27 Oct Webb County closes on $4.25M Casa Blanca Event Center purchase

Webb County has closed on the Casa Blanca Event Center property along U.S. 59, paying $4.25 million for nearly 15 acres, according to the Laredo Morning Times.

The sale, which closed last week, covers two tracts that include a roughly 30,000-square-foot event facility, Pct. 1 Commissioner Jesse Gonzalez said. The price matches what the seller originally asked. Two appraisals the county commissioned while it weighed the purchase put the tracts’ combined value at about $2.9 million, or roughly $1.35 million less than the county paid.

For now, the county is using the building as an events venue. Gonzalez said events are being moved there during renovations to the fairgrounds pavilion, including the upcoming second Mercado Festival, for which the building was announced as a temporary venue.

Over the longer term, commissioners are discussing whether to house county departments on the property, Gonzalez said. He described it as a possible single location for multiple county services. Commissioners Court has not approved moving any department.

Pct. 3 Commissioner John Galo described the land and its location as a sound investment for the long run. The building is in better condition than he first recalled, he said, and it will take on most of the event load while the fairgrounds pavilion is closed.

Tax Assessor-Collector Patricia Barrera has criticized the purchase. She told Commissioners Court on Oct. 13 that she did not think the site would suit her office, pointing to highway traffic and the risk to older residents and people with disabilities who go there for vehicle registrations, plates and placards. She also questioned paying more than the appraised value.

Ahead of closing, the county had a land title (ALTA) survey done at the request of outside counsel. Negotiations over the property had gone on for months.