Hillsborough Board of Commissioners Officially Filed for Ownership of The Colonial Inn

The Hillsborough Board of Commissioners filed paperwork to obtain legal ownership of the Historic Colonial Inn property by eminent domain.

The building has been condemned since 2011 after the current owner of the property, Francis Henry, neglected to maintain the historic site since purchasing the Inn in the early 2000s.

Henry initially filed for permission to demolish the Inn in 2014 but has been denied twice by the Town to do so. Hillsborough Town Mayor Tom Stevens said, “There is legislation that gives the town the right to proceed with eminent domain if the property is of historic significance.”

“This is something we started putting in motion last winter and there’s various steps that need to happen: First, you have to give a 30 day notice of our intent to proceed with eminent domain and then after that you can actually file the papers and action to do so,” Stevens said. “When you file the action, as the town or any local government that is proceeding with eminent domain, has to get fair market value.

The door, of course, continues to be open for negotiating outside of court. We’ve said we’d certainly be glad to do so with the owners, we have not yet heard a response back.”

The Town has filed a $250,000 check with the Orange County Clerk of Court from what the appraisers stated as the fair market value of the property.

Stevens said the town hopes to enter into public-private ownership with the property with non-profit organizations due to the estimated 3 million dollar renovation costs.

“What the DFI report suggested was that there could be a mixture of funds. Philanthropic funds that could be pursued perhaps through Preservation North Carolina; I think there are other folks that would be willing to see this important historical structure remain and contribute to that but are waiting for something to contribute towards,” Stevens said.

Stevens said he feels the board’s current course of action has been built based on the information provided to it and will accommodate those actions based on any new information.

“We feel like we are steering a course that is pragmatic and that’s based on information not, ‘Oh, we have to save the Inn at all costs,’ or trying to do any favors for anybody, or to work around anybody; we are just trying to proceed and do the right thing moving forward,” Stevens said.

Henry has around 120 days left to respond to the offer from the town.