A small slice of Ocala is up for grabs.
A currently unoccupied block of land located at 206 NE Sanchez Avenue, in the center of the town's Tuscawilla Park Historic District, was foreclosed and subsequently donated in September to the Historic Ocala Preservation Society by the city.
The vacant lot, which covers just under a quarter of an acre, is now on the market with an initial asking price of $25,000. The proceeds will go directly to HOPS preservation and research projects. The city states that the lot is zoned for a single family housing structure; specifics on the architecture must be given the green light by the Ocala Historic Preservation Advisory Board.
Over the years, HOPS has been responsible for several major developments within the city. The Society donated approximately $23,000 throughout the late 1980's and 1990's toward creating the Ocala, Tuscawilla Park and Downtown Historic Districts as well as rebuilding the gazebo in the city's Downtown Square. And two years ago, HOPS teamed up with David Cook, the former editor of the Ocala Star-Banner, to publish his book "The Way It Was: A Walk Through Marion County's Past." Some of those proceeds from that book were then placed aside to help fund additional projects.
