The Woodland City Council plans to sell the city’s current Public Works building at 236 Davidson Ave. up for sale, nearly three years after it was purchased for municipal use.
At a Monday, Oct. 21 meeting, the council reviewed an appraisal from Kidder Mathews real estate, which valued the property at $460,000. Woodland Mayor Todd Dinehart acknowledged that, due to the city’s prior renovations to the building, the sale could result in a net loss.
“I’m going to call it like it is. It’s a loss … at the end of the day if we sell it because of the improvements,” Woodland Mayor Todd Dinehart said during the meeting.
The city bought the 2,050-square-foot building for $420,000 in October 2021 and renovated it, which included adding a kitchenette. Public Works Director Riley Bunnell noted that, while the exact cost of the renovations was not available at press time, the improvements were intended to better serve Public Works operations.
Ultimately, the council opted to wait to list the property for sale until after the Nov. 5 general election to reassess the sale based on the economic climate.
In anticipation of the building’s listing, Public Works staff will eventually return to City Hall at 230 Davidson Ave. Bunnell said having Public Works employees at City Hall will streamline customer service.
“We send a lot of customers back and forth for payment because we don’t receive payment at Public Works. It’s in the public’s interest just to have us under one building so if somebody comes in, we can handle everything in one place,” Bunnell said.
To make space at City Hall, city records will be moved to 700 Park St., the former library building that recently returned to city ownership after the opening of the new community library. Bunnell said this arrangement will increase work space at City Hall for Public Works staff.
The Ancient Artistry tattoo storefront occupies 700 square feet of the current Public Works building, with a lease at $850 per month through 2027. Bunnell said the building’s sale will not affect the tattoo parlor, which will continue operating for the duration of its lease.
Bunnell is optimistic that moving Public Works out of 236 Davidson Ave. could attract new businesses to downtown Woodland, which has struggled with vacant storefronts. Bunnell said it would benefit the city’s downtown area to host a new business while consolidating its Public Works division under the same building.
“If we can get another business to occupy this space, it’s in the benefit of the city to have more foot traffic downtown, possibly somebody to open up another shop here, something to really open up another space for somebody to occupy and really bring businesses downtown and bring the people downtown, so it’s kind of a win-win when you look at it from that factor. So we’re excited [for] the possibility of selling the building just to have that opportunity for another business to occupy the space and make something good out of it,” Bunnell said.
The City Council planned to revisit the matter at its regular meeting Nov. 18, scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Council Chambers, 200 E. Scott Ave.
