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Hagerstown council approves ordinance to acquire 149 North Potomac Street for $2.5 million
Summary
The Hagerstown Mayor and Council voted in a special session on Sept. 23 to authorize purchase of 149 North Potomac Street for $2,500,000 from 149 North Potomac LLC, with the money coming from general fund reserves.
The Hagerstown Mayor and Council voted in a special session on Sept. 23 to approve an ordinance authorizing the purchase and sale of the property at 149 North Potomac Street for $2,500,000, to be paid from general fund reserves.
The ordinance motion was made and seconded during the special session and carried by voice vote. A council member who spoke at length said the city’s goal is to acquire the long-vacant former YMCA so a private or other public partner can redevelop it rather than to have the city act as the developer or long-term owner. “The intention of the city is not to purchase this property to own it and to rehab it… It is to acquire the property so that we can work with a… partner that would have the capacity and resources to make something of this property,” the council member said during the meeting.
The speaker noted the building has been empty for about 20 years and that the city sought to act now to avoid another long period of vacancy. He said the purchase effort could fail — the city will have a 60-day period during which it may determine the effort is not feasible — but that the council intends to try and hopes private parties will respond to the city’s acquisition by partnering to redevelop the site.
The ordinance motion as stated on the record named the seller (149 North Potomac LLC) and specified the $2,500,000 purchase price and the funding source as general fund reserves. The motion was approved by voice vote; no roll-call vote or individual tally was recorded in the transcript.
Background and next steps: Council discussion emphasized the acquisition is intended to enable transfer to another party for redevelopment (private developer or another public entity). Council members asked and received confirmation that any private developer would be expected to perform rehabilitation to standards the city would accept.
No additional conditions, timetable for marketing, or a named development partner were included in the motion or on the record. The council indicated staff will proceed under the approved ordinance and pursue partner interest; the city did not commit to operating, rehabbing or managing the property itself.
Provenance: Topic discussion begins in the special-session portion of the transcript where the ordinance was introduced and debated (first related remarks begin at 00:00:38.76 in the record) and concludes when the council completed the voice vote on the motion (00:05:38.915 in the record).
