Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Council approves property swap and parking plan with First United Methodist Church for Downtown East
Loading...
Summary
Council approved on first reading an ordinance conveying 1.2318 acres to First United Methodist Church in exchange for roughly 2.57 acres (the 'gin tract'), construction of replacement parking and a cash payment; the city retains community-use parking rights for 20 years.
The City Council approved on first reading an ordinance that conveys 1.2318 acres to First United Methodist Church as part of a negotiated swap tied to the Downtown East project. The city will acquire a larger portion (about 2.5692 acres) — the ‘gin tract’ — and will construct replacement parking for the church and provide an approximate cash differential discussed in the meeting.
Staff explained the swap: the city previously acquired the larger gin tract, and the conveyance to the church resolves a right-of-way need to allow Main Street to be built through Downtown East while preserving church parking and operations. Staff said the exchange includes construction of a parking lot for the church and a payment in the neighborhood of $500,000 to the church as part of the negotiated resolution. The city also secured the right to use the replaced parking for community parking for a 20‑year period.
Action taken: Council approved the ordinance on first reading (vote recorded as carried in the meeting); staff said conveyance and parking construction will be coordinated to ensure the church is not left without parking during Main Street construction.
Why it matters: The conveyance resolves a key property configuration issue that would otherwise delay the Downtown East Main Street alignment and preserves parking for a long-standing house of worship.
What’s next: Staff will finalize conveyance documents, proceed with parking construction and report back on contract details and timeline.
