Zero Williams Road Surplus Property Sale

At a glance

• What: county-owned land at Zero Williams Road along the Yadkin River (deeded to the county in 1988; no current county use) that the board declared surplus on Oct 1, 2026, authorizing publication of a $328,450 offer from adjoining owner James Perkins (above tax value) for upset bids.
• Where it stands: a motion not to surplus the land failed 3-4; the surplus resolution then passed 4-3. Advertising runs 10 days; after the upset bid process the board may reject any and all offers at any time. Outcome of the bidding not yet recorded.
• Next: staff will present an inventory of all county-owned vacant property at the Nov 9, 2026 morning session and ask for direction on surplus, sale or more active marketing.

Main points

• Debate centered on notice (newspaper publication is the only requirement; the county has also used its website), whether the price is low (a speaker cited a similar listing at $899,000), and that the land is mostly floodplain and effectively conservation property.
• Staff said the land was received in an exchange tied to the old Sciworks site; a former conservation easement was moved to the CG Hill Park property and no legal restrictions on sale are known.
• Speaker Marsie West asked for public listing, an emergency fund funded by sale proceeds, and a property and lease inventory.
• Before the Oct 1 vote (Sept 28 briefing): the board had delayed the item at its prior meeting; the county then received James Perkins's $328,450 offer, and the original bidder declined to raise his offer and had his deposit returned. The tax department's suggested value was about $284,600. A commissioner worried nobody monitors the parcel; staff said grounds crews had posted no-trespassing and no-hunting signs. The attorney noted existing zoning (at least partly Yadkin River district) applies to any buyer.
• Vote positions (hand vote, partly inferred from captions): Richard V. Linville moved not to surplus and Dan Besse seconded; the surplus passed with G. Gray Wilson, the chair and a commissioner captioned "Parker" voting yes along with Malishai Woodbury, who asked for better public notice.

Discussion time

About 16 minutes across 2 meetings (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Log

• 2026-10-01 - Board of County Commissioners - Item 7: Richard V. Linville's motion not to surplus failed 3-4; resolution to surplus and advertise the $328,450 offer for upset bids passed 4-3. Chelsea Swain answered questions on the land's history; Marsie West urged better listing; manager previewed a Nov 9 vacant-property presentation.
• 2026-09-28 - Board of County Commissioners Briefing - Briefing on item 7: Chelsea Swain presented the new $328,450 offer from James Perkins (the earlier bidder withdrew), the 10-day upset bid process, and that Thursday's action would only declare surplus and advertise, not approve a sale. Questions on advertising, the buyer's use of the adjoining parcel, and monitoring of the land.
• 2026-09-17 - Board of County Commissioners - Offer of $142,300 for 19.88 acres. Per the official minutes, Richard V. Linville's motion (seconded by Dan Besse) to reject the bid and not start upset bidding failed 3-4, with Linville, Besse and Tonya D. McDaniel in favor and Gloria D. Whisenhunt, G. Gray Wilson, Chris Parker and Malishai Woodbury opposed. Linville's substitute motion to start upset bidding at $285,000 was ruled invalid by County Attorney Gordon Watkins. Besse's motion to postpone to the October 1 meeting, seconded by Linville, passed 5-2 with Whisenhunt and Wilson opposed.
• 2026-09-14 - Board of County Commissioners Briefing - Briefing on the $142,300 offer for the roughly 19.8-acre parcel; the tax department suggested a value near $284,600 and several commissioners thought the offer low (from auto-captions).

Sources

• Minutes, September 17, 2026: https://coforsythnc.civicweb.net/document/253511