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Two Ogdensburg councilors block sale of property near boat launch

Posted 1/25/17

By JIMMY LAWTON OGDENSBURG – Ogdensburg City Council will not sell a small parcel of land near the Paterson Street boat launch following a split vote Monday. Councilor David Price and Deputy Mayor …

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Two Ogdensburg councilors block sale of property near boat launch

Posted

By JIMMY LAWTON

OGDENSBURG – Ogdensburg City Council will not sell a small parcel of land near the Paterson Street boat launch following a split vote Monday.

Councilor David Price and Deputy Mayor Michael Morley voted no on a resolution that would have put the parcel out for auction. Although the vote was 5-2 in support of the sale, Morley explained that property sales require six votes to be approved.

The action followed a public hearing regarding the sale.

Because the 72-foot by 90-foot lot is a non-conforming lot, its sale is limited to adjacent landowners. During the hearing Bill Bryan, an adjacent landowner, expressed interest in purchasing the property and noted that he has maintained it for nearly 35 years.

Mayor Wayne Ashley said he supported selling the property after realizing it could not be used for overflow parking at the boat launch due to a curb installed on the edge of the property during the Paterson Street project.

Councilor Jennifer Stevenson also supported selling the lot. She questioned the wisdom of keeping such a small lot on the off chance a use for the property could be found in the future.

Bryan pointed out that because the curb was installed the only access to the property would be through his own land, but Morley said a curb could be removed in the future if necessary.

Morley and Price both objected to the sale of the property at a starting bid of $1,700, agreeing that the city may regret selling a lot so close to the river and a recreation area that could have potential uses in the future.

“It’s a developable piece of property. It’s in a good location. If we are going to develop our riverfront we need to keep as much developable land as possible,” Morley said in an interview. “$1,000 isn’t going to make or break us. I am all for selling excess properties, but I think this one is worth keeping.