The City of Ocala is moving forward with the purchase of a $600,000 parcel of land in northwest Ocala that will become the site of a new fire station.
During their regular meeting on Tuesday, January 16, Ocala City Council members unanimously approved an agreement between the City of Ocala (buyer) and Armstrong Land, LLC (seller) for the purchase of a 7.8-acre parcel of land located behind the Dollar General store, just south of U.S. 27 and west of NW 44th Avenue.
Armstrong Land is associated with the nearby Heath Preserve single-family subdivision, which is located south of the property.
While the property was appraised at $612,000, the City of Ocala and Armstrong Land both agreed on a price of $600,000. Under the agreement, the City will pay $523,599 in cash with $76,401 in future fire impact credits for the Heath Preserve development.
Multiple parcels were analyzed for the new fire station, and city staff felt that the 7.8-acre site was best suited for it. The station will be constructed on the northern portion of the parcel, since this 3.6-acre area has been deemed “suitable for development.”
Once construction is completed, the new fire station will serve the Heath Preserve development to the south, as well as commercial properties to the east, properties to the north, properties located further to the east on the other side of Interstate 75, and properties developing off of NW 44th Avenue, according to city staff.
The Ocala City Council regularly meets at 4 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of each month at Ocala City Hall, which is located at 110 SE Watula Avenue.