Cordova commission backs sealed proposals for Davis Avenue hillside lot

Michael Shum wants the vacant lot uphill from his new house on Davis Avenue in Cordova, and he does not want to build on it. Access to it runs through his property and a shared easement with a neighbor anyway. He told the Planning Commission he means to leave it as it is, calling it "part of the history of the town."

He will have to bid for it. The commission voted Tuesday to recommend the city take sealed proposals on the roughly 6,740-square-foot parcel, for lease or purchase. If the City Council agrees, the city has to publicly notice the disposal for 30 days first.

Vice Chair Mark Hall said sealed proposals are how the public finds out a city parcel is changing hands, and that skipping that step has cost Cordova before. "The city got in trouble years ago, and they didn't do it," he said. Chair Kris Ranney put the case for selling more simply: "Tax on property is better than no tax at all."

The commission handled a second parcel differently. A sliver of land near Baja Taco, about 1,116 square feet, was recommended for direct negotiation instead, on the grounds that it is too small to be usable by anyone but the owner next door. One commissioner argued the city should look for a broader public use for it. The recommendation passed without opposition.

Both go to the City Council.