Two weeks after rejecting a $23 million price tag for the Williams Reserve property, Collier County commissioners unanimously agreed to move forward May 28 when the seller accepted its $20.77 million offer.
It’s the average of two independent appraisals for the roughly 2,247-acre LSI Companies Inc.-listed property near Immokalee and Lake Trafford. The largest parcel, 1,410 acres, will be purchased using $11.98 million in Conservation Collier funds, and another 250 acres will be used for parks, including one named after the seller, James E. Williams Jr. Preserve, for at least 20 years. Another 412 acres will be dedicated to affordable, workforce housing.
Commissioner Rick LoCastro thanked fellow commissioners for sticking with the appraisal prices, explaining that when they acquire environmentally sensitive property, they need to “manage it like a business and not waste taxpayer dollars.”
“In some cases, we’ve gotten less than the appraisal price, which has freed up money for other parcels, so good job by the staff,” LoCastro said before the vote. “And we thank the seller for not being greedy and working with the county.”
“… It’s a big chunk of money and we’ve had serious conversations over this parcel and many others,” he added. “But I’ll never vote for anything over the appraisal price because I think that’s a dangerous trend—unless it was some sort of extremely unique situation.”
Collier County has tightened its budget this past year and is following a zero-based budget.
The property will be split into several other uses, with 150 acres going toward roads projects, 5 acres for a co-location of the Immokalee Fire & Rescue District station and 20 acres for stormwater uses, according to initial plans.
The Parks Impact Fee Fund will pay $1.8 million, while $5.95 million for affordable, workforce housing will come from infrastructure sales surtax funds, and a county housing fund will pay $1.1 million for affordable housing.
Staff had cited concerns over contamination from cattle, agricultural uses and a septic tank, and recommended soil and groundwater testing, which is required for residential and commercial uses. The county was given 90 days for environmental testing, with an additional 90 days if needed. The latest closing date would be Aug. 30, or 15 days past the inspection. The land also is within panther habitats and is home to other listed environmental species, so the county will work with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
In addition to the purchase and testing costs, land dedicated to Conservation Collier will require $1 million in annual maintenance for the restoration of the slough. Environmental and remediation costs are uncertain, but the county can terminate the purchase agreement for environmental reasons.
Commissioner Bill McDaniel Jr., who had warned commissioners May 14 that they could lose the property, noted that there are extraordinary circumstances that go on with this acquisition, including environmental concerns, housing, field space, rights of way, that prompted him to want to pay $23 million.
“Nonetheless, hooray for this,” McDaniel said before making the motion for purchase. “This is an amazing opportunity for our community to take advantage of.”
