ESSEX — The town of Essex will auction off this month four Southern Avenue properties formerly owned by the estate of William Allen.
The auction is scheduled for noon Thursday, Oct. 24, at noon at Town Hall, 30 Martin St. Bidder registration will be held before the event, from 11:30 a.m. to noon.
Zekos Group Auctioneers of Shrewsbury will conduct the auction.
The properties represent four contiguous land parcels from 5-10 Southern Ave., adjacent to Eastern Avenue and Main Street in Essex. The offering stipulates the four parcels will be sold together and make up nearly 1 acre.
“The site offers extensive frontage, public water and sewer and is ideally located for a multitude of uses near the intersection of Main Street and Eastern Avenue,” reads the listing on the Zekos Group website.
“The parcels are improved with a single-family home, what appears to be a mixed-use dwelling and a barn-style warehouse, all in disrepair.”
Essex is involved in the sale because of the years of taxes that were not paid, Town Administrator Brendhan Zubricki said.
“The town got the properties through a tax taking since the estate of William Allen was in arrears for many years on property taxes,” Zubricki said. “It is a very complex and lengthy process and it has taken years to get to the auction stage with the Allen property.
“The town will receive the proceeds of the auction and the property will hopefully be redeveloped to eliminate a blighted area. Also, the new owner will hopefully pay taxes on a regular basis and improve the property which will actually increase overall taxation in the town as new growth.”
Regarding the anticipated earnings to be made by Essex from the auction, Zubricki said that “remains to be seen on auction day.”
Participation in the auction includes making a $10,000 certified bank check deposit, with an additional $10,000 deposit required from the high bidder within 24 hours. Checks are payable to the “Town of Essex.”
The bidding process requires a 30-day closing period, according to the Zekos Group website.
The properties to be auctioned are parcel 136-113.1, 136-113, 136-112 and 136-111. According to Patriot Properties Inc., the appraisal value for three of the parcels range from $361,500 to $389,800
The three largest parcels to be auctioned are located in the town’s Mixed-Use Zoning District, which permits commercial and residential uses, according to the listing.
“(This is) an excellent development opportunity for (an) investor or builder,” the website reads.
According to Allen’s obituary in the Times, the Essex native died May 11, 2015, in Gloucester after a long battle with melanoma.
He was born in Essex in 1929 at the family farm on Choate Street. He started Bill’s Trucking Co. on Southern Avenue and worked and lived there until he died in 2015.
Allen, the son of the late James G. and Edith (Perkins) Allen, left 11 children, along with many nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was the last surviving member of his siblings, which included George, John, Frank, Arthur “Al” and a sister, Jean (Jenkins).
Stephen Hagan may be contacted at 978-675-2708, or shagan@gloucestertimes.com.