Key state board backs DMV headquarters sale to city of Raleigh

Key state officials, including the governor, agreed Tuesday to sell the state's former Division of Motor Vehicles headquarters to the city of Raleigh, which wants to redevelop the site.

The roughly five acre complex would sell for $20 million. The DMV moved its headquarters to Rocky Mount, and Gov. Roy Cooper called the planned sale "a good result for everybody."

Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said she was "thrilled" to see the deal move forward after working on it for three years.

The deal won approval Tuesday from the Council of State, a group of statewide elected officials that must approve property sales, but that's not the final step. The vote starts a 90 day review by the General Assembly, which is standard practice for real estate sales.

State Rep. Julia Howard, who is in her 18th term at the legislature, said she's never seen the legislature block one of these sales.

Once the review period ends, the Raleigh City Council can vote to approve the sale. City leaders haven’t announced final plans for the property, but they’re considering affordable housing, mixed in with other uses. Baldwin said she'd like to see a daycare there because child care is often a barrier for employment.

The 185,000 square foot office complex on the site has a number of problems, and will be sold “as is," according to a deal summary the Council of State worked off Tuesday morning. The property has been valued at about $13 million. Baldwin said it was important for the city to own it so it has a say in how the area is developed.

WRAL reporter Matt Talhelm contributed to this report.

Correction: An earlier version of this report described the complex as vacant. A mail processing facility remains there, according to the Department of Transportation.