Lewes approves sale of one Burton Avenue parcel

A Burton Avenue parcel in Lewes owned by the city has been approved to be sold for $399,000. Lewes Mayor and City council authorized the sale at the panel’s June 10 meeting. Richard and Patricia Lesher will pay cash for the 7,899-square-foot lot.

The couple is buying parcel C, which is on the end of the three-lot site. Lots A and B, which are immediately adjacent, have not yet been sold. All lots are the same size– 52 feet by 150 feet.

An electrical substation the city owned occupied portions the site from 1967 until 2005.

The substation contained PCB, an electrical insulator and coolant listed as a toxic and hazardous substance. The city tested soil from the lots and found no detectable concentrations of any environmentally toxic materials.

In December, Lewes Board of Public Works loaned the city $2.15 million to buy land for the new Lewes Public Library. The city agreed to use money from Burton Avenue lot sales as payments on the BPW loan.

The agreement requires the city to repay the loan in 24-months, including interest the money would have accrued.