Mannford buys 90 lots to sell for subdivision plan
BY SUSAN HYLTON World Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
10/16/12 at 6:07 AM
MANNFORD - Many people expected an exodus from the Mannford area when wildfires burned hundreds of area people out of their homes in August.
But "it just hasn't happened," said Town Administrator Mike Nunneley.
If anything, he said, the town of 3,076 residents could see a boost in the number of people moving into the city limits.
In a unanimous vote last week, Mannford's Board of Trustees signed off on a $315,000 purchase of 90 lots - at $3,500 per lot - in the Lake Country subdivision.
The subdivision already has about 100 houses valued at roughly $100,000 to $175,000 and a separate section of manufactured homes.
"It was a gated subdivision in the '80s. Then the developer went under," Nunneley said.
New construction in the subdivision has been sluggish at best. It was annexed into the city limits about 10 years ago.
The lots previously sold for $7,000 or more, Nunneley said, adding that the town will sell them to individuals and builders in the $5,000 to $5,500 range.
Nunneley said the price was reduced because the lots will be purchased in a bundle from Charles Jennemann of Tulsa, who has held the property as a receiver for more than a decade after a bankruptcy.
"We'll sell the lots to builders or individuals. There's going to be new homes built. People from the country will be moving in," Nunneley said.
"Anyone who is interested - a developer or individual - can contact City Hall," he said.
Roads are already in place, with curbs and storm-sewer gutters, and electric lines are underground.
Nunneley said the city doesn't stand to profit much, if at all, from the deal.
There are legal costs involved and costs associated with cleaning up the lots. Some of them are wooded, and trees will be cleared.
Any income will be put into repaving the roads, Nunneley said.
"This will also allow us to maintain and keep the lots cleaner," he said.
"We have the personnel to do it. It will be a better living environment for the people out there."
Nunneley said the city was already negotiating to buy the lots before the fires because of the growth that is expected about a mile away at the Harbor Marina at CrossTimbers, where construction is under way.
Mannford has teamed with Tulsa developer Ron Howell and the Army Corps of Engineers to build the Harbor Marina at CrossTimbers, the first new marina at Keystone Lake since 1975.
Ground was broken in March at the site along Basin Road, a half-mile north of Oklahoma 51.
Howell has said the project will include cottages, 450 boat slips and the largest floating marine store-restaurant in the state.
The trustees authorized Mayor Johnnie Bozarth to sign the closing documents on the lots, with City Attorney David Weatherford assisting on title issues.
Officials hope to close on 54 lots in the next two weeks and the remaining 36 lots in January.
Nunneley said marina officials are happy about the plan.
"They're real excited because there's no place to build real close," he said. "They hope this will spur some lake home-type activity."
Mannford Public Schools Superintendent Steve Waldvogel said enrollment, which typically is flat, is actually up by seven students this year, despite the fires.
The prekindergarten-through-12th-grade school has about 1,500 students.
"It's remarkable that most of them are still living within the school district," he said.
Original Print Headline: Mannford buys 90 lots to sell for subdivision plan
Susan Hylton 918-581-8381
susan.hylton@tulsaworld.com
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