Committee backs direct sale of city-owned property

FINDLAY — Findlay City Council's Finance Committee voted Tuesday to recommend selling two city-owned properties through the Blanchard Valley Port Authority, a move that would bypass public auction. The properties include the former Hochstettler's Old Mill site at 428 W. Main Cross St. and the old Northside Fire Station at 401 N. Main St. Both have been vacant for years and are no longer needed by the city. Under the proposal, the Hochstettler property would be sold for $340,500 to neighboring Dietsch Brothers, 400 W. Main Cross St., a nearly 70-year-old downtown business. Dietsch plans to expand production and warehousing, add outdoor seating and improve parking on the lot. Mayor Christina Muryn said the arrangement ensures the property's "best use" and keeps a key gateway parcel in local hands. "Our goal is to make sure that this key property as a gateway into our community is best utilized by a local entity and not just trying to make a buck," said Muyrn. "Now, we do want to protect, obviously, the city resources that have been put into that property." The city purchased the site in 2012 for $270,000 with plans to relocate the health department there, but the project was abandoned after renovation costs were estimated at nearly $500,000. Two dilapidated structures were demolished in 2018, leaving a 3,000-square-foot building on a 1.61-acre parcel near the Blanchard River. The site was once in a floodplain but was later cleared through a FEMA elevation certificate. Environmental remediation is estimated at $37,000, with the city contributing $18,000. City crews will be used to demolish three buildings on the site at an estimated cost of about $10,000 ot $12,000 for labor, which is included in the purchase price. A reversion clause would allow the city to reclaim the property if plans fall through. In a letter to the committee, Dietsch Brothers co-owner Erika Dietsch-Brokamp said the company's downtown facility has reached its limits. "We are at the point where we cannot really hire anyone else unless it's replacing someone who has left. We don't have enough parking spaces for more employees, and we don't have the workspace area for new employees to work in," she said. Dietsch-Brokamp said acquiring the property would allow the company to expand production and warehousing, create seasonal jobs, and improve customer experience. "Expanding our warehouse and business operations will have a positive impact on the city in several ways. By increasing our need for seasonal employees, we can create job opportunities for residents, especially during peak seasons," the letter stated. She added that the company hopes to add outdoor seating and eliminate the need for temporary storage trailers during the holidays. However, Councilwoman Holly Frische, R-1, continued to argue for public auction of both properties on Tuesday. Frische is a member of the Finance Committee. At the committee meeting, Frische said, "I've had at least three different individuals reach out who have tried communicating that they've had interest in that property, and none of those ideas came across as a negative for our main hub coming into downtown." She said bypassing the auction process allows the city to "pick and choose who owns something when it's a main corridor into our downtown," which she called prime commercial space. The sales were also challenged by city residents during public comment at Tuesday's regular meeting of council, following the committee meeting. Residents questioned the fairness of not auctioning the property and whether a public auction would bring a higher sales price. The old Northside Fire Station, built in 1934, would be sold "as is" for $100,000 to the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 381. The union plans to create a hall, event space, and display historic fire department artifacts. Plans could include office or apartment space on the upper floor, in a possible collaboration with a local contractor. The building served as a firehouse for decades before housing the city's traffic department. It was vacated in 2019 after a sanitary line failure and has since been used for storage. A recent assessment revealed structural issues such as water infiltration and masonry deterioration. Deed restrictions will require any future owner to maintain the building's integrity. The union would be responsible for the remediation of the building.