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McNall: Auction off 50 Main Street

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Wed, Aug 5th 2015 05:15 pm

Legislator urges returning commercial building to tax rolls

By Christian W. Peck

Public Information Officer

Niagara County Public Information Office

Niagara County Legislator Wm. Keith McNall, R-Lockport, said the county should move aggressively to return a downtown building, purchased by county government as part of a three-building sale in April, to the tax rolls and productive use.

The currently vacant building, located at 50 Main St., housed the Niagara County Community College Small Business Development Center until three years ago. McNall is proposing adding the property to the county's next in rem tax foreclosure auction, scheduled for Aug. 15 and managed by Auctions International.

Under terms of the deal to acquire the two other foreclosed properties from owner US Bank, the county was obligated to buy 50 Main St., as well. That purchase began in an online auction - and McNall said another auction would be a good vehicle for returning the building, this time being sold by itself and not as part of a package deal, to private-sector use.

McNall noted county government has no plans for the office space, which is located at the corner of Main and Pine streets, near several active commercial properties housing restaurants, jewelers, a real estate developer's offices and a strip mall.

"50 Main St., is a viable property in a favorable location for development," McNall said. "As this is excess office space that the county does not plan to utilize, every day we maintain ownership of it is a day it is not paying taxes; that it is not offering up space for job creation; that it is not serving as a home to people who want to build businesses here in Lockport. We need to remedy that, so I am calling on the county manager to have this property added to those that are being taken up at the auction."

The auction is set for 10 a.m. at Shawnee Fire Hall, 3747 Lockport Road, Sanborn, with registration at 8 a.m. Information on the auction is available at http://www.auctionsinternational.com/liveauctions.

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