Redevelopment commission votes to reacquire 821 West Street and return it to public sale

The New Bern Redevelopment Commission voted to reacquire 821 West Street and return the lot to the public sale process after hearing testimony from United Worship Center leaders who said the church had maintained adjacent land for decades and needed the parcel for parking and community programming. Counsels’ office and multiple commissioners discussed deed restrictions and the statutory upset‑bid process before the roll‑call vote.

Commissioners said the decision sought to balance the commission’s redevelopment goals with community needs. “We have the ability to release any restrictions” if ownership comes back to the commission, counsel said, describing legal options for clearing a cloud on title and for modifying deed covenants if the commission reacquires the property. Commissioners who argued for the buyback cited the church’s long record of community service and the parcel’s potential to support public programming and parking.

United Worship Center administrator Ellen Robinson described the congregation’s work and said the church missed earlier notice about the lot at 821 West Street. “We are the community… We are the ones that’s in the community,” she said, urging the commission to consider nonprofit circumstances. Pastor Strayhorn said the congregation had been maintaining nearby lots for years and that the parcel would serve community events and parking.

Opponents and cautious commissioners warned about precedent and legal complexity. The chair warned the commission to consider long‑term consequences of reacquiring sold property, calling it a “slippery slope.” Counsel highlighted the commission’s existing practice of selling lots through a competitive upset‑bid process and said a condition limiting resale to a specific buyer would be inconsistent with that precedent unless the commission concluded re‑acquisition and a formal restriction were appropriate.

The motion to purchase 821 West Street back from the current grantee at the price the grantee paid was made from the floor, seconded, and approved by roll call. The roll‑call record captured commissioners responding affirmatively during the vote. The commission also directed staff to provide a parcel inventory (addresses, zoning district, lot dimensions, flood‑plain status and applicable setbacks) so members can evaluate which lots are buildable and which may be better targeted for alternate community uses.

Next steps: staff will compile the requested lot data and return with recommendations at a future meeting; the commission will proceed with the formal reacquisition steps and any subsequent upset‑bid resale consistent with its policies and state statute.