Arlie officials end talks with Wildish.

Byline: Jack Moran The Register-Guard

A nonprofit foundation associated with Eugene-based development firm Arlie & Co. has abandoned plans to negotiate a deal that would bring a sprawling piece of private riverfront property next to Mount Pisgah into public ownership.

Arlie officials on Tuesday said they decided to end talks with the landowner, Wildish Land Co., regarding the potential sale of 1,400 acres between the Willamette River and the Howard Buford Recreation Area because the discussions appeared to be headed nowhere.

Eugene-based Wildish has filed a $15.4 million Measure 37 claim on the land. In the claim, Wildish outlines a plan to build several hundred homes on the land.

Park supporters hope that scenario can be avoided by finding a way to buy the property and add it to the existing 2,400-acre county-owned park.

The nonprofit Arlie-Musumeci Family Foundation says it has money available to buy the land for the public and announced last month that it wanted to lead negotiation efforts.

But preliminary talks stalled because Wildish officials never responded to a request from the foundation asking Wildish to name a price for the land by Sept. 8, Arlie spokeswoman Sadie Dressekie said.

"People around here are perplexed as to why (Wildish didn't respond)," Dressekie said. "It was almost like we were in the way. They made no effort to even say, `We can't give you a price right now, but by a certain day, we will give you a price.' "

In a statement released through local public-relations firm The Ulum Group, Wildish spokesman Randy Hledik said company officials did not intend to cut off communication with anyone interested in buying the Pisgah area property.

"This land has been in Wildish ownership for some 50 years, and it would not be prudent to rush into any decisions regarding its future use," said Hledik, the company's director of general services. "At this early stage in the process, we see no reason to terminate any conversations. We are mindful of the community's interest in this property and will keep the public apprised as new information becomes available."

Hledik previously said other "serious parties" have contacted Wildish about buying the land, which is undeveloped and is zoned for mining, forestry and agriculture.

The company's Measure 37 claim filed with Lane County states that while the property's value in its current zoning is about $5.6 million, it would be worth $21 million if it were zoned for development with about 300 homes.

Under Measure 37, property owners whose land has been devalued by government restrictions can seek to have the restrictions lifted, or be financially compensated by the government.

Lane County commissioners have until December to rule on the Wildish claim. Arlie officials had hoped to reach a deal for the property before the county renders a decision.

Waiting for the claim process to unfold before negotiating a price "would have put the foundation in the middle of a contentious debate, and that is not the position we want to be in," Dressekie said.

Chris Orsinger, executive director of the Friends of Buford Park & Mount Pisgah, the nonprofit group that helps run the county-owned park, said his group hopes to continue a dialogue with Wildish.

"We know the community wants to see this happen, and we will put everything we can into working toward a purchase agreement," Orsinger said. "If it's a fair price, we can get it done, whether the Arlie-Musumeci Family Foundation is there or not. They wanted to move quickly to resolve this, and we all thought that was what Wildish wanted."

In a letter to Orsinger, Arlie-Musumeci foundation President Suzanne Arlie wrote that if negotiations advance in the future, the foundation "would be happy to lend our skills and experience as well as whatever other resources are available to us at that time" toward a purchase.

But Dressekie said foundation officials may ultimately decide to put their money elsewhere.

"John (Musumeci) and Suzanne are still passionate about (ensuring the Wildish property is preserved for public use), but it may be that another community project comes to the forefront," Dressekie said. "We'll just have to see what's needed if and when an agreement is reached."

According to federal tax filings, Suzanne Arlie established the foundation in 2002.

According to the filings, which are public records, the nonprofit foundation has never had any assets and has never been involved in any activities since its inception.

Suzanne Arlie previously has said she created the foundation in anticipation of future philanthropic endeavors. She had said she hoped her foundation's donation to enlarge Buford Park would be the foundation's first major gift to the community.

Suzanne Arlie also said she and Musumeci until now have made their charitable gifts either personally or through their corporation.