Business park final plat approved; offer made on first lot

After years of discussions and planning, the Sidney City Council considered an offer on Tuesday night for the sale of the first lot in the city’s new business park.

The council entered an executive session for 20 minutes to consider the proposal from Longhorn Investments to purchase Lot 1A in the southwest corner of the park.

David Everston, Longhorn assistant manager, was at the meeting to discuss the offer. Before the council moved into executive, he said the initial offer of $250,000 was based on the preliminary plat that called for a 4.48-acre lot.

Earlier in the meeting, councilors approved the final plat for the first phase of the business park that would provide infrastructure and services to three lots. In the final plat, Lot 1A was set at 4.03 acres.

Because the lot was reduced by nearly half an acre, Everston asked that the final price reflect a similar reduction.

The appraised value of the 4.03-acre lot is $274,004; however, Everston said the appraisal was based on land not in Cheyenne County.

“There is not a good spot here to get a comparison for,” he said. “We thought this was fair.”

Returning from executive, Mayor Mark Nienhueser said the council would like to make a counter offer of $240,000 for the lot, based on its smaller size.

He added, while the property was being offered at below appraised value, first transactions in new developments always seem to get a preferred deal.

“The thoughts are, we do have an appraisal that makes it very difficult to go below the appraised value in disposing of the real estate, but I think we as a council, or I, I see there is value in great synergy of an initial tenet in our industrial park at the same time we’re building the infrastructure and while we’re investing $600,000 out there,” Nienhueser said.

Council members voted unanimously to pass the counteroffer.

Everston, a veterinarian himself, said the property would be used for veterinarian clinic.

While he lives and operates a similar facility in Laramie, Wyo., he said he grew up in Kimball.

He’s been looking to open a clinic in Sidney for a while, he added, but hasn’t been able to find a suitable property.

Council member Wendall Gaston asked Everston what the time frame was for construction.

“We’d like to be in by the first of October,” he said. “It seems pretty aggressive, but I’d like to do that before it gets cold.”

The facility will likely open with one veterinarian and five to six support staff members. Depending on how business goes, staffing could be increased after the first year.

The counter offer includes a provision that Longhorn can subdivide the lot once, which is a standard city ordinance.

Longhorn’s offer was supported by the Sidney Economic Development Advisory Committee.

Nienhueser said he was happy to be working with Everston and Longhorn.

“I can’t stress enough how pleased we are in your interest in our community,” he said. “We love to have you a part of the development.”