The city of Monona is now accepting bids on the commercial building located at 111 W. Center St., in downtown Monona.
The city took possession of the building this summer, after the building had been under nuisance abatement due to safety concerns. Cones have been placed on the sidewalk to protect pedestrians from potential falling bricks.
The owner was willing to sign the building over to the city at no cost.
At its Aug. 3 regular meeting, the city council approved advertising the building and the terms of an “Offer to Buy Real Estate and Acceptance Agreement” for the potential buyer(s), who will have to submit their plans for the property.
City manager Barb Collins previously noted the former owner had planned to renovate the building into a three-bedroom apartment upstairs, with access to the flat roof for an outdoor space. Below was to be commercial space.
While the city originally planned to deal with the bricks that led to the nuisance proceedings before selling the building, Collins said a prospective buyer indicated willingness to take care of the bricks if awarded the bid. With this information, the council agreed to offer the building as is, but stipulated the selected buyer must remedy the safety concerns within three months.
“The brick is the whole concern, so we would want that taken care of soon,” said council member Preston Landt.
The city will also remove asbestos—which was bagged and left in an upstairs apartment by the previous owner—from the building before the sale is complete.
Anyone who is interested in the property can pick up an “offer to purchase” form from city hall. Forms must be completed and submitted to city hall by 4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 14. The council will consider all offers at its Monday, Aug. 17 meeting, which begins at 6 p.m.
This isn’t the first time the city of Monona has pursued this course of action on a nuisance building. It also took over the building next door, at 115 W. Center St., and re-sold it. The buyers renovated the building and it is now home to The Lit House.
