Land Sale of The Century

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Bucks Harbor Air Force Station. Sitting at the base of 260-ft.-high Howard Mountain on the scenic coast of Maine 160 miles northeast of Portland, the base was abandoned by the Air Force last February and turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration and the Defense Department. The Government intends to sell off 48 acres containing 27 three-and four-bedroom ranch houses built in 1959, a barracks, a dining hall facing the ocean, a former noncommissioned officers' club and a recreation hall with a lounge, bowling alley and small indoor track. A local group known as Howard Mountain Associates wants to turn the facility into a housing development for senior citizens. Washington County commissioners are interested in using the site for a prison. Whoever buys it will have to come up with a good deal of cash, since the property is valuable, especially by the standards of this economically depressed county. Undeveloped land in the area is currently bringing $300 to $500 per acre.

Joliet Army Ammunition Plant. The Government hopes to sell 1,300 acres of this 23,000-acre compound 50 miles southwest of Chicago. Last year the expendable acreage was leased to local farmers for $750,000; they used it to grow corn, hay, soybeans and other crops, and to graze livestock. Farmers like John Nugent of Manhattan, Ill., who now rents some of the land for $95 per acre, are interested in buying "if the price is right." Harold Holz, who manages the land for the Uniroyal Corp. under a federal contract, says that the grazing land is worth around $1,500 per acre, while the more fertile land may fetch as much as $2,400 an acre. Potential bidders need not worry about the tons of explosives stored elsewhere on arsenal property; the nearest are more than half a mile away.

Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. On the block are two parcels, one within the base perimeter on busy U.S. Highway 17, the other on a bypass behind the base. The 51 acres are not eye pleasing, but local officials believe the land fronting Highway 17, across from a state park, could be worth as much as $750,000 to a commercial developer. The other parcel has already been used for a highway; 18 acres suitable for housing or commercial development remain.

Camp Lucas. Located on the edge of town, in the wooded country of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where some of Ernest Hemingway's Nick Adams stories are set, this nine-acre National Guard camp has piqued the attention of at least two potential users. Lake Superior State College is interested in adding the parcel to its 114-acre campus. The city of Sault Sainte Marie believes it has a legal claim to the land as well. The land is believed to be worth $3,000 per acre.

Point Arena Air Force Station. Perched on a mountain 100 miles north of San Francisco and five miles from the coast, Point Arena covers 765/2 acres and includes barracks, a post exchange and several other structures. Once manned by 200 Air Force personnel, the station is now run by 45 civilians. Half the acreage is for sale. The property offers a stunning view of the Pacific and a thick carpet of redwood and pine trees. The Government has not yet determined its price, but land in the area is currently going for $1,500 to $2,000 per acre.