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Council backs pursuit of NCDOT property transfer for trolley barn and mobility hub
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Summary
Council authorized staff to ask NCDOT to place a proposed parcel transfer on the Board of Transportation consent agenda. Belmont Trolley and staff said city ownership would simplify building a trolley barn, protect downtown parking, and advance a planned mobility hub at the rail-trail head.
The City Council authorized staff to ask the North Carolina Department of Transportation to place an intergovernmental property-transfer of a parcel (including the Glen Way parking lot) on the Board of Transportation consent agenda.
Staff said NCDOT and NC Rail indicated a transfer is allowed under state statute and could be placed on the board’s consent docket; the parcel contains areas the city leases for parking and a dumpster pad and is the proposed site for a Belmont Trolley barn and the head of the trail/mobility hub. Rob Presley, president of Belmont Trolley, described the transfer as a major step that would reduce bureaucratic hurdles, protect downtown parking from a third-party lease, and allow the trolley group and city to move forward with design and permitting.
Under the terms described in conversations with NCDOT, the transfer would be without consideration but could include a reversion requirement if the property is not used for transportation purposes. Council directed staff to pursue the transfer and delegated authority to parks staff and the city manager to finalize negotiations and details before the Board of Transportation review.
Council members described the transfer as an unusual but valuable opportunity to secure a strategic downtown parcel for long-term public use and to enable the trolley and trail projects to move forward more quickly.
