The town of Greenburgh will auction off Frank”™s Nursery on Nov. 13, selling the foreclosed 7-acre vacant property at Dobbs Ferry Road after several years of controversy.
The Greenburgh Town Board approved the auction day at its Tuesday meeting, after facing criticism from a local civic group for opening the auction to potential buyers that might ask to rezone the property. The town government initially approved a resolution saying it intended to sell the property only to a buyer who would maintain the property”™s existing residential zoning, which also allows for assisted living facilities.
Town Supervisor Paul Feiner, a Democrat, said the town rescinded that resolution on legal advisement, but members of the Edgemont Community Council said that move opened up the potential for large-scale retail development in the area.
The auction will be handled by GA Keen Realty Advisors L.L.C., which will earn as much as 5 percent of the gross proceeds from the sale of the property. The decision to auction off Frank”™s Nursery came after on-again, off-again negotiations with two companies looking to buy the property.
The town agreed in May 2013 to sell the land to Game On 365 L.L.C. for $1.7 million, with another $1.3 million to be paid over 13 years. The deal drew community opposition, with critics saying the phrasing of the deal didn”™t properly ensure payment of the $1.3 million. Some residents said the town should have accepted an offer from Ardsley-based House of Sports, a competitor of Game On that had jumped in with a $3.5 million cash offer for the property “as is.”
A month after announcing the deal with Game On, town officials offered the property to House of Sports instead, which led to each company threatening to sue the town if Greenburgh sold the property to its competitor.
Feiner said he expected the starting bid for the property would be $3.5 million.
