Several parcels of land owned by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be going on the auction block on October 21 at the DNR’s St. Paul office.
Two parcels to be auctioned are located on Pine Mountain Road, about a quarter mile from the intersection with Devil Track Road in Grand Marais. The Pine Mountain Road runs between the two parcels, which will be sold as 22.13 acre and 21.89 acre lots. TheDNR said the land would be suitable for one or two cabins. Cook County Land Commissioner Mary Black said the estimated market value of the 44 acres is $112,000. The minimum bid for the 22.13-acre parcel is $91,800. The minimum bid for the 21.89-acre property is $90,900.
The second parcel to be auctioned is in Hovland, on Lost Lake Road. The DNR describes it as slightly sloped, with Mons Creek running through it. Thisparcel is 40 acres. Theminimum bid is $102,850.
The land to be auctioned is surrounded by private property.
The DNR website explains that before the DNR decides to sell land, it determines that the land is no longer needed for natural resource management purposes. There are a variety of reasons for this determination. Tracts may be identified by staff as not being utilized for natural resource purposes due to having no public access. Some of the parcels have been sites for state offices that have closed. On occasion, the sale is to resolve an inadvertent trespass on state lands. Sometimes the department will have acquired land from a willing seller for a particular use, and the seller was only willing to sell all that they owned and a portion of the acquired property is not needed for the natural resource management purpose. A few parcels of lakeshore property have been sold in recent years to place some property back on the tax rolls after the state has acquired other private lands in that county. Although not as common, a tract is sometimes offered for sale after an inquiry from the public generates a review of whether the tract could be offered for sale.
The auction will take place on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at the MN DNR office at 500 Lafayette Road in St. Paul, MN. Registration for the auction begins at 9:45 a.m., with the auction starting at 10:00 a.m. Interested parties can obtain property data sheets from the DNR by calling toll-free (888) MINNDNR or by e-mailing landsale@dnr.state.mn.us.
According to the DNR public notice, bidding starts with a minimum bid, which is the appraised value plus sale costs. The successful bidder must pay 10% of the bid amount at the time of the auction. The balance of the purchase price must be paid within 90 days from the date of the auction.
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