Submitted by City of Batavia for purchase offer from Bruce Curtis.
There may be more market-rate apartments in Batavia’s future if City Council approves an offer to purchase vacant property on Orleans Avenue Extension.
Bruce Curtis of Corfu has offered to buy .45 acres of wooded land in the R2 residential district of the city’s west/southwest side, City Manager Rachael Tabelski said during this week’s conference meeting.
“The resolution before you would allow the city to abandon and discontinue the public use of the paper street and sell 20,750 square feet, point four five acres, to Mr. Curtis, who has offered the city the appraised value of $15,500 for the parcel,” Tabelski said Monday at City Hall.
Curtis owns six parcels, including 120-122 Pearl Street and 23, 25, 27, 29, and 31 Orleans Avenue, all of which abut Orleans Avenue Extension. His intentions are to redevelop the property and build five to seven market-rate single-story duplex residential units, Tabelski said.
This plan falls in line with the city’s Comprehensive Plan that was written in 2017, as it “highlights a mixed use of new housing units as a designated priority for the city.” Curtis also owns units similar to what he intends to create on 32 and 36 River Street, Tabelski said, and they are of “very nice quality.”
The units would be two-bedroom apartments with all of the necessary utilities. Orleans Avenue Extension is now listed as a “paper street,” since it has no utilities connected to it, she said. The parcel was not advertised and no one else approached the city about purchasing it, she said.
The property is “landlocked,” City Attorney George Van Nest said, so it would be difficult for the city or any other developers to make good use of it.
Curtis offered a price that has been deemed a fair market value by a recent appraisal from Bruckner, Tillett, Rossi, Cahill & Associates. All of the appraisal fees and closing costs would be paid by Curtis, Tabelski said in a memo to council.
Another piece of good news is that the property would go onto the tax rolls.
Tabelski recommended that the city “continue to foster housing development,” and authorized council to approve the sale of this property at a future business meeting.
The Batavian was unable to contact Curtis for additional comments.
