Preserving Dunbar: Conflicting stories over building’s future emerges
The former school building at 301 Smith Ave. educated students in Lexington for 56 years.
{Contributed photo/Charles Owens}
A controversial project that planted many residents who live near Dunbar School on opposite sides of the spectrum from city of Lexington representatives is once again making headlines. Two variations regarding next steps for the school have surfaced within the last few weeks.
Ned Fowler, president of Shelter Investments Development Corporation (SIDC), the entity desiring to convert the building into apartments for seniors, has confirmed their plans, to resubmit their historic tax credit application in 2022. Per Lexington City Councilor Donald Holt, who represents Ward 1 where the school is located, the owner of the building, the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte (the Diocese), has been contacted by Sheets Memorial Christian School (SMCS) about potential purchase of the building. Holt directed Davidson Local to Lexington City Manager Terra Greene who corroborated the news.
“I kind of feel weird saying this because it’s kind of their [the Diocese] news to break. We were contacted by the Diocese. They said it appears the contract has run out [with SIDC] and called as a courtesy. They knew there were concerns about the former proposal. They have been approached by Sheets and are exploring that. He [the Diocese representative] wanted to know how I thought that might be perceived in the community. I said honestly, I don’t know. I have talked to a few key council members who heard from constituents who weren’t pleased before, so I floated that balloon. That’s going from a school-based use to a school-based use so there’s no decision for the city to make. This isn’t really a public matter.”
The Diocese and SMCS have been contacted regarding this turn of events. At the time of publication, representatives from neither entity have made statements to Davidson Local.
Last year, debate arose as news spread throughout the neighborhood regarding a new, potential neighbor. Unhappy about the current condition of the school on Smith Ave., many residents of the street and adjacent roads were even more unhappy when the Lexington City Council voted 5-4 to issue a major zoning permit to SIDC.
Planning to convert the nearly 70-year-old building into apartments for seniors 62 and up, Fowler and his team were aware they would need assistance, in the form of historic tax credits, borrowing and grants, to bring the project to fruition.
While it was approved by the city, a large consensus of neighborhood residents disapproved. They expressed concerns over increased traffic, reduction in property values, the lack of notification about the proposal and a disruption of life for numerous homeowners who are seniors and have lived in their residences for more than 40 years.
In April 2021, Fowler noted the possibility of groundbreaking being delayed if the corporation wasn’t awarded the tax credits. In August, this possibility became a reality. At the time, Fowler confirmed SIDC was still working to move forward with the project.
“We’re treating this as a delay and not a defeat. Development is a risky business. We’re committed to bringing this to Lexington and Davidson County.”
According to Fowler, SIDC has continued discussions with the Diocese about extending the agreement to maintain site control at the school. Their most recent contact with them was in November.
Asked if the Diocese had indicated to SIDC if they were potentially entertaining other offers, Fowler stated, “They have not. We don’t think there’s another customer in the wings primarily because this type of use and financing is esoteric to say the least. They’re only a handful of teams in North Carolina that knows how to put this together. It’s one of the few ways this old building can be saved and memorialized.”
SIDC hopes to finalize an agreement with the Diocese in January 2022. There’s a preliminary submission deadline on January 19 for the historic tax credits. The final submission is in May of next year.
“We’ve had some good conversations with the neighbors and concerned citizens, in the meantime. We’re keeping the communication open with the city particularly about the use of the ballfields and walking trails. We want the community to be able to benefit from all of that and I think the city wants that, too. It’s an exciting possibility.”
Although it isn’t clear, yet, which direction the fate of the building, which used to be home to the city’s all-Black high school, is headed in word has begun to spread throughout the neighborhood about Sheets potentially becoming a neighbor.
“Dunbar started as an educational facility and has been an educational facility when it was fully functional,” said Cindy Miller, a resident of the neighborhood. “Therefore, we would welcome the location remaining an educational facility.”
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to Davidson Local for more updates as they arise.
