Council votes to sell the Pullen house

At the Purcellville Town Council Meeting on May 23, the council voted 4-1-1 to sell the town-owned Pullen House which is located at 301 South 20 th Street in Purcellville. Vice Mayor Chris Bertaut, Council Members Carol Luke, Ron Rise Jr., and Boo Bennett voted for the sale, Council Member Erin Rayner voted no, and Mayor Stan Milan abstained. Council Member Mary Jane Williams was absent for the vote.

The property which is 0.49-acres, and has a zoning designation of R-3 duplex, was purchased in 2011 by the Mayor Robert Lazaro administration for $175,000 and has remained vacant since its purchase. The current assessment is $367,680.

The town council had three choices, either to sell the property through the sealed bid process, use a real estate agent, or pay $77,803 to tear down the house. Some ideas to use the property were to use it for a playground, a parking lot, a tot lot or a farmer’s market.

Although questioning if the property would be large enough, Milan suggested the possibility of using it for a skate park. Hooper McCann, Director of Administration, suggested building a pavilion which could be used for a farmer’s market. Luke said that the location doesn’t have the visibility needed for a market.

Rayner said she favored demolishing the building and holding a workshop to discuss ideas for the property. She was against selling the property and said “it would be a great loss” to sell it.

Bennett said she was ready to make a motion to sell the property, and read a motion to list the property with a real estate company. Next, the town will need to competitively procure services of a realtor.