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NEDERLAND — The Nederland Economic Development Corporation is making a $300,000 plus investment in business and job creation along Nederland Avenue.

The move was made official this month when Nederland City Council members unanimously approved the EDC’s $300,000 purchase of the property at 1132 Nederland Ave., where Villa Motel once operated.

EDC officials plan to secure a demolition contractor once hurricane season ends to level the existing structure with a goal to return the site to greenfield in advance of a sale to a business developer.

The location is .32 of an acre, or 14,000 square feet, and is zoned commercial. It’s placement near the corner with Twin City Highway is seen as a bonus for potential commercial interests.

The property has been on the market for several years and was out of the EDC’s reach, pricewise, approximately four years ago when the EDC last tried to purchase it.

This month’s sale was approved from ZBC Realty Specialists Trust.

Kay DeCuir, executive director of the Nederland Economic Development Corporation, said the EDC board sees the location as a great place for a new business to come in, create jobs, pay sales tax, pay property tax and create a win-win for the City of Nederland.

According to DeCuir, realtors representing national franchises have previously approached city leaders about large-space areas for development, only to be frustrated by a lack of options along Nederland’s busiest roads.

“We kept thinking, ‘what can we do?’” DeCuir said “There are two buildings that are for sale on the corner, so if a realtor comes in and they know those two buildings are for sale and they want to acquire this one at the same time, there could be a big business that would buy three different parcels at the same time. Ours will be clean and ready to go with nothing on it.

“We are not looking to make a profit. We just need to break even. I can’t even tell you how much we would sell it for because we don’t know how much it is going to cost to demo it yet.”

DeCuir said many have complained about various parcels around Nederland that look out of shape and could use improving.

“That is part of our job, making the economy better, bringing in more things for our city and citizens, and we can’t do that unless some of these parcels are greenfield ready for the next potential builder,” she said.

The 1132 Nederland Ave. location is the only property the EDC has for sale at this time, but the corporation has previously bought property, torn down structures, gotten it ready for greenfield space and turned around and sold them.

DeCuir said any plans to buy additional buildings or parcels would be a Nederland Economic Development Corporation Board decision.

“There are some other properties out there that I would like to see something happen on Nederland Avenue that I don’t believe the people will ever sell,” DeCuir said. “We reach out all the time and hear, ‘not for sale.’ If we can clean up an area, get it ready for someone else to come in and help job creation and our community, great. Yes, that is what we do. We are economic developers. That’s our goal.”