ROCKLAND, Maine — The City Council will consider putting both its City Hall property and the adjacent public works garage up for sale for an undisclosed development.
The council held a closed-door meeting for an hour Monday night on an economic development matter and declined to answer questions about it. The council also held a closed-door meeting in September 2013 about potential development value of the City Hall property, which is located off Route 1 near the Thomaston townline.
The council has scheduled a meeting for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall to consider a proposal to solicit bids for the two adjacent properties on Pleasant Street.
“Premature disclosure of information pertaining to the developer, and their development proposition, would damage the bargaining position of the city,” City Manager James Chaousis said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.
He said details pertaining to the project would likely be disclosed in early May and prior to final award of any purchase and sale agreement.
The two properties total about 18 acres.
In November 2013, then Community Development Director John Holden said Rockland, in general, has limited areas for future commercial development. One area where there is potential for development is the west side of the city near the Thomaston line where City Hall and public works are located, Holden concluded.
Rockland bought the City Hall property in 1995 from the Camden-Rockland Water Company and renovated the office building into municipal offices and a council meeting room.
The city has owned the public works property since 1962. City officials have tried on multiple occasions to get voter approval for a new public works garage without success. The most recent rejection came in November 2011 when residents voted 895-881 against borrowing $2.9 million. The city had discussed building a new garage on city owned land near the solid waste facilities.
“The city has an obligation to a fair and impartial consideration of other unknown interested parties while considering this development proposal. Therefore, the process to solicit bids will be quick, clear, and awarded to the highest and best bidder,” Chaousis said in his written statement Tuesday.
The City Council will retain the discretion to discard any and all bids, he said.