City to cancel purchase of Greenville transit site next to Fluor Field

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The city of Greenville has proposed to cancel the council-approved $9.7 million purchase of nearly three acres of land adjacent to Fluor Field.

The Greenville city manager issued an appropriation ordinance for the council’s June 26 executive session, in which council discussed negotiations incident to the contract to purchase the Greenville Transit Authority property.

The city is proposing to cancel the purchase per the ordinance.

At the end of April, the Greenville City Council approved the purchase of $9.7 million for nearly three acres of land on Augusta Street adjacent to Fluor Field. The property is currently home to the Greenville Transit Authority maintenance facility.

Following the completed purchase by Greenville, the site was proposed to be used to create public parking in the West End, a step forward for the city’s overall downtown master plan and the West End Small Area Plan. The West End Small Area Plan was adopted in November 2021 to show the plans of the West End evolving as a series of distinct precincts, each with its own unique character.

As development continues to occur throughout the West End on undeveloped and under-developed sites, the plan was created to define a common vision around neighborhood character, sense of place, and supportive infrastructure, both social and physical, to develop the appropriate tools to ensure effective implementation.

According to the request for city council action (pdf) from the Greenville city manager, the Greenville Transit Authority is in the process of constructing a new maintenance facility and will no longer have a need for the use of its current facility and surrounding lands located on Augusta Road when the new facility is complete.

The city previously appropriated an amount of $7.7 million from the parking fund for the purpose of purchasing this property from transit for the benefit of the city as well as to support funding for the construction of the new maintenance facility. The city chooses to cancel the purchase of the property, as it has found an alternative method of funding the construction of the new facility, the ordinance said.

Beth Brotherton, Greenville’s director of communications and engagement said the two transactions are separate.

The city intended to purchase the Greenville Transit Authority property to ensure its future development aligned with GVL2040 goals, she said.

“The Greenville City Council is now confident the new zoning code will provide adequate protections, so they chose not to move forward with the purchase,” Brotherton added.

The $7.7 million is an appropriation that gives transit an influx of cash for operating funds, she said. It is a pre-payment with the agreement that Greenville will withhold future reimbursements until there's a zero balance.

Brotherton said the second/final reading for this agenda item is anticipated for July 10.