N.C. Gen. Stat. § 121-16
The Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, within the limits and amounts appropriated by the General Assembly and any funds available from donations or otherwise, when the conditions set forth in G.S. 121-15 of this Article have been met, is hereby granted the power and authority to purchase sufficient lands for the restoration of the Palace, and the Department is hereby authorized to accept title to lands in the name of the State of North Carolina.
The Department of Natural and Cultural Resources shall also have the authority to acquire, by condemnation, under the provisions of Chapter 40A of the General Statutes of North Carolina, including the provisions of the Public Works Eminent Domain Law, which is hereby made applicable to such proceedings, any areas of land in New Bern, North Carolina, as it may find necessary for the restoration of the Palace.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 121-16