The Lake Havasu City Council will hold a special meeting next week to discuss the possibility of purchasing a county-owned lot in the downtown area that was once home to the Mohave County Senior Center in Havasu.
The 0.8 acre lot, located at 2223 Swanson Avenue just south of the intersection with Acoma Boulevard, has been the subject of discussions between Havasu and Mohave County for the past few months. In September, the county Board of Supervisors voted to explore a potential 5-year lease with the city for use of the property – with the idea that the city would put in a parking lot to serve the downtown area. Then on Dec. 5, the Board of Supervisors were told that Havasu had interest in purchasing the property rather than leasing it.
During that meeting, the Supervisors voted unanimously to approve an agreement with the city to have the property appraised. According to the agreement, Havasu would be given the opportunity to purchase the lot for the appraised value of the property – plus the cost of the appraisal itself, and any other fees associated with the sale. The City Council voted unanimously to approve the agreement during its Dec. 13 meeting.
During the Dec. 13 meeting, City Attorney Kelly Garry told the council that city staff reached out to the county to ask about 2223 Swanson Avenue after a discussion about a potential development near the Arizona State University Campus brought up the need for additional parking in that area of town.
City Manager Jess Knudson said the appraisal has since been completed.
“Now it is up to the City Council to decide which direction they want to move towards,” Knudson said.
The special meeting is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. inside the council chambers at the police station, located at 2360 N. McCulloch Blvd. The council is expected to vote to adjourn to executive session shortly after the meeting begins where they will be able to consult with representatives concerning negotiations for the purchase of the property, in addition to obtaining legal advice regarding on the potential purchase.
“If there is a negotiation that has to take place, obviously it’s better to do that without the person you are negotiating with hearing all of the details,” Knudson said about the executive session.
Following the executive session, the council will return to the chambers to reconvene the special meeting and hold a public hearing for discussion and possible action regarding 2223 Swanson Avenue.
“The opportunity for the city to acquire property in the downtown is always worth considering,” Knudson said. “The initial use would be for parking for that area. Across the street from ASU there are plans for multifamily housing and the fields at ASU are used for soccer and other recreation activities for kids. There is definitely a need for additional parking in that area, and it will be more so when construction takes place on that vacant lot that gets utilized for parking right now.”
(4) comments
Don't we have a new bus system that can handle the occasional event parking?
LOL! We have new buses, bus stops, bus schedules/routes. One important ingredient is missing, the lack of residents, tourist-os and visitors using it.
The city has built and 100% funded at least 4 previous parking lots. When will they stop using our tax dollars to subsidize the businesses in this area. If more parking is needed the downtown should create a taxing district to pay for any additional parking. They need to quit gifting to these businesses.
". . . eyes lot for downtown parking." The city already owns an overpriced lot on McCulloch and is eyeing a future money pit for a park/community center, a focal point on the Blvd of dreams in the midst of taverns, sports bars, tattoo parlors, pawn/gun shops and eateries. Why not save some of that budget money and build a parking lot there, can you Dig it?
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