Preserving Dunbar: The Current Plan
Architect’s rendering reflects proposal to repurpose Dunbar School into senior housing.
{Contributed photo/Charles Owens}
Last summer, during a regularly scheduled meeting, the Lexington City Council voted 5-4 to grant a zoning permit to Shelter Investments Development Corporation (SIDC) to convert Dunbar School, once home to the city’s only Black high school (and sitting vacant since 2008), on Smith Ave. into affordable, senior housing.
The proposed development, which has received mixed reception, has been a hot topic in Lexington for nearly a year, especially in the Black community. At a previous city council meeting, several residents who live in this predominantly Black neighborhood, that surrounds the school, called in to express their displeasure with what was being proposed for the building. They also voiced their frustrations at the city since they weren’t previously made aware of the proposition.
At a time when government entities, corporations and organizations have been forced to acknowledge the disparities, inequities and systemic racism rooted in many of their foundations, this decision has reopened wounds that have left numerous citizens swallowing the bitter taste of distrust.
Getting Involved
Ned Fowler, president of SIDC, and his team began developing a plan for the nearly 10-acre site a few years ago. The group was approached by Preservation North Carolina, whose motto is “Saving Places That Matter to the Diverse People of North Carolina.” It is comprised of affordable housing developers with numerous years of experience.
The development team has completed seven historic, adaptive reuse projects. Currently, they’re working on three including Dunbar. Most recently, they completed the renovation of the former Ashe Hospital in Jefferson, NC. For their work, they were bestowed the HUD Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation.
In deciding to pursue the Dunbar project, the team was drawn to the history of the building, the steadiness of the neighborhood and the need for additional housing options, according to research.
“The market analysis on Dunbar School showed an extremely high need in Lexington for affordable, senior housing for persons who were living on fixed income,” said Fowler. “We know from that if we can get the financing done and get it built, it’ll fill up quickly. I tend to think you won’t have to reach a lot further than the neighborhood that surrounds the school to find enough seniors who are interested in moving in there. In fact, some of the folks who have inherited or own property in this single-family neighborhood may decide that at their age or income it would be easier on them if they moved into a nice, clean, new, Energy Star apartment instead of having to provide upkeep on a yard and house that was built in the 1950s.”
The Plan
The renovation and conversion of Dunbar is centered around the creation of 71 dwelling units for seniors, ages 62 and older. According to federal law, residents would pay no more than 30 percent of their income toward shelter and utilities.
The architectural plans include utilizing the existing classroom structures for the apartments as well as construction of a new, brick building that will house multiple units. The team foresees minor interior demolition. To meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, all staircases will be outfitted with lifts to allow seniors and visitors to access both levels safely.
The area of the one-bedroom apartments ranges from approximately 660 to 880 square feet. Each unit will have its own bathroom, kitchen, living area and dining space.
Changes inside the building won’t be confined to the apartments. The plan includes a laundry facility, sunroom, library, computer lab and a common area. Additionally, a memory room will be created. Its purpose is to aid in the preservation of the history of Dunbar School. Fowler and his team intend to reach out to members of the community to gather insight, stories and artifacts that can be housed within the space.
“They had a strong athletic department and well-known marching band,” recalled Fowler, who grew up in Winston-Salem. “I remember seeing them perform when I was a kid. Their band was the best around.”
For years, the suggestion of utilizing the school as a community center has rumbled throughout town. Taking into consideration the wishes of those in the community, the auditorium, gymnasium and cafeteria will be renovated as well. Together, they will compose the A.B. Bingham Community Center, which will be named after Dunbar High School’s only principal. The center will be open to the public.
The desire of the development team is to have a separate manager for the community center, in addition to the company that handles property management. There is the possibility that a local nonprofit would be involved in the supervision of the center.
Outside of the building, the grounds are slated to be landscaped. In the courtyard, a picnic shelter and seating areas will be added. Charles England Park, which is on the land adjacent to the building, will remain as is. The official name of the complex hasn’t been decided but will include the word Dunbar.
Securing Funding, Historic Designation
Since 2009, the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte has owned the building and land. SIDC has signed an agreement with the organization to purchase the property.
To execute its proposal, the team has constructed a plan to acquire the resources needed to proceed with the nearly $13 million project. It includes a combination of housing and historic tax credits, borrowing and grants.
“The most important of all those resources are the housing tax credits,” Fowler stated. “They’re a powerful tool. It’s the principal way that affordable housing rental development has been funded over the last 25 years.”
In 2008, Charles England Intermediate School moved to a new location. The building on Smith Ave. reverted to Dunbar School. {Contributed photo/Dunbar Preservation Society}
Amongst the information submitted in its application are documents indicating the company’s desire to continue the process to have Dunbar School added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, the school was added to the Study List of potential nominations by North Carolina’s State Historic Preservation Office, at the request of Dunbar High School alumnus and historian, Charles Owens. For the plan to be considered for historic tax credits, this is a requirement.
With this route serving as the main source of capital, the path to secure it is competitive.
“The federal program that promotes the development of affordable housing and provides for private institutional development to come into Lexington is a program that’s run by the IRS,” explained Fowler. “It’s a tax incentive program for private investments. Because those incentives are capped in each state we’re going up against [approximately] 163 other developments.”
In August, between 40-45 projects will be awarded the credits. If SIDC receives theirs, the plan will move into the implementation stages. If they don’t, the team will reconvene to discuss next steps.
“I don’t know how the team would feel about going forward another year with competition on this one,” he said. “We’ve worked on this project for several years together.”
Moving Forward, Addressing Concerns
As noted, next steps hinge upon funding. If SIDC proceeds, Fowler expects that it would take 90 days to complete construction documents. Tise-Kiester Architects from Chapel Hill is the architectural firm. Weaver Cook Construction from Greensboro will handle general contracting.
“We’d like to use as many local subcontractors as we possibly can,” Fowler said. “Charles and I are putting together a list of preferred local contractors. It’ll be published in the specification book. It doesn’t require the general contractor hire these local subcontractors. It does require that they contact them and give them the opportunity to provide bid pricing on whatever portion of the work they’re interested in.”
With this timeline, groundbreaking would commence in late November or early December. The goal is to have the apartments ready for occupancy by Christmas of 2022.
Getting to a place of completion won’t only require work commencing on the grounds but also in the community as well. After being present on calls with the of Lexington’s Planning and Zoning Board, City Council and members of the community, Fowler is aware of the animosity and resentment towards the plan that has been expressed by numerous residents of the neighborhood. Despite adamantly stating that they “did not contribute to the neighbors feeling blindsided because they were invited in by Preservation NC,” Fowler offered this message for those who are skeptical.
“We regret some of them felt like that but we can assure them it’s interactive from here on out,” he declared. “Those who were concerned were primarily concerned about the decisions of the city and they felt like they weren’t being listened to by the city. We made it plain that we were interested in dialogue with them. I can’t promise that we can give them everything they want but we can certainly take all the concerns into consideration while we are completing the design process for these improvements. We’re sincere in our intention to honor what they’ve done in that neighborhood and the way they’ve taken care of it. And the way their forebearers took care of it. Most of those we’ve talked to understood that intention. We’re not a development team that’s going to come in, plop down a development, take our money and leave town. We’re in it for the long haul and want to be good neighbors.”
If any subcontractors are interested in being added to the preferred local contactors list, submit pertinent information to Fowler at efowler@nwrha.com.
