West Southern Pines Site Plans Met With Skepticism

This article first appeared in The Pilot on May, 6, 2022. 

At least 60 residents, mostly from West Southern Pines, packed the Douglass Community Center Thursday evening to hear a presentation and share reactions to preliminary development plans for 36 acres of town-owned land at the intersection of West Morganton Road and South Henley Street.

The land, which is mostly undeveloped, is part of the town’s efforts to revitalize West Southern Pines via the Development Finance Initiative.

DFI is a UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government-sponsored program that partners with communities to provide specialized real estate development and finance expertise for projects. Its role is to help guide the planning process and structure the public-private partnership to ensure the interests align with what the community wants.

The site discussed Thursday is an important one; it sits across the street from a massive planned development that includes a mix of retail, office and residential uses. The initial phase will be a large retail component including the county’s first Target store and possibly a new grocer.

Henley Street is considered a “gateway” to the historically Black West Southern Pines neighborhood. The town-owned tract was identified as a key opportunity by DFI two years ago.

West Southern Pines was once home to a vibrant African-American community with numerous Black-owned businesses. However, after enjoying economic prosperity in the 1960s, it saw a shift in the following decade after much of the neighborhood was rezoned from commercial to residential. As businesses closed, new ones were unable to open at the same location. Generations of Black residents have since moved away from the area as well.

In recent years, residents have brought forth renewed interest in reinvigorating the area with economic growth and appreciation of cultural heritage.

For example, the Southern Pines Land and Housing Trust successfully purchased the former Southern Pines Primary School campus on Carlisle Street to establish the West Southern Pines Center for African American History, Cultural Arts and Business.

Goals Outlined

In March 2021, the town asked DFI to help identify how this particular parcel could be best used to help revitalization of West Southern Pines. Town residents were asked for input, and DFI then developed a list of “guiding interests” for the project.

Those guided interests cover six categories. The site, according to DFI, should:

Serve as a distinctive entry point to the West Southern Pines neighborhood and Morganton Road area;

Allow for greater density of commercial uses along Morganton Road. Closer to neighborhoods off the road, it should transition to lower density uses consistent with homes;

Align with West Southern Pines neighborhood’s revitalization goal to increase economic and physical vitality while preserving the neighborhood’s culture and character;

Include publicly accessible recreational uses currently not available;

Provide pedestrian and bike access and improve connectivity from West Southern Pines to Morganton Road without increasing vehicle traffic; and

Minimize public investment and maximize private investment.

DFI worked with Neighboring Concepts, a Charlotte-based architectural firm, to develop conceptual plans that would meet these goals, as well as build a “financially feasible” project model that aligns with regulatory constraints.

Meaningful Investment Sought

Three different “blocks” are being proposed: commercial, residential and recreational.

The preliminary plan, presented during the meeting Thursday and at an earlier meeting last Saturday, included rough sketches of the mixed-use development. Highlights include a YMCA, hotel and “affordable” rental housing for seniors.

Residents, however, were generally skeptical of the ideas because they worry that the project does not match their revitalization goals.

One point that made this particularly clear during the public input session was DFI’s decision to include a hotel in the conceptual plans. Though DFI’s plan is non-binding, residents saw the inclusion of the 100-room hotel — which DFI representatives said would be akin to a name-brand hotel — as a sign of disconnect in the planning process.

While DFI had included the hotel as a potential “major job creator,” residents said the kinds of jobs offered would be low-paying and likely part-time with no benefits. They worried it would not be in the best interest of the community.

“Most of us in here have worked at hotels in this area,” Kim Wade said. “So we already know how that works. So we don't see how it would benefit us economically and change our standard of living. We want to make sure that whatever business is built there is going to upgrade our standard of living, and we want to start out with at least $15 an hour.”

Along these lines, residents were concerned about DFI’s ability to ensure that Black-owned businesses, such as those that existed back in the 1960s, would be able to survive in the area.

“If you're going to have a retail store, make sure that the minorities that want to establish businesses will be able to afford to rent their establishment and rent their buildings,” Phyllis Dowdy said.

Residents said they would like to meet with possible developers before they built. Such conversations, they said, could help establish ways for businesses to give back to the West Southern Pines community. Attracting establishments, for instance, that would provide gainful future employment opportunities to kids growing in West Southern Pines would be a common goal to work toward.

“We want to make sure that whatever developer comes in, that’s understood that the monies are going to be reinvested back into our neighborhoods,” Wade said.

Residents Skeptical

Another topic brought up as part of the project’s goal is retaining the cultural heritage and history of West Southern Pines. Residents were particularly skeptical on this end. While they appreciated DFI’s efforts, they worried that an outside developer coming in would not reflect the community’s history and ethos.

“Our neighborhood and character is historic. It’s unique,” Felicia Winfield said. “How can a developer, commercial or otherwise, come in and capture that, without talking to us citizens?”

The recreational aspect of the development is centered around a YMCA. Sarah Odio, assistant director for DFI, said the group had approached YMCA about building a location there after hearing the community's interest in having a YMCA during last year’s public input sessions.

Residents expressed concerns Thursday about the affordability of membership costs at the proposed YMCA.

Odio acknowledged that costs may be dependent on multiple circumstances. “I think it's relative and it's on the sliding scale,” she said. “And I understand, and we're going to have that conversation with the Y. It has to happen.”

Another point of concern for residents was a proposed expansion of Stephens Street, which they said could split the neighborhood and displace those already living in houses there. Odio said no houses would be demolished in the process of expanding the road, if it were to happen.

Other notable concerns for residents were the proposed costs of “affordable” senior housing — $27,000 for singles and $37,000 a year for couples — as well as why the housing options had been conceived as limited to seniors.

Community members also wondered about having bike paths go through their community, as it could attract unwanted attention to the community should accidents occur down the line.

Odio also responded to residents’ concerns about increased property taxes as a result of the new development. Odio said that, with more development, residents could expect property values to increase. That rise could lead to higher property tax bills.

“Revitalization does lead to an increase over time in property taxes,” Odio said. “What do you do? What can a local government do? There are programs that exist and that's another conversation, but I'm not gonna get into property values.”

West Southern Pines residents also said there should also be collaboration between DFI and the Southern Pines Land and Housing Trust as part of the town’s efforts to revitalize the neighborhood.

DFI will present the results of the feedback sessions to the council. It will then make “feasible adjustments” to the plan based on the council’s recommendations following the presentation. The council will then endorse a preferred plan for the project.