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To sell or not to sell?
It sounds Shakespearean, but it is the debate facing Cary over two properties bought for about $1 million under former Town Manager Sean Stegall.
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He bought the properties despite a staff recommendation against the purchase and without informing the full Town Council, according to a July investigation by the N.C. state auditor.
Mayor Harold Weinbrecht wants to sell them, saying the town does not need the land. Mayor Pro Tem Lori Bush wants Cary to keep the properties in public hands and study possible future uses.
A petition with more than 1,300 signatures asks the town to preserve the land.
The Town Council is expected to discuss the issue at its work session Tuesday, Sept. 22.
The two properties are at 600 and 604 Kildaire Farm Road, just south of downtown. They were purchased on July 31, 2024. Property records show Jordan Real Estate Holdings paid $250,000 for one parcel in 2023 before selling it to Cary for $686,000 the following year.
The purchases were made while Cary was looking for land for future affordable housing.
“Every dollar tied up in property without a defined public purpose is a dollar unavailable for more immediate community priorities,” Weinbrecht wrote on his blog.
He said selling the properties could free money for priorities such as transportation, parks and public safety while demonstrating fiscal responsibility and transparency.
Weinbrecht said he does not believe affordable housing is the best use of the land.
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Council member Sarika Bansal seconded his view.
“Selling now gets us a one-time payment; keeping the land keeps our options open for generations,” Bush told The News & Observer.
Bush said the wooded properties sit next to Higgins Greenway near downtown Cary and that selling them would cost Cary control over what could eventually be built there.
“Land like that doesn’t come back on the market,” she said.
She said the zoning could allow a number of different uses, from banks to veterinary hospitals, along the trail corridor.
Bush said Cary should explore multiple options, including open space, historic preservation and affordable housing.
Casey Midkiff initiated the “Town of Cary: Preserve 600 and 604 Kildaire Farm Rd.” petition and spoke at the Aug. 27 Town Council meeting. She described the properties as “a large swath of wooded land between Cary Elementary and Shirley Dr.”
Midkiff, who lives beside the property, said residents have documented wildlife such as deer, box turtles, coyotes and numerous bird species.
She also highlighted that Cary’s first African American congregation, founded in 1868, moved its services to the site in 1883, and remnants of the former church foundation remain nearby.
The work session Tuesday is for discussion, with no vote scheduled. Weinbrecht has said his proposal will be addressed at Thursday’s regular meeting, although the proposal was not listed on the published agenda as of Tuesday afternoon.
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This story was originally published September 22, 2026 at 3:22 PM.