Default auction set for Nader Agha's massive Moss Landing property.

The notice took a full page, printed on the back of the Salinas Californian’s “Salinas Life” section on April 22: At 10am May 12, a foreclosure auction is planned outside the main entrance of the county’s administration offices at 168 W. Alisal St. in Salinas.

Up for bid is a singular piece of property, one worth millions of dollars: Nader Agha’s 183-acre lot in Moss Landing, where he is hoping to build a desalination plant known as The People’s Project.

The Monterey County Assessor’s office confirmed the parcel is owned by Agha’s Moss Landing Commercial Park LLC. County Assessor Steve Vagnini says the property has already attracted interest.

“One of my appraisers told me they got a call from a real estate guy from Chicago who was representing a Chinese client interested in the property,” Vagnini says. The reason the client was interested, he says, is because the property is apparently rich in dolomite, a mineral that can be used for multiple applications, including as a concrete aggregate.

But any bidders who show up for the May 12 auction might be disappointed.

Agha says it’s not going to happen.

“We will stop it soon. We’re working on it,” Agha says. “Nobody is going to let a big property with so much equity like this go for sale.”

Agha says at one point he had four loans on the property, and has paid them all except one from Porterville-based Bank of the Sierra.

“We owe [the bank] about $7 million,” Agha says. “The property is worth $50 or $70 million.”

When asked what exactly his plans are to stop the sale, Agha remains vague.

“I cannot tell you now, we’re working on something.”

Paul Hart, Agha’s attorney handling the finances of the property, did not respond to a request for comment.

Hart’s colleague handling the desal project, David Balch, isn’t aware of the property’s financing details, but echoes Agha in saying the property will not go to auction.

“It’s not as though someone is just going to let the property go. I will tell you unequivocally that Nader will not let the property go,” Balch says. “It’s worth between $40 and $100 million dollars...losing the property is not going to happen.”

But Balch is also vague on what Agha will do to prevent it.

“This is a business issue that gets resolved one way or another,” he says. “I’m not sure how it’s going to take place, but when you have a property worth much more than the bank debt, there are different ways to work it out.”

And not only is Agha steadfast he’ll maintain ownership of the property, he also says his proposed desal project is gaining traction, and just yesterday is was announced Aspen Environmental Group has been hired as the project’s California Environmental Quality Act consultant, and the year-long environmental review process can begin.

“We’re moving forward, nothing is going to stop us,” Agha says. “There are people trying to undermine what we are doing because of greed, they’re trying to wrestle the project from us.

“We’re watching them very closely, and we’ll deal with them later.”