West Nipissing council is treading carefully as it considers an offer to sell prime land in downtown Verner.
The municipality owns the lot which is 66 by 132 feet in size.
It doesn’t mind selling it but it wants to know that something will be built at the downtown site.
The land is at Principale and Paquette Streets and sits next to the Caisse Populaire Alliance.
The best staff was able to tell council is the willing buyer is considering a multi-residential building with two to four apartments for seniors.
However, that’s not a certainty and council directed staff to come back with more information before it lets the land go.
Mayor Joanne Savage says there was an offer earlier in time to turn the site into a parking lot.
However, Savage says parking lots can be built almost anywhere and the council of the day passed on the offer preferring instead a business venture.
She says business ventures create jobs and generate more taxes for the municipality.
The majority of council prefers seeing the land declared surplus so it can be sold in the future.
However, Councillor Dan Roveda says what he doesn’t want to see is the buyer picking up the property for $22,500 only to sit on it for 10 years and then selling it for a higher price.
Councillor Jeremy Seguin told his colleagues during the debate there was third party interest also for the site from an individual who wants to work with the municipality and turn the land into a garden type setting.