Waitsburg City Hall under contract…again

WAITSBURG — Mayor Marty Dunn called a special meeting of the Waitsburg City Council for March 6, 2025. The purpose of the meeting was to review and vote on three bids submitted for the purchase of the old city hall building at 147 Main Street.

The council accepted the bid from Delbert and Cindy Steinhorst, past Waitsburg residents f who made an offer of $150,000. The offer is for the city hall building and a second vacant lot property on 6th Street the city has for sale. The second property is an oddly shaped, 1.15-acre lot on East 6th Street. The city had the property assessed by Associated Appraisers of Walla Walla and was valued at $25,000.

The contract put the feasibility contingency date as March 15, 2025, and a relatively quick closing date of April 1, 2025.

Steinhorsts described their proposed use for the building and lot in a letter to the council, which was submitted with the bid. The upstairs of the building will be their residence as they plan on selling their Walla Walla home. They stated they had no issue with the easement to the Hubbard Law Office building.

Downstairs, they plan on creating a vendor space for local craftsmen and artists. They mentioned Tikiz Wine Designs and Langdon Farms as possible tenants.

The couple will use the second property to build a shop and for boat and RV storage.

The Steinhorst offer was one of three presented to the council at the special meeting. The first offer discussed was $125,000 from two investors from Walla Walla.

The third offer was from a Spokane resident who offered $105,000 but with an escalator clause that would raise the offer to $1,000 over competing offers. The bid went up to $126,000 but was capped below the winning bid of $150,000.

The city put the building on the market after relocating the city hall to 106 Main Street in 2021. The council has accepted a series of offers. However, potential buyers have backed out due to concerns over the easement, the building’s condition, and personal reasons.