Festus officials recently purchased a property next to the City Hall and Police Station building, 711 W. Main St., and plan to demolish the house on the property and turn it into a parking lot, City Administrator Greg Camp said.
He said the city paid $169,000 for the property at 657 W. Main St.
The City Council voted unanimously Feb. 26 to buy the property and closed on the deal on March 26, Camp said.
“The home had been repossessed – we closed with a firm called Reo Xpress,” Camp said. “The lot is .72 acres. We are presently seeking bids for demolition.”
He said city officials acted on an opportunity to buy the property in order to expand the parking area for the City Hall and Police Station.
“As the city continues to grow, the need for the Police Department and City Hall to grow continues,” Camp said. “We felt this was a good opportunity.”
He said it is not yet known how many spaces the new parking lot will provide.
“There are no design plans for the lot or number of spaces,” he said.
Whether the property will only be used for parking is to be determined, Camp added.
“At this time, it is only intended for parking,” he said.