The Salem City Council voted Monday night to market and sell two of its properties along West Main Street -- one in the city and one in Roanoke County.

The "For Sale" signs will go up immediately, said Melinda Payne, the city's director of planning and development. And though Salem has had some interest in the land, it is unclear what new owners will do with it.

It is, Payne said, "an opportunity for some creativity."

The council approved the sale of the 4-acre parcel that sits at 40 Dixie Drive and the 15-acre parcel at 4127 W. Main Street in Roanoke County, the former Glenvar Treatment Plant.

Doug Chittum, Roanoke County's director of economic development, was the lone speaker during a public hearing on the sales. He endorsed selling the old water treatment plant, saying he looked forward to the land coming into "productive use."

So what happens to the properties next?

"We're just going to sell them to the highest bidder," Mayor Randy Foley said after the council meeting.

But before a sale, offers for the land will return to city hall for the council's approval.

-- Pete Dybdahl