SNOW HILL – Worcester County is expected to host a public hearing regarding the sale of two surplus properties in Snow Hill next month.
The commissioners voted unanimously March 21 to schedule a public hearing for the sale of the former liquor control warehouse and the former economic development building. A request for proposals for the properties yielded one bid for the liquor control warehouse and two bids for the economic development building.
“We are looking to part with two properties we’re no longer utilizing,” Chief Administrative Officer Weston Young said.
Proposals for the properties were due March 8. Nicholas Rice, the county’s procurement officer, reported that one proposal was received for the liquor control warehouse from Talkie Communications in the amount of $380,000. Talkie Communications has been leasing the space on a month-to-month basis. The former liquor control warehouse, located on Snow Hill Road west of town, is a nearly eight-acre site with a 47,575-square-foot warehouse building.
Two proposals were received for the former economic development building. The first was from Davis Strategic Development in the amount of $125,000 and the second was from Garibay Construction in the amount of $280,000. The economic development building, located at 100 Pearl St., is a three-story, 4,554-square-foot commercial structure. County staff have moved from the building, which has some structural issues and an uninhabitable third floor, to newly leased space on Green Street.
“Both properties are not in the best structural shape,” Young said. “We included the information we had in the bid process. Ultimately, we’re looking for someone to buy these, fix them up and get them back on the tax rolls.”
Both Davis Strategic Development and Garibay Construction included future plans for the Pearl Street property in their bids. Davis plans to have retail on the first floor while the second and third floors could be kept as offices or remodeled into apartments. Garibay Construction said plans included commercial offices for the first floor and residential apartments for the second and third floors.
The commissioners last week agreed to set a public hearing regarding the potential sale of the properties. The public hearing, expected to be held in late April, will give citizens the chance to weigh in on the potential sales. After that, the commissioners can decide to accept the proposals and sell the properties or decide to retain them.