Governor Names More State Properties For Disposal | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Barry Smith, who is an associate editor for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

Abandoned jail in Charlotte and personnel building in Raleigh next on list

    RALEIGH - Gov. Pat McCrory's office on Tuesday announced plans to put two state properties on the market. One is in the state capital and the other in McCrory's home city of Charlotte.

    "In an ongoing effort to use state property more efficiently and ensure taxpayer assets are put to the highest and best use, we have listed two underutilized state properties for sale," McCrory said in a statement. "Selling these properties is part of our strategy to reform how state government occupies space for greater efficiency, productivity, and cost control."

    The two properties are the Personnel Training Center at 101 W. Peace St. in downtown Raleigh and the vacant Charlotte Correctional Facility at 4100 Meadow Oak Drive in west Charlotte.

    The Personnel Training Center occupies a lot of approximately 1.77 acres in downtown Raleigh, McCrory's office said. The state is seeking a long-term ground lease agreement with this property.

    The Charlotte Correctional Facility closed in 2011. The state wants to sell this property.

    The move comes on the heels of an announcement last week that the state plans to sell two other properties in downtown Raleigh.

    One is the Heck-Andrews House on Blount Street. The other is the Bailey-Tucker House on Lane Street. Both are near the Executive Mansion.

    "Although the dream of Natural and Cultural Resources has been for the state to retain ownership and use these houses for official functions, the cost to adequately restore and renovate them is beyond what is practical for state government," said Susan Kluttz, secretary of the newly named Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. She also put in a plug for historic preservation tax credits the new owners could use to help pay for renovating the buildings.

    The Heck-Andrews House was built in the 1870s and has Second Empire architecture. It was one of the first major houses built in Raleigh following the Civil War.

    It is one of 49 state-owned properties identified this summer for disposal in a study by the General Assembly's Program Evaluation Division. The report estimated that the state could receive $947,748 in one-time revenues by selling the property.

    The Heck-Andrews House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

    The Bailey-Tucker House, built in 1916, is a two-story Colonial Revival brick residence.