COSTA MESA

Coast Community College District officials are considering the prospect of vacating the district’s Adams Avenue headquarters and leasing the land to a hardware store as a way to bring in revenue for three community colleges.

Lowe’s Home Centers Inc. of North Carolina has made a serious attempt at leasing the $8.1-million parcel adjacent to Orange Coast College, according to officials at Voit Commercial Brokerage, the real estate firm that is trying to ink the deal.

Lowe’s is one of the nation’s largest hardware retailers with 589 stores in 39 states and annual sales in excess of $15 million.

Last year, the district started looking at its three campus sites, Orange Coast, Golden West and Coastline, and its district headquarters, to see if available plots could be leased, said Jerry Patterson, president of the district board of trustees.

The move was an attempt to increase revenue without raising fees, Patterson said.