ORANGE : Victorian Cottage Site Goes to Agency

The site of an 1895 Victorian cottage has been turned over to the Redevelopment Agency for possible development as low- or moderate-income housing.

Under an agreement approved by the City Council this week, the agency will pay $1 to reserve the exclusive right to purchase the 16,000-square-foot property at the corner of Almond Street and Pixley Avenue before Sept. 1.

The future of the Queen Anne House on the property is still undetermined. The city owns the house and land.

The exclusive agreement will allow the Orange Housing Development Corp., a nonprofit arm of the Redevelopment Agency, to seek financial assistance from other sources to purchase the land at market value. The housing corporation hopes to build 15 units for low- and moderate-income residents.

The cottage must be removed from the site or demolished. When a deal to renovate the house as a facility for drug-addicted babies fell apart earlier this year, city officials offered to sell the home for $1 if the buyer would pay to have the building moved.

So far at least 30 inquiries have been made about the building, according to city reports, but only one bid had been placed as of last week.

The Old Towne Preservation Assn., a historic preservation group, has offered a bid of $1. The group has requested that the city donate $25,000 that would be used to pay for the relocation of the house to a new site in Old Towne and help fund the construction of a foundation.

The group hopes to restore the home, with its angled bay windows and gabled roof, to its original condition.