Waterfront property for sale

For $337,500 the former Kirsch property on North First Street across from Swinomish Yacht Club can be yours. The Town-owned property went on the market Friday.

Public access to the water is no longer an issue, Mayor Ramon Hayes stressed Friday in a phone interview. “Now we have a tremendous amount of access for our citizens,” he said, citing the pocket park immediately north of that lot, the Conner Waterfront Park and, most prominently, the boardwalk running the length of South First Street.

Eron Berg, mayor in 2001, agreed. He recalled “a strong interest on Council. The feeling was that growth was imminent and the opportunity for water access was not going to be long for the world.” Reached by phone, Berg, now city supervisor for Sedro-Woolley, remembered “the feeling was that we were acquiring an access point that would ensure engagement between the community and the waterfront. Generally, it was a positive looking forward plan for the future.” He called the town’s boardwalk “just a dream at that point.”

Dick Nord, with Windemere Windermere’s Skagit Valley Commercial, is the broker. He already has an inquiry from an attorney looking to live above his office, he said Sunday.

He termed the property “extremely desirable and unique. It is an interesting set of circumstance. It will be a brand new building and there have been very few brand new buildings on the waterfront in La Conner,” he said. “The buildings on the water are a century and more years old. This provides an opportunity to have new construction on the water.”

He had no guess on how long until the property sells, noting it will require the right person, with the patience to wade through the long process of design and permitting after the purchase.

He called La Conner an additional selling point: “People that end up here love it.”

Nord is advising potential buyers to start with a conversation with Town Administrator Scott Thomas.

Windemere is promoting the property through major commercial brokerage outlets and associations.

The Town bought the property as two lots for $350,000 in 2001 from Gregory Kirsch, president of Channel Marine. One lot was then sold to Mit and Maureen Harlan for $120,000.

The Skagit County Assessor listed the total market value at $240,000 in 2018 and the sale price at $350,000.

While selling the property was discussed, it has not been the focus of the Town Council’s last three executive sessions on real estate.

Hayes is “advocating that any money [from the purchase] be tucked away,” he said. Applying it to the ring dike northeast of the roundabout is his preference.