For Sale: Renovo’s Mills Park
RENOVO—Tuesday, Oct. 31 is the deadline to submit a bid to purchase the Clinton County Housing Authority’s Mills Park housing complex along Huron Avenue in Renovo.
The authority earlier this year proceeded with plans to put the 27 units up for sale, citing Renovo vacancy rates higher than allowed by HUD (The Department of Housing and Urban Development).
As of earlier this week authority executive director Jeff Rich said no bids were in hand; he said there have been more than 20 inquiries and he expects two. He said if only one bid is received and it is determined to be “reasonable,” it can be accepted. Rich noted there is a minimum $660,000 fair market value price. He said all bids could be rejected by the authority board if that threshold is not met; in that case the local authority would re-advertise shortly after the new year.
Rich said the authority will open all bids received at 3 p.m. on Oct. 31 and the board will review them at its Nov. 21 meeting.
Meanwhile, Rich said, his agency continues to relocate tenants to other units in Renovo and Lock Haven and expects the moves to be completed by the end of this year.
Therecord-online has talked to one mid-state financial consultant who said there is a group with an interest in purchase; if their effort is successful, he said, the units would be made available for rental to the hundreds of workers who would descend on Renovo later next year if and when the planned Renovo Energy Center natural gas-to-electricity plant gets a final go-ahead and construction begins.
Approval for the Mills Park sale had been received earlier this year from HUD’s Special Applications Center in Chicago. The authority received the go-ahead in May to dispose of nine buildings housing the 27 units and surrounding land. The Mills Park area includes the units on 13th and 14th Streets, St. Clair Avenue and Huron Avenue. Rich said the John Simon Community Center is not part of the disposition.
The federal approval follows a nearly three year effort to sell off the units; the actual application seeking HUD approval was filed more than a year ago. Rich said a benefit to Renovo borough is the property will be returned to the tax rolls once the sale to a private owner is complete.
