Ralston’s soccer fields are in the process of being sold to a developer, who plans to transform the fields — which are located in an industrial tract along Serum Road — into storage units.

City officials were approached late last year by a developer about potentially selling the fields. After taking the current use of the fields into account, they decided to proceed with the sale.

“We looked into how they were used and were told by the soccer association that participation has dropped off significantly in recent years,” City Council member Brian Kavanaugh said on the “Let’s Talk Ralston” Facebook page.

The soccer association will now practice and play on Ralston Public Schools fields, which the district agreed to so long as the city outfits the fields.

A request for proposal procedure was initiated months ago. Multiple people bid, but a cash offer from Jim Linhart, owner of landscaping and construction company Linhart Construction, was the winner.

Before the sale can be closed, though, the city has to go through a legal process that included adopting Ordinance No. 1285 to sell the lot on Serum Road and a 30-day remonstrance period. During this period, community members can petition the city to prevent the sale from taking place.

Although some residents had ideas for what the land could have been used for — a dog park, a community garden or a sports complex — Kavanaugh noted that the zoned industrial area that the land is on makes it unsuitable for mixed-use developments, and the dead-end street that the fields are located on doesn’t attract much traffic, pedestrian or otherwise.

“They are not a good or particularly accessible location for general parks,” he said.

Unlike city property, a private development also will generate property tax and potentially sales tax revenue, while the soccer fields generate no revenue and require maintenance and upkeep.

The sale is expected to close in late July.