Smith family farm in Bluff Park auctions for $3.1 million
The 34-acre Smith family farm in Bluff Park sold at auction Wednesday for $3.1 million.
The “Smith family compound,” as it was called on the auction company’s website, was divided into eight parcels. The highest bids totaled $2,835,000, but a 10% buyers' premium raised the total selling price to $3,118,000, according to the auction company.
David Hare, the owner of the Bluff Park Ice Cream Shoppe, bought two of the parcels considered the most scenic by many people in the community. They cover 8.6 acres and contain a barn that has been used to house antique cars, two houses, a pond, and a grassy meadow surrounded by a white picket fence.
Hare said he intends to preserve the property to keep it somewhat in its current picturesque state, but he and his wife have not yet formulated exact plans.
The rest of the Smith property — six parcels covering 25.24 acres — was bought by a developer who indicated he plans to sell the land for development of a new subdivision, said Jessica Daviston, who was Hare’s Realtor.
Efforts to obtain that developer’s name were unsuccessful, as were efforts to determine the breakdown of the purchase price between the two buyers. Parcels 1 and 2, which Hare bought, required a minimum bid of $454,000 together, according to auction materials. No minimum bid was listed for parcels 3-8.
Auctioneer Jack Granger of Granger, Thagard & Associates said his company does not disclose buyers' names.
Daviston said Hare’s purchase of the 8.6 acres is considered a win for the Bluff Park community because of his intentions to preserve the site, which is off Sanders Road and Savoy Street. “Those are the pretty parcels,” Daviston said.
Also, overall, “people really didn’t want to see a lot of development because of school overcrowding,” Daviston said. “They won’t have any mass development on that property (purchased by Hare).”
Hare said he and his wife have lived in Hoover since 1993 and have no plans to move from their current residence in Trace Crossings. However, he owns four houses in the area around the Smith farm and hated the idea of seeing that scenic view destroyed, he said.
“I’ve always enjoyed driving by that property,” Hare said. “It’s so neat and nice-looking. It’s always been an attraction to me.”
He’s not completely sure what he will do with the property, but “I want something that’s going to complement the community and neighborhood — something for everybody,” said Hare, who opened the Bluff Park Ice Cream Shoppe three years ago after he retired.
“I’ve invested a great deal in this community. I want to see it thrive. I want to see it do well and continue to be the special united community we have,” he said.
Hare said Wednesday night he was still trying to process the results of the auction.
“I’ve got to digest it and put a lot of prayerful thought into really what I want to do with it,” he said. “My wife and I have got to think through this and pray about it and try to make some good decisions for the use of it.”
Hoover City Administrator Allan Rice said the city had been very interested in purchasing at least part of the Smith farm due to intense interest in the community in preserving the site. But the property owner would not take offers for only a portion of the land prior to the auction, so the city tried buying the entire property before it went to auction, Rice said.
Mayor Frank Brocato said the city made three separate offers for the 34-acre property, only to be refused each time without any counteroffers.
Rice said he was encouraged to hear that Hare wants to preserve the property and said city officials want to talk with him about potential uses. The land possibly could be used as a passive park or public gathering spot, he said.
City Council President Gene Smith, who is not related to the Smith family that auctioned the property, said the city might be interested in either leasing or purchasing some or all of the property from Hare.
“We’d like to figure out what his plans are for it and see if there is any way we could work together,” Smith said.
The council president said he was amazed at the high bids totaling $2.835,000 because when the city had the 34 acres appraised, the entire property was valued at $2.1 million.
“The bids were going up so high, so fast that it just blew my mind,” Smith said.
He doesn’t see how anyone could recoup that amount of investment there, he said.
All the land is zoned for either agricultural use, an R-1 single-family residential district or E-1 single-family estate district, according to information provided by Granger Thagard.
An R-1 district requires lots of at least 15,000 square feet and houses that are at least 1,900 square feet with at least 1,000 square feet on the first floor.
An E-1 district requires lots of at least 1 acre and houses that are at least 2,800 square feet with at least 1,800 square feet on the first floor.
If the developer who bought 25 acres expects to build anything other than R-1 homes, “it’s going to be a long conversation, especially going into an election year,” Smith said.
People in Bluff Park are concerned about schools getting overcrowded, he said. “Adding 45 to 55 houses — that would be a pretty good burden on Simmons (Middle School) and Bluff Park Elementary and eventually the high school,” Smith said.
He hopes it is not too long before the developer approaches the city to let officials know of his intentions, he said.
This article was updated at 3:45 p.m. with a revised total selling price of $3,118,000, which includes the 10 percent buyers' premium.