The $1.9 million price for a 6-acre piece of land off LaVista Road proved too high for a thin majority of the DeKalb County Commission, which voted Tuesday to negotiate for a better deal.
“For the amount of money that it’s going to be, I need to be confident we’re doing the right thing and don’t get criticized too much,” said Commissioner Stan Watson, who led the charge to put off a vote for two weeks in the hopes of getting a better price.
The land, just east of Oak Grove Road, is assessed by the county for tax purposes at $393,000, a discrepancy that officials blame on state assessment rules.
Developer Rich Porter bought the property in 2008 for $1.4 million -- a gap that also drew criticism from some residents and officials.
“Who in this room seriously believes that land is worth a half million dollars more than it was in 2008, before the economy tanked,” Don Broussard, a former Planning Commission member and resident of the area, asked before the vote. “It should be green space, but we need to pay the right amount for it.”
Commissioner Jeff Rader said three independent appraisals value the land between $1.7 million and $2.3 million, so the asking price was closer to a lower outside appraisal.
He argued unsuccessfully for the purchase in his district, where there is little parkland, before the current option expires June 30. Commissioners Elaine Boyer and Kathie Gannon sided with him in dissent on the delay.
“We have to incur the expenses of contracting again. It will be an additional burden on the transaction,” Rader said of the delay. “And there is a great deal of support for this to become a park.”
It still may. Susan Hood, the county’s director of green space, said she will seek a contract extension from Porter and his company, Paulee Partners. She will also try to negotiate for a lower price on the tract.
The issue next returns to the commission July 12.
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