By THOMAS LUCKIE III

OGDENSBURG -- City of Ogdensburg Director of Planning & Development Andrea Smith discussed the city's proposal to purchase a non-conforming lot from the Ogdensburg City School District for the price of $1 at Monday's Board of Education meeting.

The 40-by-127 foot parcel is located at the corner of paper Jersey Avenue and paper Rosseel Street and does not currently have street frontage nor access to utilities.

Under the terms of the proposal, the city would purchase the lot from the district for $1 and cover the legal fees associated with the closing and property transfer. The city then plans to combine the non-conforming lot with an adjacent city-owned surplus property at 1411 Lafayette St. to create one contiguous block for redevelopment.

When asked by the board if the city planned to extend Jersey Avenue and Rosseel Street to accommodate the property, Smith responded with an alternative strategy.

"They would be long lots that would have frontage off of Lafayette Street, which is where the infrastructure currently is," Smith said. "The whole block would be listed for sale with a note on the surplus property that it could be subdivided into up to three lots."

The city-owned property on Lafayette Street is located within a moderate-density residential zoning district and would require a use variance for any potential commercial development.

While no action was immediately required by the board, Superintendent Timothy Vernsey stated that a resolution to bring the property transfer proposition to a taxpayer vote would need to be approved by the board at a future meeting.

If approved, the vote will take place in May.