City to return 'Brewery Arts Center' property to BAC owners, so long as all religious activity is prohibited
At the upcoming Carson City Board of Supervisor's meeting, a discussion regarding the reconveyance of the property housing the Brewery Arts Center from the city to the BAC itself will be held, so long as any religious activity will continue to be prohibited at the site.
A reconveyance is the act of returning or the transfer of a title to a property to a borrower once a mortgage or lease has fully been paid. The city has held ownership of the property since 1977, and has been leasing the property to the BAC since 1979.
A “Covenant of Use” for the Brewery Arts Center is to be discussed, requiring that any explicitly religious activity be prohibited at the property.
According to the report, on Sept. 19, 2019 the Board adopted a resolution declaring it to be in the best interest of Carson City and its residents to offer the reconveyance of the Brewery Arts Center, which had originally donated the property to the city. This was subject to written confirmation that city had met the conditions of the holding period and other conditions of the original grant obtained by the city prior to the reconveyance of the deed.
Since that time, the Economic Development Administration (EDA) has advised the city that in order to request a release of the property after the useful life of the project and without repayment of the Federal Share, the city must record a Covenant of Use on the property.
The Covenant of Use states that the property will not be used for explicitly religious activities in violation of applicable Federal law, and will not be used for any purpose that would violate the nondiscrimination requirements set forth in 13 CFR 302.20.
On June 30, 1977, the city accepted a deed of dedication for 449 West King Street from the Carson City Art Alliance (later renamed Brewery Arts Center) for the purpose of the property being used and maintained forever as a place to create, display and contain works of art.
The Brewery Arts Center officially opened on June 9, 1979, and since that time the property has been leased back to the Brewery Arts Center to conduct arts and craft programs, workshops, theater performances, meetings, lectures, and educational classes.
According to the city report, because there is no municipal use needed for this property, on September 19, 2019 the Board adopted a resolution declaring it to begin the best interest to offer the reconveyance of the property back to the Brewery Arts Center.