PURCHASING BLIGHTED PROPERTY FOR $55,000
The City of Platte City working to eventually create a replacement for the former J.W. Lewis Park.
The original J.W. Lewis Park was a small recreational space that was once located at the site of the former city swimming pool along Fourth Street behind the old City Hall.
That ground is now owned and occupied by Sprint Lumber.
The city’s plan is to create a new park area near the former Platte City Lions Club building at 305 North Street, near the Platte City Cemetery. The Lions Club property has belonged to the city for about five years.
Part of the plan to develop that area into a park amenity involves purchasing property at 209 Third Street from Michaela Hunter and Ricky Hoskins. A house sits on that parcel.
The purchase is for $55,000 and credit for two cemetery grave openings and closings. Value of the two cremation burials is $2,910, city officials say.
According to DJ Gehrt, interim city administrator, other benefits of the purchase are that it will remove a blighted property from the neighborhood and eliminate the potential for a property right of way access issue, and a potential adverse possession claim that could complicate the park replacement project.
When combined with the current 1.63 acres of city property at that general location (the former Lions Club building and property at 208 N. Fourth Street) the purchase will create a potential park space of 1.82 acres, Gehrt said.
The original J.W. Lewis Park at 405 N. Fourth Street was 2.17 acres in size.
“In the past the city has purchased park land and other property when available during ownership transition and should anticipate continuing to do so with several adjacent properties to complete park replacement over time,” Gehrt told aldermen in a recent city memo. “The city’s policy has been to acquire property for public use from a willing seller rather than exercising its eminent domain authority from an unwilling property owner.”
Gehrt said staff research of comparable properties indicates that the $55,000 purchase price is fair and reasonable.
“The cash price of $55,000 is likely a discount from probable appraised value but a premium from immediate market value. The immediate market value is estimated to be less than the probable appraised value as the most likely private buyers would be seeking to acquire it at a distressed property price,” Gehrt said.
In 2019, the Platte City Lions Club donated its one acre property and building at 200 N. Fourth Street to the city. In January of 2021, the city purchased blighted property at 208 N. Fourth Street adjacent to the Lions Club in anticipation of the sale of the original J.W. Lewis Park property for expansion of Sprint Lumber.
In October of 2021, the city closed Lewis Park and sold the property.
Gehrt explained the new J.W. Lewis Park will be developed as the city acquires sufficient property at and near the Lions Club site. The desire is to provide citizens a park option in the northern part of the city.
At a parks and recreation committee meeting Monday night, Gehrt indicated the Lions Club building will eventually be razed, likely in the year 2026 or 2027, as the park at that site gets developed.
