Crossroads Community Services Board recently purchased 3 acres of land and an 11,000-square-foot office building for $1.5 million. The transaction, according to Prince Edward County land records, was recorded on Oct. 24 in the circuit court clerk’s office.

According to a commercial purchase agreement dated Aug. 25, Crossroads purchased the property, at 161 Bush River Drive, adjacent to Crossroads’ offices along Route 460, from TDR Enterprises LLC. The land transaction reflects the agreement, which was signed Aug. 31.

Initial news of the purchase agreement came more than two weeks after the board voted unanimously following an Aug. 23 closed session to accept a recommendation from its finance committee regarding a real estate matter — action board leadership declined to comment on for two and a half weeks until Sept. 8.

In a previous interview, Crossroads Board Chairman and Lunenburg representative Sidney Smyth said the organization is overcrowded in its current buildings and needed more space for soon-to-be implemented new programs.

The purchase made “obvious” sense, Smyth said, because of its location.

“The good thing for us is … we’ve got an oversized well and septic system there. If there were an expansion, or if we have any problems with our property, we’ve got that huge septic system to tie into,” Smyth said in the previous interview.

The property was recently appraised at $1.67 million, according to documents produced by Smyth.

Earlier this year, Crossroads Executive Director Susan Baker described conditions in its current facility as being “on top of each other.” Baker said it’s been difficult to add staff but Crossroads didn’t have the space. She said the board and administration had been thinking about purchasing the adjacent land and building for several years.

Baker previously said the initial plan is to move medical services into the top floor of the purchased building, saying it would better serve the public with more private spaces and handicap access. She also said Crossroads was looking at moving its emergency services into that space, adding a new program called “Open Access.”

Baker said the new program would allow members of the public who need to be seen for mental health of substance abuse matters to be seen the same day they walk in. She also said the Medicaid department is expanding its funding of substance abuse services between April and July of next year, positioning Crossroads to provide new Medicaid-related services.

In addition to the office building, the property includes a smaller office building of about 1,150 square feet, which could house a single program, Baker said.

According to sale documents, Smyth, who is a realtor for Long & Foster Realtors, acted as the selling broker in the agreement. He charged no commission and wrote the contract pro bono.