Land Donations Will Help With Tribal Housing
In October, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians finalized the recordings of two land donations to the Tribe for use by the Siletz Tribal Housing Department. One gift involves a parcel of land in Newport with a home situated on it, donated to the Tribe by the
John Sherman Living Trust. This property will be used to provide much-needed and affordable housing for the Tribe.
The other property comes to the Tribe through a donation by Lincoln County of two vacant lots in Lincoln City that the county acquired in tax foreclosure proceedings. These are located not far from Chinook Winds Casino Resort. They will be used to build affordable homes for Tribal members and/or casino workers. Donations such as these can be accepted directly from an individual or from any other entity, i.e. a partnership, trust, LLC or corporation.
Once a person or entity decides to donate and contacts the Tribe, they will need to remove any personal property they do not wish to donate. The Tribe will prepare any needed paperwork and will cover all associated costs, e.g., title reports, inspections, recording fees and escrow charges. The donor or their representative needs to be available to sign legal documents related to the transaction. These may vary depending on the
property, its manner of ownership (trust, municipal entity, etc.).
Gifted title will generally be accepted by the Tribe in “as-is-where-is” condition under a quitclaim deed. The Tribe will give consideration to any issues that may arise when anyone contemplates buying a home or property, including environmental hazards; title or boundary disputes with neighbors, HOAs or municipal regulators; pending litigation or liens; or back tax debt.
If a property turns out to be undesirable for one or a combination of these reasons, the Tribe will have the option of proceeding or backing out at any time prior to the close of escrow or recording of the deed. If you are interested in discussing a property donation with the Tribe, please contact Michael Gallagher, environmental planner/realty specialist, at michaelg@ctsi.nsn.us.