Bellevue to dump surplus lots

Bellevue's track record for turning vacant city land into productive developments is not so hot.

The vacant Wilson Concrete plant on Fort Crook Road, for instance, remains in blighted condition more than three years after Bellevue paid $1.5 million for it.

The city paid $5.8 million in 2002 for a 290-acre farm parcel at 36th Street and Capehart Road without a clear vision for developing the land.

Bellevue also owns at least 100 residential lots scattered throughout the community, which the city inherited by annexing subdivisions over the past several decades.

“They need to get out of the lot-owning business,” said David Dunn, a Bellevue sales associate for Century 21 Hansen Realty.

City officials say they agree.

The Bellevue City Council has hired Hansen Realty for a yearlong contract to get rid of surplus city property.

The property includes no houses or commercial buildings, said City Administrator Gary Troutman.

Some of the vacant lots might be usable for new houses or to create larger backyards for the properties next door, he said.

Bringing redevelopment to the Fort Crook Road commercial corridor is a top priority, and Troutman said he hopes Dunn's company can put together a list of serious potential buyers for the vacant concrete plant.

This winter, demolition crews finally will begin clearing debris from the former concrete plant as part of a $1 million grant the city received last summer. That should make it easier to sell, Troutman said.

The cleanup is slated to be done by next summer,

Dunn said he's optimistic he can find buyers for some of the vacant land, though it won't happen overnight.

Troutman said any plans to sell the city-owned farm parcel along 36th Street are probably at least a year away, unless a serious buyer emerges.

“We have got to decide what we want to do with that,” Troutman said.

City officials still want to retain some of the land for a possible outdoor water park, among other ideas. In 2004, the city donated 20 acres for the new Eastern Nebraska Veterans Home that opened in 2007.

The surrounding 270 acres of city-owned land remains empty.

City Council President Carol Blood said she expects the city will have some success selling surplus lots to people who want bigger backyards or others interested in building homes.

Either way, getting rid of the lots will help the city's coffers, she said.

The city-owned lots drain resources because public works staff must regularly mow and maintain them. The lots do not generate property taxes, and the city also must pay for liability insurance coverage on them in case of slips, falls or other accidents, Blood said.

“Whatever we sell, we benefit from the property taxes. It's just common sense,” she said.

Using a local real estate expert rather than city administrators makes sense, she said.

“I anticipate that in 12 to 15 months, we will see results because someone is actively working on it,” Blood said.

Contact the writer:

444-1056, john.ferak@owh.com