The City of Greenville is scheduled to host an open forum tonight on the proposed purchase by the city of a large commercial property on the southwest side of downtown. City government is considering the possible acquisition of a former grocery store building at 2601 King St. The town-hall style meeting is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Fletcher Warren Civic Center, 5501 S. U.S. Hwy. 69 in Greenville.
The proposed purchase has been the topic of local controversy since a Dec. 8 Herald-Banner article detailed the contents of an engineering company’s report on the property’s possible viability as a future site for municipal and fire department offices. The report, by McKinney-based KSA Engineers, Inc., estimated the cost of converting the property for such a purpose could range from $3.6 million to $5.1 million. The property itself is estimated to cost about $475,000. The 1.34 acre-lot and building was most recently the site of a Migalito’s Supermercado, and a Safeway for many years before that.
At a Dec. 11 regular meeting of the Greenville City Council, public concern about the purchase, along with some objection to the city council’s handling of its communications with the public about the issue, seems to have inspired the council to schedule the public forum.
