Pictured is the property that The Lodge at Chautauqua Lake LLC is planning on trying to sell for $1.2 million. They offered to sell it to the village of Mayville and the town of Chautauqua for $640,000 but officials said that is too high.
Photo by Gregory Bacon
MAYVILLE — Saying the price is too steep, the town of Chautauqua is not interested in purchasing the property where the Chautauqua Lodge was to be constructed before the developers gave up on the project.
Last month, Councilman Tom Carlson introduced a motion to explore the purchase of 74 Water St., Mayville. The property is owned by The Lodge at Chautauqua Lake, LLC, a corporation involving members of the Webb family.
Carlson had Holt Appraisals do an appraisal of the property pro bono. Holt estimated the property value at between $190,000 to $228,000.
In August, Carlson declined to say what Holt’s appraisal was, but said the town and/or the village of Mayville should explore purchasing the property. Supervisor Don Emhardt said he had reservations about taking the property off the tax rolls but he was open to seeing what interest the Webb family had in selling it.
Ben Webb with The Lodge at Chautauqua Lake LLC responded in writing to the town, saying they are in negotiations with a listing agent to sell the property at $1.2 million.
He did say the corporation would be willing to take much less if the local municipalities would want to purchase it, but nowhere close to what Holt Appraisals was estimated the value at.
“Considering the potential purchaser being the Town of Chautauqua and or the Village of Mayville or any combination of the two, The Lodge at Chautauqua Lake is willing to sell Lot SBL 262.16-2-7 for $640,000, assuming a closing date on or before November 15, 2022,” he wrote.
Webb said that amount is what GAR and Associates valued the property at for Erie Bank when they first secured financing for the lodge.
To Carlson, that’s just too high.
“That seems a bit extreme and, at this point, I don’t see any sense in going any farther,” he said during this week’s town board meeting.
Councilman Scott Cummings said since the property is in the village of Mayville, village officials should take lead in any purchase.
“If the village of Mayville is interested, we should support them for that, but that’s up to them,” he said.
For several years, The Lodge at Chautauqua looked at constructing a condominium resort on that property. In March, the corporation announced they were abandoning the proposed 34-unit, $17 million development. At the time they said they were “exploring other uses for the property, including potential residential development.”
