A string of recent tough decisions and moral dilemmas in the sale of city-owned properties have left some questioning if it’s time to reevaluate the process. Members of the Lakeland Community Redevelopment Agency’s advisory board asked city officials Thursday for suggestions on how to make the sale of city-owned land more transparent and consistent. The request came three days after the city agreed to donate two Vermont Avenue lots to nonprofit Talbot House Ministries, instead of selling it for a profit. “We did get into a bit of a sticky situation there,” Brandon Eady, a CRA advisory board member, said. “I’d like to have a conversation with the board and have us make a decision on how to dispose of properties going forward.” The CRA advisory board heard a presentation from Brenda Reddout, executive director of Talbot House, in April requesting the city donate 912 and 920 N. Vermont Avenue to her nonprofit organization to create workforce and disabled housing. The board voted unanimously in favor of donating the land to Talbot House. It was valued at more than $160,000. After agreeing to support the nonprofit organization’s vision, it published a legal notice that the city intended to sell the land. Lakeland-based developer Premier Housing Investment then made an offer to buy the properties for $240,000, roughly $80,000 more than its appraised value, for veterans housing. Lakeland commissioners chose to donate the land to Talbot House and give up the potential sale. Some expressed at the May 3 public hearing that the city had already backed Reddout and her nonprofit’s plan for the affordable housing, with the organization having raised more than $350,000 to fund the project.
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