The James City County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to sell two parcels of surplus county-owned land in Toano to a group interested in rebuilding the village as it appeared in the past.
The supervisors agreed to sell the two parcels of land to Coleman-Elder LLC for $300,000. Coleman-Elder LLC has already purchased seven parcels of land in the immediate area of the surplus county land.
Interim County Attorney Adam Kinsman said the company wants to build a replica of a barrel factory that once existed on the land as part of its efforts to develop the area.
The bulk of the land is concentrated behind Mount Vernon United Methodist Church on 3.03 acres next to Fire Station One, which houses the James City-Bruton Volunteer Fire Department in Fire Station One.
That land, which contains an 1880s farmhouse, was purchased for $390,000 in June 2013 to be used for parking, management of stormwater and open space to buffer the fire department land during the construction of a new building for Fire Station One.
When the county purchased that land, it bought 3.74 acres. About 0.71 acres has been split off and will continue to be used by the fire department. The sales encompasses the remainder of that land. The other parcel of land sold is a 126 foot by 76 foot sliver currently part of the Fire Station One property.
The supervisors voted unanimously to sell the sliver of land on the Fire Station One property, however the vote was 4-1 on the sale of the 3.03-acre parcel. Supervisor Mary Jones (Berkeley) was the lone holdout.
“I didn’t think we were going to come close to getting a return on the expenditure when [the decision was made to buy the 3.74-acre parcel of land], and I was correct,” she said. “Unfortunately, once again, the taxpayers are the ones having to pay for that decision, and that is very concerning to me.”
Supervisor John McGlennon (Roberts) pointed to $26,250 the county collected for renting out the farmhouse along with the $300,000 sale price and the retention of the 0.71 acres as evidence of a good deal.
McGlennon was joined by Supervisors Kevin Onizuk (Jamestown) and Michael Hipple (Powhatan) in praising the intended use of the land by Coleman-Elder, LLC.
Kinsman assured the supervisors that county staff and the fire department has made it clear the land that will be sold is no longer needed by the county.
“I hope we don’t need any more of that property out there,” said Supervisor Jim Kennedy (Stonehouse), noting he wanted to be on the record saying as much if the county ever found itself needing the land again.
Coleman-Elder LLC will pay $285,000 for the 3.03-acre parcel, and $15,000 for the sliver of land on the Fire Station One property.
The realtor that closed the deal, Welcome Home Realty, will receive a 6 percent cut of the sales.
Related Coverage:
- JCC Seeks Real Estate Firm to Help Sell Property Near Toano Fire Station
- New Toano Fire Station to Continue Long Community Legacy
- JCC Supes Vote to Purchase Land for New Toano Fire Station
- JCC Supes to Discuss Land Purchase for New Toano Fire Station
- JCC Explores Property Purchase to Build New Toano Fire Station
- JCC Budget Proposal Allocates Nearly $700,000 More to New Fire Station