CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A building in downtown Cheyenne is set to be purchased by the county for $5.5 million on an “as-is” contingency. The structure was initially priced at $8.8 million.
At its Tuesday meeting, the Laramie County Board of Commissioners passed a purchase agreement between the county and Voss Family Limited Partnership for the property at 2020 Carey Ave. The property will allow the county to expand its government office space, multiple commissioners attested.
Price negotiations between the county and Voss family date back to fall 2023. The board initially agreed to acquire the structure in October for $8.8 million. Later, though, the two parties agreed to lower the sale price to $8,165,000 after the county reappraised the property in early 2024. However, the commissioners have recently slashed their asking price to $5.5 million, citing “necessary repairs were needed to building,” per the second amendment to the purchase agreement.
Troy Thompson stated at Tuesday’s meeting that it made sense for the commissioners to look into purchasing the Carey Avenue building next to the county government complex at 309 W. 20th St. The commissioner said various county departments are running out of space in the office space they currently operate in.
“I think this makes sense for the county to own this building so that we can expand those services into the future, if we need to,” Thompson said.
Thompson added that, eventually, if county departments run out of space, their solution may be to add an addition to the Archer Complex. However, this would be a much more costly endeavor compared to snatching up the Carey Avenue structure, he said.
Aside from using the building on Carey Avenue for county government, Thompson assured residents that the board won’t lease vacant building space below market value. He said the commissioners have no interest in competing with private property owners.
Commissioner Buck Holmes concurred with Thompson’s comments on the building purchase. He said the county commission won’t use government funds to subsidize rental rates. The building is a wise investment as the county continues to grow. The purchase also represents a commitment to bettering downtown Cheyenne, the commissioner added.
The county awaits approval from Voss Family Limited Partnership on the county’s offer. Cap City News requested a comment from a family representative but had not heard back at the time of reporting.
