Danville Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. says that he has heard from a person who is interested in buying the old Jiffy Lube lot at the northwest corner of Fairchild and Vermilion streets.
Williams made the comments to the city’s public works committee, which also advanced a proposal from the city Tuesday night to buy a house just north of the property, where the law firm of Ostling and Associates was formerly located. The address is 916 N. Vermilion St. Williams says the property has been dilapidated for some time. The proposed $17,000 purchase also includes an empty lot north of the building.
City Engineer Sam Cole said that the city has invested at least $400,000 into property at the intersection, which it hopes can be sold off for more development in the future, as it is one of the main intersections in the city.
Mayor Williams says the 1.4-acre site does have a covenant built into one of the lots with CVS Pharmacy that is designed to prevent any competitor such as Walgreen’s from building at the site. CVS is located across Fairchild Street to the south of the city-owned property.
City officials demolished the former car repair business located at the site a few months ago. The city also now owns the former First Farmers Bank branch at the southeast corner of the intersection.
The proposed purchase will be considered by the full city council next Tuesday.
