The longtime commercial tenant of the old firehouse in Langley wants to buy the publicly-owned building, and city officials are considering it.

Before they agree, administrators want to see if anyone else is interested in the space, what they’d do with it and what price they’d pay. Langley’s mayor and planning director said that by putting out a request for proposals, the city keeps greater control over what would happen with the space.

Even if someone else buys it, current tenant Callahan McVay’s lease guarantees he can stay put for at least four more years and up to 10.

At the Langley City Council’s regular meeting Feb. 17, Mayor Fred McCarthy said someone — later identified and confirmed as McVay — was interested in purchasing the old firehouse. McVay has leased the building from Langley since 2009 for his glass-blowing studio and retail shop.

The building is located on Second Street, nestled between the Braeburn Restaurant and Useless Bay Coffee Company. The entire area got a facelift with a major road project in 2014, and a central cobblestone crosswalk called the Second Street Plaza leads to the firehouse’s front doors.

The city council will discuss it during an upcoming Feb. 26 workshop and will get to review a draft request for proposal in March. Some of the decisions yet to be made include determining the 8,500 square-foot property’s value and whether or not to split the building from the parking lot as separate parcels.

“I think we need to process that through the council to determine whether it’s in our best interest to sell the whole property or separate it out,” McCarthy said in a phone interview Wednesday.

Owning property not for public use or city operations doesn’t make much sense. But “incubating business” is of concern for Langley, McCarthy said.

The property, like much of Whidbey Island, saw a steady drop in its value over the past six years. Back in 2009 when McVay first leased the building from the city, the Island County Assessor’s office appraised the value at more than $840,000. In the 2014-15 appraisal, the property was valued at $688,045.

“Property values are good for buying and interest rates are really low,” McVay said.

“It all comes down to what the numbers are, if it’ll work,” he added.

The numbers may work for the city, too. Both McCarthy and Director of Community Planning Michael Davolio said the city could use the funds for other public benefits, though exactly what projects they had in mind, Davolio wouldn’t say.

“We think the timing is right to consider selling it and possibly retaining one of the lots for parking,” McCarthy said.

Though other property owners may hold onto theirs, hoping for a return to high valuation, Davolio said the city isn’t solely interested in a high profit.

“I don’t want to suggest we’re willing to settle for less than it’s worth, but we don’t have a mortgage, and we have some flexibility to use the proceeds in other ways that benefit the community,” Davolio said.

“The bottom line is that it’s not about the bottom line,” he added.

McVay is the sole lease holder of the property, which city officials say has a history of being two parcels — the building itself, about 2,500 sq. feet, and the parking lot. When it was last operated by the city, the parking lot was designated for city employees, who are encouraged to leave prime spots along First and Second streets open for visitors and shoppers. Another option is to leave the parking open to the public, which McVay said has been his general practice, noting that he doesn’t “run people away” for parking there and not shopping at his blown-glass studio.

Before any papers are signed, however, the city is planning to put out a request for proposals to see how much people are willing to pay for the property, and what development ideas they have for it.

“We can’t just accept his offer,” Davolio said. “Since it’s public property, we have to advertise it and make it available to the general public.”

“I would be surprised if it only got one response,” he added.

Several other prominent buildings — not owned by the city — are for sale, including one next to city hall, and another two doors down. But while some locations have been stagnant, others have seen a flurry of activity, such as the move of Sweet Mona’s across Second Street into the area known as Langley Village, and the relocation of Kalakala Mercantile Co. from the village to Sweet Mona’s former space.

Those changes, and more importantly the price of them, prompted McVay to ask the city if it would consider selling the building.

Even if Langley ended up picking another offer over McVay’s, his business is secured for at least another four years, and he has an option for five more after that. All totaled, his lease — signed in July 2014 — could run through 2024.

What his plans or purchase point are, McVay wouldn’t say — he didn’t want to give away the value and have another proposal outbid him. But, he highlighted that business has been good, traffic on Second Street is picking up and his studio and the plaza seem a good match.

“I get hoop dreams and want to own it,” McVay said.

“I’m not going to worry about stuff I can’t control,” he added.