LaSalle’s annual land sale includes some bargains
Looking to own a small piece of property where communing with nature is about all you can do? Look no further than LaSalle. The municipality is aiming to unload several vacant lots at bargain prices, but the catch is all are in environmentally protected areas.
The town is holding its annual land sale by public tender.
The property owners have failed to pay their tax bills for three years. Legal proceedings were started about a year ago, giving the owners the opportunity to pay up or walk away.
Four lots are being offered this year for a minimum tender anywhere from $2,580 to $7,654 — cheap prices for land by LaSalle standards.
Three — on Olcott Avenue, Superior Street and Huron Street — are located in protected natural areas where no construction is permitted, said supervisor of revenue Marilyn Abbruzzese.
The fourth lot on Valiant Street — zoned agricultural — has no access and only 30 feet of frontage, making it too small to be used for building.
Abbruzzese said a fifth lot on Gladwin Boulevard has 120 feet of frontage and is large enough to build on. But a buyer would have to enter into a developer’s agreement with the town to remove restric- tions on the property.
There are no storm sewers or water lines to the property but there is a sanitary sewer along the street.
Abburzzese said the property was cleaned up by the town three times and that’s reflected in the minimum bid price of $41,086. An environmental site assessment would need to be completed before any building approvals could be issued.
“The value is somewhat subjective but generally speaking the properties we put out for tax sale … invariably, they’re lots that are of lesser value in terms of buildability or constructability,” said Joe Milicia, director of finance.
“Typically, some properties we get no offers on because people don’t see a value there,” he said. “Other times, we’ll get four to six or 10 offers on any particular property — if there’s something of value there.”
Milicia said it’s been five or six years since a building lot was on the tax sale list and the municipality received 25 or 30 offers for that property.
If a lot doesn’t sell, ownership reverts to the municipality.
Descriptions and locations of the lots can be found on the town’s website at lasalle.ca. Search under the Our Community tab for property taxes. The deadline for tender offers is Dec. 5 at 3 p.m.