
“If we want to have a library, if we want to have a swimming pool, if we want all this stuff, we need to generate income. And that’s what Main Street property does,” Turner said.
Commissioner Josephson agreed, saying she wanted to spur economic activity in a town that is sorely lacking in it.
“I absolutely think that as part of the commercial district – the very limited commercial district – it should be offered to people who are willing to make an investment in our town,” Josephson said.
After the commission voted to keep the land in public hands, Josephson made clear that nothing was stopping the interested buyers from coming back to the commission next month with more detailed proposals – or even the same vague ones.
“This can be brought back at any time,” she said.
Several residents testified in favor of keeping the space in public hands, including Burl Sheldon, Ellen Larson, Tom Morphet, Lee Roberts, Shel Scarrott and Jerry Ballanco. Ideas floated included making the area a park, a town square and a space to congregate commercial food trucks.
Manager Bill Seward even threw in his two cents, suggesting the borough might construct an amphitheater on the lot for concerts, dancing and theater.
“I think it would bring folks to downtown and keep them downtown. I think our local businesses would benefit from keeping folks downtown and have a rippling effect of generating revenue,” Seward said.
Several residents urged the borough not to rush into selling the lot, as that opportunity would always remain available to them. “You can sell it next year or five years from now or 10 years from now or 20 years from now,” Larson said. “But you can never ever get this prime piece of real estate back.”