Four vacant residential lots are on the auction block in Port St. Lucie – a move the city expects will help it offload unwanted property and give taxpayers a break.
Lenora Sevillian, the city’s division director of procurement management, said auctioning the sites will protect taxpayers and ensure the city gets the best possible price.
The lots were deemed “surplus” last year by the Port St. Lucie City Council. A committee of city staffers evaluates surplus lands and determines if there is a way to use the land – whether for stormwater retention, lift station sites, pocket parks or other municipal uses.
When they determine the sites aren’t necessary for any of those purposes, the properties get placed on the auction block.
Bidding is currently open on the four lots, located on SW Hackensack Avenue, SW Janette Avenue and SW Abingdon Avenue. They range in size from a quarter-acre to half.
The minimum bid on each is the appraised value as set by the Property Appraiser’s Office. No bids below the appraised value will be entertained, according to the city.
Lots range in value from $25,000 (the quarter-acre lots) to $45,000 for the half-acre double lot.
Assistant City Manager Patricia Roebling said the city acquired “hundreds and hundreds” of vacant residential lots when developer General Development Corporation walked away from the region and the city incorporated.
“Many are destined to be parks,” Roebling said of the remaining vacant lots. Other properties have been donated by residents who couldn’t afford to pay the assessments attached to the lots.
Previously, Port St. Lucie has deeded over vacant lots to Habitat for Humanity to build affordable housing. Roebling said there are still numerous properties to do so again.
Those interested in bidding on the four lots have until 3 p.m. on Feb. 4 to submit online.
But first, they must register on the city’s website, located at www.CityOfPSL.com/Auction. From there, interested bidders can review the properties, the terms of the auction, and submit a bid.
Roebling said this is an opportunity for neighbors to snatch up that vacant lot next door to expand their own properties. “We get a lot of calls like that,” she said, explaining residents often want to buy the city-owned lot adjacent to their home.
“We can’t just sell it to them,” Roebling said. Government rules require the lots be offered up publicly and in a manner so as to fetch the best possible price.
All neighbors within 300 feet of the vacant lots were notified of the auction.
Sevillian said the winner of each of the bids will be expected to close the sale within 45 calendar days. In that time, the City Council would be expected to approve the sale.
The winners will be responsible for pulling any and all permits necessary for any improvements made to the site. They will also have to follow the same guidelines for construction as there are if this had been a traditional purchase of land.
Auctioned sites at a glance:
- 1550 SW Hackensack Ave.: $28,000, .23 acres
- 1533 SW Janette Ave.: $25,000, .23 acres
(adjacent to 1549 SW Janette Ave.) - 1549 SW Janette Ave.: $25,000, .23 acres
(adjacent to 1533 SW Janette Ave.) - 1540 SW Abingdon Ave.: $45,000, .46 acres (double-lot).
