Thursday, January 11, 2007 Older Editions

For sale soon: Town land

By Brian Messenger

Officials might soon be selling parcels of town-owned land.

Eleven parcels of land have been identified as potential new revenue sources by officials, and selectmen began discussing Monday how they'll go about preparing to sell five of them on the open market.

The parcels, most of which are less than an acre in size, were acquired by the town in recent years through tax foreclosures.

While some are landlocked by other properties and others contain wetlands, the town believes that buyers could build on several of the parcels. A few are expected to attract the interest of their abutters.

"It could be for a garden, a swimming pool, a shed. They could put on an addition," said Town Manager Buzz Stapczynski on Tuesday. "Basically, we want to put them back on the tax rolls and make them productive again."

The money gained from the sales could beef up the town's depleted "Free Cash" or emergency account. Alternatively, the money could be used to establish a fund for affordable housing, or future improvements and expansion of the town yard, said selectmen.

"There's no shortage of places to put money," said Stapczynski on Tuesday. "That was a good, healthy discussion we had with the board."

Increases in Andover's property tax base also would result from new building projects or additions on the land.

The five parcels considered for sale through a public auction process are at 2 Pepperidge Circle, 3 Dufton Court, 129 Summer St., and 3 and 5 Monahan Lane.

A warrant article at the 2007 Town Meeting will seek the transfer of tiny (.092 acre) 37 River St. to the Conservation Commission because it could provide Shawsheen River access.

A warrant article will also likely appear, according to Stapczynski, for the largest of the parcels, at 47 Tucker Road. At 7.95 acres, the town is hopeful it can sell that property on the border of North Andover and the Ward Reservation, for seven figures and eventually collect tens of thousands of dollars in property taxes a year if it is built on. However, Stapczynski acknowledged that developing this property could be controversial with neighbors.

The other properties potentially up for public auction range from less than a 10th of an acre to just over one acre in size. All together, the 11 identified parcels amount to $1.8 million in assessed value, a figure significantly lower than what they would likely collect at market rate.

"This presents a unique opportunity. Typically, everybody pays their taxes in Andover," said Stapczynski. "To have actual tax-title property is highly unusual."

Stapczynski said the properties were foreclosed on from builders who found the parcels to be undesirable.

Along with notifying any abutters about the properties they've selected, the town plans to run newspaper ads announcing their availability, assess each parcel and establish their fair-market values.

Andover's Community Development and Planning Department will draw up a process outlining what must be done before any of the properties are sold.

The otherparcels identified for consideration are 46 Tucker Road, 463 R South Main St., 9 Mulberry Circle, 10 Mulberry Circle and 8 Agawam Lane.

For the time being, the town will hold onto the two properties on Mulberry Circle and one on Agawam Lane.