Phillip Pesola contributed to this report–
The City Council on Thursday voted 4-0 to move forward with selling a trio of vacant, city-owned lots on Sayonara Drive to the Citrus Heights Water District.
The vote was approved as part of a consent calendar action, which included other agenda items voted on as a package. Mayor Porsche Middleton was absent from the meeting, and no members of the public commented on the item before it passed.
A purchase price was not specified, but terms of sale included in the July 14 agenda packet state that the city will now select a commercial appraisal company to assess the value of the land and determine the purchase price based on the “highest and best use of the sites.”
The water district will also pay a deposit of $10,000 to the city, not to be refunded unless the city breaches the agreement terms, and will have up to 180 days to asses the viability of the location for digging a well. Proceeds from the sale would be allocated to the city’s housing fund, because the land was originally purchased using housing related funds, according to a staff report.
As previously reported, a city staff report says the Citrus Heights Water District recently approached the city regarding a proposal to buy three parcels of land for the purpose of installing a groundwater well.
The water district is seeking to use these sites, which add up to just over a half acre, to expand their water infrastructure and provide for the water needs of residents.
The action comes as the State of California reports the state is now in its second extreme drought in 10 years. The first three months of 2022 saw the lowest recorded amounts of rain and snow for each month, and a drought emergency proclamation is in effect for every county.
The city owns a total of 13 parcels of land along Sayonara Drive, directly west of Sunrise Boulevard. Once described as the most dangerous street in the city, Sayonara Drive has two rows of vacant lots after the city purchased blighted buildings from absentee landlords and leveled them more than a decade ago.
The remaining 10 parcels are intended to be sold to Habitat for Humanity for the purpose of building affordable housing.
Related: City eyes partnership with nonprofit to build housing on Sayonara Drive
