Jefferson Co. Commission Weighs Finances, Downtown Vitality Amid Property Sale

Branches of the Jefferson County government have long spanned the same two blocks of downtown Charles Town, from the towering county courthouse to a meeting room squeezed beneath the city library. For many residents, these buildings mark a familiar characteristic of the historic town center, if not a point of local pride.

Still, West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle is growing, and members of the Jefferson County Commission say they need spaces that are consolidated, modernized and more secure. Last month, these needs led the commission to finalize a $23.5 million purchase of two side-by-side properties located less than a mile away.

But before the purchase, commissioners did not finalize plans for their original Washington Street properties — casting uncertainty over the 10 historic buildings they seek to vacate downtown. The decision has sparked concern among some residents, but ideas for new uses from others.

This month, the commission announced plans to find buyers for the properties. They say actually selling the properties means weighing the economic and historic vitality of Charles Town — but also the commission’s own financial needs on the heels of a big purchase.

Seeking A New Space

Pasha Majdi, president of the Jefferson County Commission, said the move to a new, renovated facility was a long time coming.

The county’s Washington Street properties are rich with history; the Jefferson County Courthouse is even listed as a National Historic Landmark, best known for hosting the trial of militant abolitionist John Brown, and later cases surrounding the West Virginia Mine Wars.

But Majdi said the county had long outgrown these facilities.

“For 25 years, the county had been planning to build on its own a new government facility to house at least most — perhaps all — county functions in one location,” Majdi told West Virginia Public Broadcasting. “To consolidate and to move out of disparate buildings all across the county into one location to maximize efficiency.”

The looming goal to consolidate county government operations sparked a quick decision from commissioners when newly renovated properties in town suddenly went up for sale, Majdi said.

The headquarters for the American Public University System (APUS), a for-profit online education program, has been based in Charles Town since 2003. But after the APUS moved its operations fully online and vacated the buildings, the commission moved to purchase its property in 2024.

“They had just refurbished, remodeled and redone the buildings. So you have a basically brand new building,” Majdi said. “Instead of building a new complex for $90 million, we were able to purchase two new buildings that mostly suit our needs for $23.5 million, significantly less.”

Majdi said the commission will need to convert one of the two properties it acquired into a functional courthouse, which the commission expects to cost more than $11 million.

Community Voices Concerns, Ideas

Meanwhile, the commission has faced some blowback from residents and local organizations for not proactively developing a plan for its soon-to-be vacated properties along Washington Street.

On June 4, these concerns led the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia (PAWV) to place the county’s downtown buildings on its endangered properties list.

“The departure of county government from downtown without beginning aggressive planning and thoughtful coordination now between Jefferson County and Charles Town could have a devastating impact,” PAWV said in a June press release. “The creation and execution of redevelopment plans can take years to fully realize.”

In May, the commission also received vocal pushback from local groups like Charles Town Now, an independent downtown development group that partners with the city.

On July 17, the commission held a public forum regarding the future of its Washington Street properties, inviting residents and community stakeholders to offer feedback and ideas for future usage of the sites.

Several presenters also spoke to the commission about restrictions surrounding county property under state law, and possible funding mechanisms for refurbishing the buildings.

Majdi said his preference would be for the city government to purchase the properties from the county commission and sell them to private entities.

“By converting it to the private sector, that’s the most important thing we can do to support economic revitalization in Charles Town,” he said.

Under state law, Majdi said county governments cannot sell properties into private industry, but that municipal governments like the City of Charles Town can.

“It’s much more flexible if the city takes it on,” Majdi said. “Plus, they’re clearly invested in this. They’ve got ideas.”

But at the forum, Charles Town Mayor Mike George said the city currently has no plans to purchase the properties.

Protecting Public Access

Some ideas that found a positive response from commissioners seek to strike a balance between promoting economic vitality downtown, while also protecting historic preservation and public access.

A representative for the Jefferson County Museum delivered a proposal for the commission to convert the county courthouse into a new museum space, telling the history of the site and Jefferson County more widely. Majdi and other commissioners said they would be open to this idea, especially if the museum could secure public funding outside the commission.

Marcella Genz is director of the Charles Town Library and the Jefferson County Museum. Given the importance of downtown Charles Town to local history, she told WVPB she hopes ideas like these that center public interest resonate with the commission.

“By moving the museum to the courthouse, that would be a tremendous asset to the county and to the nation, because of the great history that maintains importance, even for today,” Genz said. “The John Brown trial, in many ways, is still not over. Nor is the West Virginia Miners trial. Those are settled cases, but many of the same issues still remain.”

“That’s quite a legacy, and it’s one that needs to be maintained,” she said.