West Palm not ready to sell land to church

West Palm Beach is not quite ready to sell the Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses a city-owned property despite getting an aggressive offer from the church.

City commissioners declined to declare the 3100 Australian Avenue property as surplus during Monday’s work session, the Palm Beach Post reported. A surplus designation is required before the city can sell the land.

The church offered the city $750,000 for the 2.1-acre property, which is currently zoned for recreational use. It wants to construct a 5,000-square-foot building with a separate 800-square-foot rectory on the land.

A November appraisal conducted for the church put the property value at $465,000. [Palm Beach Post] — Eric Kalis