Persons who are interest in purchasing a particular property owned by the City may complete a Request to Purchase City-Owned Property form and submit it to the Executive Assistant to the City Manager in the City Manager's Office. Each request will be evaluated by City departments to determine, at a minimum, the following:

• How and when the property was acquired by the City of Greenville
• Current zoning of the property
• Any restrictions on use and/or disposition of the property

If City staff determines that the property may be disposed of, staff will seek City Council approval to dispose of the property and to designate the method of disposal.

North Carolina General Statutes (§160A-266; §160A-267; §160A-271; §160A-277; §160A-279; §158-7.1) allow for the disposition of real property by any of the following methods as outlined below:

1. Private negotiation and sale under the following circumstances

(a) when said property is to be sold to a nonprofit for a public purpose (§160A-279)

(b) when the property's significance comes from its architectural, archaeological, artistic, cultural or historical associations; or its relationship to other property significant for its architectural, archeological, artistic, cultural or historical associations; or is significant for its natural scenic, or open condition (§160A-266(b))

(c) to non-profits or trusts when a preservation agreement or conservation agreement is placed in the deed §160A-266(b)

(d) to provide affordable housing (§160D-1316)

(e) for economic development should the City deem it is in the public interest (§158-7.1)

2. Advertisement for sealed bids

3. Negotiated offer, advertisement and upset bid

4. Public auction

5. Real property exchange

When a property is disposed of through a sealed bid and/or upset bid process, each bid much be submitted on the Bid Form for Surplus Real Property, and each bid envelope will be marked by City staff as to date and time received. If two identical bids are received for the highest bid amount, the bid received first shall become the qualified highest bid offer.

If a Request to Purchase City-Owned Property form is received and the person's intended uses of the property is not allowed by current zoning, information about the rezoning process will be provided to the requestor.

Please contact the City Manager's Office at (252) 329-4642 if you have questions or wish to purchase or lease property owned by the City.

Zoning is a legal instrument to regulate the use of land, building size, height, and setbacks. Its intent is to promote an orderly pattern of development and to separate land uses that are incompatible such as a night club and a church. Every parcel of land within the Greenville City Limits and Greenville Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) has a zoning designation.

How to Check the Zoning of a Property

There are two ways to check the zoning of subject property. The first method is to go online to the City’s Online Mapping Website. This interactive tool allows you to gain a variety of information about a property. We highly recommend that you speak with a City Planner that can assist you. The City’s Planning Division is located in the Municipal Building at 201 W. 5th St. Or you can call (252)-329-4498. City Planning staff will be glad to assist you in in this process to ensure that you understand the rules and regulations.

How do I seek a Rezoning?

In some cases, a subject property might not have the required zoning classification that your small business requires. In these cases, you may want to request the property to be rezoned to the desired classification.

First, rezoning requests are considered by the City’s Planning and Zoning Commission for a recommendation of approval or denial. The request is then heard by the Greenville City Council for the final consideration.

Staff prepares a report that consists of a variety of items such as traffic analysis, existing land uses surrounding the site, and the future land use category that is designated in the City’s Horizons 2026 Greenville’s Comprehensive Plan. City Council makes the final decision based on various factors.

The rezoning fee is based on the size of the property and starts at $550. The process typically takes 45 to 60 days to process and will be heard by the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council at their scheduled meeting dates. A survey of the property is required along with the completed re-zoning application. This survey needs to be prepared by a professional land surveyor or engineer. We have a variety of local land surveying and engineering firms that may be able to assist you with this process.

 
For additional questions related to zoning, please contact the City of Greenville Planning Division:
City of Greenville
Planning Division
Municipal Building
201 W. 5th Street
Greenville, N.C. 27834
(252) 329-4498