At the Sept. 26, 2025 meeting of the Mount Vernon Real Estate Committee, multiple prospective buyers and property representatives urged the committee for clarity on long-pending offers for city-owned parcels, and the committee voted to enter an executive session to review bids with legal counsel.

Anthony Casasci, representing Kimball Property Development and speaking about 52 Mercera, said his client remains interested and had increased its sale offer to $200,000 and provided proof of funds. “We were in contract for this property since December 2017,” Casasci said and asked the committee to confirm the city’s seriousness and provide a timeframe for closing. He also asked for acknowledgment that the city had received his client’s $45,000 down payment.

Other commenters asked for status updates on individual properties: George Rivera inquired about 7 Seventh Avenue and 331 South Second Avenue; an online commenter identified as Miss Brazier and Glenn Collier followed up on 234 East Fifth Street; a speaker identified as Dario said he and partners had submitted federal offers and letters of interest for a group of properties; another attendee raised questions about 328 Fourth Avenue; and Victoria Leonardo spoke about 529 East Third Street and described the multigenerational family business, Leonardo Printing Corporation, and asked about the status of an offer she submitted.

Committee members and staff described a long and interrupted process. The chair explained that the committee had to verify legal and tax information before moving forward and that the City Charter gives the council authority over sales. Staff said the controller’s office had done a heavy lift to reconcile tax and upset-bid information, and that the committee’s role is to recommend sales to the City Council rather than execute them directly.

To allow a detailed legal review of the current offers and to identify which submissions are viable, a committee member proposed entering an executive session “to go through the offers,” and another member seconded the proposal. The committee then voted to enter the executive session to review the bids with the city’s legal counsel. The motion was seconded and the chair called the roll; members recorded aye votes and the executive session was authorized.

What comes next: Committee staff said they will review respondents who confirmed continued interest and up-to-date proof of funds, identify top bidders for each property and then recommend sales to City Council. The chair said properties not included in the committee’s initial “phase 1” review will proceed to the auction list. No final sales were approved at the meeting; the committee’s next public action will be its recommendation to the City Council or the scheduling of auctions for properties the committee deems appropriate.

The public-comment portion of the meeting included roughly a dozen speakers and online participants who raised questions about timelines and documentation; several speakers said they have been pursuing transactions for years. After the public comments and staff discussion, the committee moved into executive session for legal consultation and bid review.