Spokane Municipal Code

Title 12 Public Ways and Property

Chapter 12.10 Disposition of Surplus Real Property

Section 12.10.030 Real Estate Review Committee; Report.

1. Upon determining that no City department is using, or will use, an identified parcel of land within a reasonable timeframe, the Real Estate Review Committee (“RERC”) shall review the subject property and prepare a written recommendation to the Mayor as to whether a particular parcel should be declared surplus and, if so, the method of disposition. The RERC shall meet on an as-needed basis, and shall include the following members or their designees:

1. 1. Facilities Management Director,

2. City Administrator,
    
3. Chief Financial Officer,

4. City Attorney,
    
5. City Department or Division Head most directly affected by the surplus and disposition, if applicable,
    
6. The two City Council Members who represent the district where the subject property is located, and
    
7. Director of Neighborhood Services
    
8. The RERC report shall include at least the following information regarding the subject property:
    
   1. A description of subject parcel’s size, zoning, existing improvements, condition of improvements, ingress/egress, neighborhood planning, environmental condition (findings of environmental reports), and other salient observations.
       
   2. A description of the acquisition and development history of property, including when was the property originally acquired by the City, the source of funds for acquisition, the source of funds for subsequent improvements, how the property is currently used or was used most recently, and the City department(s) involved, etc.
       
   3. A written comment from the City’s Community, Housing, and Human Services (“CHHS”) Department as to whether the property is suitable for affordable housing development, including a description of the factors supporting the conclusions contained in the written comment. Such factors shall include, without limitation, location, approximate lot size, proximity to services, and access to transit.

1. 4. The report should identify the City department or fund (e.g., revenue, general, special) which is most logically and/or economically linked to the property. In addition, the report should address the repayment of bonds, grants, or other financing instruments used to acquire the property or which have used the property as security.

1. 5. Before a recommendation for surplus and disposition is made, the RERC shall announce to all City departments and the City Council that the subject property is being evaluated for surplus. If a City department expresses interest in using the property, that department must present a written explanation to the RERC, for inclusion in its recommendation report, of the interested department’s interest, its intended use, timeline, and operational and financial rationale for maintaining City ownership of the property for use by the interested department.

1. 6. The RERC’s report must describe the efforts made by the RERC to obtain input from and consultation with elected officials, City staff, neighborhood councils, and other groups that may have developed ideas on re-purposing the subject property in alignment with City strategic goals.

1. 7. The RERC report must also include an estimate of the subject property’s market value. This can be accomplished by the use of a Member of Appraisal Institute (“MAI”) /state certified appraisal, tax assessment, market comparables, and/or a City staff opinion of market value.

1. 8. The RERC report should include any recommended covenants, conditions, or restrictions that the City should place on the subject property before disposed. Examples include access easements, air rights for adjacent property owners, purchase option or right of first refusal for City to reacquire property at a future date, among others.

1. 9. The RERC report should recommend the preferred disposition method from among those listed in SMC 12.10.040. The methods are not mutually exclusive and some properties may require a mixture of the methods.

Date Passed: Monday, October 15, 2018

Effective Date: Wednesday, November 28, 2018

ORD C35680 Section 2