NC Conference Builds New Headquarters

The 2008 Annual Conference approved a proposal by the Conference Board of Trustees to sell the existing United Methodist Building in Raleigh and build a new conference headquarters in Greenfield Park near the intersection of I-40 and US 70 east of Garner.

Project Update

The relocation of the United Methodist Building as approved at Annual Conference is underway.  The Board of Trustees has been working diligently since June to begin the programming and design phase of the new project.  Comments and suggestions were received from all over the annual conference and are being used by the design team during this important first step.  The Board of Trustees has selected several groups to assist with the project including Grubb & Ellis|Thomas Linderman Graham as the development consultants, HagerSmith Design, PA as the architect and Centurion, Inc., as the construction contractor. 

The building project also completed an important step with completion of the sale of the United Methodist Building at 1307 Glenwood Avenue.  The property was sold on August 13, 2008 and includes the United Methodist Building and the approximate 2.5 acres of land on which it sits.

Needs Assessment Begins:
Share Your Thoughts and Ideas

The needs assessment phase of this building project has begun. Comments and ideas about what should be in the building and advice from past building experiences are requested. Ideas and “best advice” should be sent to the building project team via email at nccbuilds@nccumc.org .  All ideas will be compiled and considered during this important assessment phase.

Project Overview

In 2002, the NC Annual Conference authorized the Conference Board of Trustees to purchase 10.2 acres of land in the Greenfield Parkway area for a future conference headquarters. The purchase included an additional 4-plus acres of natural areas that cannot be developed but could be used for walking trails.

“Preliminary consideration of the current and future needs of the annual conference indicate that a building of up to 35,000 square feet will be required,” Cashar Evans, trustee chairperson said. “Initial cost estimates for a building of that size would be around $5 to $5.5 million, including moving and other incidental costs. Included in the negotiations to sell the [existing Raleigh] property is the right to lease back the current building for two and a half years so conference offices can remain in the building while a new building is under construction,” he said.

- Information adapted from an article originally published in the NC Conference Christian Advocate newspaper and written by Bill Norton, conference director of communications and Advocate editor.

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