Wayne County approves purchase of Performance East building (604 Corporate Drive) as alternative to new fleet shop

Wayne County commissioners voted Dec. 16 to approve staff's proposal to purchase the Performance East building (referred to in the meeting as 604 Corporate Drive) for $2,000,000, subject to county manager and county attorney approval of the purchase-and-sale agreement.

Staff said the building is already equipped with maintenance and service bays that would suit a fleet shop and is near the county complex, making it an economical alternative to constructing a new facility at the county's 117 property. The proposed agreement would include $75,000 in earnest money held in escrow and an 18-month period for the seller to complete and vacate its replacement facility; during that period the county may conduct due diligence and, if the seller does not vacate, the county would close and enter a lease agreement to provide additional time.

"It was just a much better use of county funds actually buying an existing building versus building one," the chair said, describing the purchase as cost-saving and praising Commissioner Gurley for identifying the property. The board voted "6 to 0," according to the chair.

Staff emphasized the purchase is contingent on final manager and attorney approvals and did not provide final closing dates in the transcript. Earlier in the meeting, an apparent transcription inconsistency listed the property as "2604 Corporate Drive" and a price of "$22,000,000" in the motion text; subsequent staff remarks repeatedly identified the property as 604 Corporate Drive and the sales price as $2,000,000, which this article uses as the accurate figure based on the board discussion.

Next steps: county staff will finalize the purchase-and-sale agreement and perform due diligence during the seller's 18-month vacancy/due-diligence period.