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c) Downtown Redevelopment (Future Uses of Town and County Property, including <br /> County Jail and Colonial Inn) <br /> COUNTY Staff: Jeff Thompson; TOWN Staff: Margaret Hauth <br /> Margaret Hauth opened the floor for questions. <br /> Commissioner Dorosin asked if there is an update on the Colonial Inn. <br /> Margaret Hauth said the Town told the owners it is interested in purchasing the site, <br /> either through a negotiated sale or eminent domain. She said the paper work to start this <br /> process has not yet been filed, but appraisers are under contract to appraise the property in <br /> the middle of March. <br /> Commissioner Dorosin asked if the owners expressed interest in a negotiated sale. <br /> Margaret Hauth said the owners have not ruled out this option. <br /> Mayor Stevens said the Boar is committed to acquiring the property, and there is a <br /> cordial relationship with the owners. He said the downtown area will have multiple properties <br /> available to commercial development, as the Town Annex is built over the next few years. <br /> Commissioner Jacobs asked if the County and the Town can start planning together on <br /> the options for various sites. He suggested the idea of making the Heritage Collection, in the <br /> Orange County Library, into a museum, and maybe this could be located in the future Colonial <br /> Inn. <br /> Chair McKee asked if Jeff Thompson could give an update on the jail project. <br /> Jeff Thompson said the Town is recruiting a design team to assess the redevelopment <br /> and development of a government campus on town-owned properties on East Corbin <br /> Street. He said Town staff expects it may be five years before town-owned properties in <br /> downtown may be made available for private development. He said the Town will be in <br /> partnership with the Orange Rural Fire Board on the two town-owned properties that <br /> encompass the fire station. He said the Town's express intent in purchasing the Corbin <br /> properties was to return the downtown properties to tax producing properties. <br /> Commissioner Price asked if there is a way for the County and the Town to be more <br /> collaborative with planning projects. She said a courtesy review of items is not really joint <br /> planning. <br /> Chair McKee said the old jail property is going to a major component for joint planning <br /> and can be an asset or a sore spot. <br /> Commissioner Price said a plan and timeline should be created for these facilities <br /> instead of just a courtesy review. She said the old jail is in the heart of the Town, and there <br /> should be a joint working group for this property. <br /> Chair McKee said he is open to this idea. <br /> Mayor Stevens said the Town is trying to envision the future of downtown and seeks to <br /> involve all stakeholders. <br /> Commissioner Ferguson said she agreed with Commissioner Price. <br /> d) Mountains to Sea Trail/Riverwalk <br /> COUNTY Staff: David Stancil; Staff TOWN: Margaret Hauth <br /> Mayor Stevens said this is a follow up to last year's discussion. <br /> David Stancil, Department of Agriculture, Environment, Parks and Recreation (DEAPR) <br /> Director, summarized the information below: <br /> The N.C. Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) is a part of the North Carolina State Parks system, <br /> connecting Clingman's Dome on the North Carolina/Tennessee border to Jockey's Ridge State <br /> Park on the Outer Banks. While some sections are already built, many (including the eastern <br />