The Kenai Peninsula Borough will soon auction off 28 small parcels of land across the peninsula, after the Borough Assembly approved the auction Tuesday night.
The parcel list includes substandard properties, almost all smaller than an acre, in Nikiski, Kenai, Sterling, Seward, Anchor Point, Ninilchik, Seldovia, and Cooper Landing. Many were bought by the borough for projects but are no longer needed, or were acquired in tax foreclosures.
Borough Land Agent Aaron Hughes told the assembly’s Lands Committee that in August 2023, the borough planned a smaller substandard lot auction only open to landowners of adjacent properties, which was not well-received.
“So this offering has been reformatted to provide expanded opportunities for similar properties for all interested parties, so all the public,” Hughes said. “It’s also incorporated a broader mix of properties from across the borough to generate more interest and support varying interests from across the borough.”
On Tuesday, the assembly heard and testimony from owners of properties adjacent to lots on the auction list, who commented on the viability of those lots for auction, or the chosen structure of the sale. But the assembly passed the ordinance in its original form, in an 8-1 vote.
Each property has a minimum bid, which ranges from $1,000 to $100,000. The auction will begin with a public outcry on May 11 at Soldotna High School, and any unsold properties will be part of an online auction beginning Aug. 12.
You can find the full list of properties on the borough's website.
