- April 19, 2024
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After over two years, the city of Ormond Beach finally closed on the purchase of the 385 S. Old Kings Road property near Central Park. But could the purchase turn out to be a money pit?
In April 2019, the City Commission voted 4-1 to buy the property for $285,000, with a stipulation that the city would hold $65,000 of the purchase price until the property owner cleaned up the land. The city closed on the property on July 27, for $225,000, said Commissioner Dwight Selby, but the debris was never cleared.
What’s on the property? An environmental site assessment conducted by the city in 2019 found about 37 steel drums, used tires, and several abandoned vehicles that need to be removed; there is also an abandoned house and other outbuildings.
“There’s no way anybody else would have bought it in its condition that it was in,” said Selby, who believed there was no rush to buy the property.
Based on his experience as a commercial real estate broker, he said sellers are made to clean up the property before buyers close.
The city estimates that it will cost $175,000 to remove all debris from the property. Selby said the city will be lucky to find a contractor who will agree to the project for a fixed price. It’s conceivable, he said, that the city could spend more money clearing the property than it did buying it.
The city bought the property for additional floodplain storage and its proximity to Central park. The commission voted 4-1 on Tuesday, Aug. 17, to advertise a request for proposals for debris removal; Selby voted against.
Via a unanimous consent agenda approval by the City Commission at its meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 17, all items recovered from the former Ormond Beach Union Church building at 56 N. Beach St. will be handed off to the Ormond Beach Historical Society for preservation and display.
The city removed over 50 items from the church, including the two time capsules, one of which appears to contain artifacts from the original 1883 church, which was attended by John D. Rockefeller. Other items saved include colored glass, organ pipes, Bibles, and various plaques.
