Dunlap Creek Village going to highest bidder
The former site of the Dunlap Creek Village public housing project in Redstone Township will soon be up for grabs to the highest bidder. The Fayette County Housing Authority voted Thursday to proceed with the sale of the property via public solicitation of bids for the 21-plus acre site.
The authority, per federal regulations for property disposition, also took action to submit a disposition application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to allow the sale.
The plan to dispose of the property has been discussed for months. The site’s 100 housing units were demolished in 2004.
Threshold Housing Development Inc. previously expressed an interest in the property to redevelop it into 40 single-family homes for low-income families. The company is currently developing an adjacent piece of property for the same purpose.
Although board member James V. Bitonti wanted to allow the authority to proceed by either negotiating with Threshold or public solicitation of bids, which were the two options, Executive Director Thomas Harkless said the authority had to pick a procedure, and could not chose both.
In a proposal presented to the authority by department head Andre Walters, the suggestion was to enter into negotiations with Threshold for the sale of the property. However, that motion never materialized because Chairwoman Angela M. Zimmerlink said she agreed with disposing of the property but said it should be done by public solicitation of bids instead of via negotiation of sale.
“I don’t want the Fayette County Housing Authority to be limited,” Zimmerlink explained.
Harkless said Threshold planned to use the property for “middle-income home ownership” and with public solicitation; the high bid would get it.
Solicitor John M. “Jack” Purcell previously said there are regulations for environmental issues and sale prices that the authority must follow in disposing of the property.
Board member Beverly Beal, who previously spoke out in favor of selling the property, said she agreed with Zimmerlink’s suggestion to solicit bids.
The motions were approved unanimously with Zimmerlink, Beal, Bitonti and William “Trip” Radcliffe voting in favor of them.
Board member Nancy Sutton was absent.