State taking bids to sell 6 lots on Back Channel

A state agency is offering for sale half a dozen parcels on the Back Channel side of Wrangell Island, averaging about 3.6 acres in size, with auction bids due by Nov. 4.

The starting bid for each parcel ranges from $15,500 to $60,500.

All but one of the lots are on the water of the Eastern Passage. The $15,500 parcel is about 800 feet from the shoreline.

Of the six lots up for bid to the highest offer, half are about three miles south of the end of the airport runway and the other half are about three miles farther down the channel.

There is no road access to the lots, though the shoreline “may be suitable for a dock or landing craft,” according to the auction notice.

The lots are owned by the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, which sells and leases land to raise money for mental health services and programs to assist people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, substance use disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia and traumatic brain injuries.

More information about the land sale is available at Alaskamentalhealthtrust.org/falllandsale.

All bids must include a 5% refundable deposit.

Successful bidders for the land can pay in cash, or the Mental Health Trust Lands Office will finance the purchase. The interest rate is pegged to a national benchmark and resets monthly; it was 11.5% as of Aug. 1.

The sale is open to Alaska residents and non-residents, and there is no limit on how many parcels someone can bid on and purchase.

Along with the six lots in the Wrangell Island East Subdivision, the Mental Health Trust Lands Office is accepting bids on two parcels in Hollis, on Prince of Wales Island, and one parcel each on Mitkof and Kupreanof islands as part of its fall land sale of almost five dozen lots across Alaska.

The six Wrangell lots have never before been offered for sale, said Allison Biastock, chief communications officer at the Mental Health Trust Authority.

In addition to the parcels available by auction, the trust owns three Wrangell Island properties that are for sale over the counter at the posted price. Those three went unsold in previous auctions.

Two small parcels on the Eastern Passage — both under 2 acres — are listed at $27,500 and $30,000.

And the over-the-counter listings include 8.24 acres over five adjoining lots just south of the former 6-Mile mill site, on the upland side of Zimovia Highway. The lots are listed at a combined price of $260,000.