A BILL to authorize the Commonwealth to convey Fort Whitworth to the Petersburg Battlefields Foundation.
HB326 authorizes the Commonwealth, acting through the Department of General Services and with gubernatorial approval, to convey a specific parcel of state-owned land known as Fort Whitworth to the Petersburg Battlefields Foundation. The property is described as a portion of Tax Map Parcel 10-7 on the campus of Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County and may include existing parking at the southeast corner of 7th Avenue and Accomac Street. The conveyance would be made by quitclaim deed, without monetary consideration, and in as-is condition, with the Attorney General approving the deed form.
As a condition of receiving the property, the Foundation must, within one year, offer the Board of Historic Resources a historic preservation easement for perpetual protection of the property. The Board has full discretion to accept or reject the offer, and if accepted, the Foundation must convey the easement subject to any Board requirements. The bill is a property-transfer measure tied to historic preservation, rather than a general policy change affecting broad classes of landowners or agencies.
The bill would change state law by specifically authorizing the Commonwealth to dispose of a named parcel of state property through a direct conveyance to a nonprofit preservation organization. It gives the Department of General Services and the Governor, or the Secretary of Administration if delegated, authority to complete the transfer and execute the necessary documents. The measure also creates a preservation condition that could place a perpetual historic easement on the property if the Board of Historic Resources accepts the offer, thereby affecting future use and development of the land and potentially limiting alterations to the site.
The available record suggests generally favorable or at least noncontroversial treatment of the bill, with no recorded votes or committee transcript objections in the materials provided. The bill advanced with a substitute from the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and later had a fiscal impact statement, indicating it was being processed as a routine land-conveyance and preservation measure. The absence of recorded opposition in the provided context suggests the proposal was viewed as a targeted historic preservation transfer rather than a contentious policy issue.
The main potential point of contention is the transfer of public land without monetary consideration, which could raise questions about whether the Commonwealth is receiving adequate value in return. Any concern would likely focus on the balance between public ownership and the preservation benefits promised by the Petersburg Battlefields Foundation. A second possible issue is the Board of Historic Resources’ discretion over the easement: the bill requires the Foundation to offer one, but acceptance is not guaranteed, so some may question whether the preservation condition is sufficiently enforceable if the Board declines the offer.