The city of Merriam is on track to owning another piece of property at the city’s northern entrance.
On Monday, the Merriam City Council voted 7-0 to approve the $205,000 purchase of 5001 Merriam Drive. Councilmember Whitney Yadrich was absent.
This is the fifth downtown Merriam property purchase the city council has approved in the past year, and the $205,000 purchase brings the total spent on such properties in the past year to a little more than $1 million.
Merriam is “investigating” the intersection
- Built in 1920, the property at 5001 Merriam Drive is on the southwest corner of Merriam Drive and Antioch Road.
- This is the northern entrance to downtown Merriam, which continues south along Merriam Drive.
- City Administrator Chris Engel told the city council on Monday that the city is “investigating” the Merriam Drive and Antioch Road intersection through a capital improvement program project.
- Engel said the city “may not” reconfigure that intersection depending on the results of the engineering study.
- The city council approved the purchase with no questions or discussion.
This is the 5th purchase in the past year, totaling $1M
- Last November, the city council approved the purchase of two downtown Merriam properties: 5713 Kessler Lane and 5015 Merriam Drive, for about $250,000 and $180,000, respectively.
- In January, the city council approved the purchase of 5005 and 5017 Merriam Drive for a combined total of about $350,000, or $210,000 and $140,000, respectively, according to city documents.
- With the $205,000 purchase of 5001 Merriam Drive, the city has spent a little more than $1 million on downtown property purchases in the past year.
Properties purchased, demolished for future possibilities
- Earlier this year, the city council approved the demolition of all the buildings on the four separate properties along Kessler Lane and Merriam Drive.
- At the time of approval, the purchase and demolition of these properties was in connection with potential downtown redevelopment, according to city documents.
- Kessler Lane, which is near the former Irene B. French Community Center at 5701 Merriam Drive, is likely to be redeveloped in connection with redevelopment of the site of the former community center.
- The Merriam Drive properties are likely to be redeveloped along with the Merriam Drive and Antioch Road intersection improvements, as well as a potential gateway for the city.
- Still, specifics for any such redevelopments remain unknown at this time.
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