Cleveland-Holloway: The time to speak up is now

This afternoon, the City Council will vote during its work session on the sale of vacant property in the Cleveland-Holloway neighborhood for the price of $1 apiece. This transfer -- consistent with the City's stated goal of transferring surplus properties to non-profits, yet wholly at odds with the City's stated goal of avoiding high concentrations of low-income housing and social services -- has been clouded in recent months by a serious procedural concern.

As Gary's noted over at Endangered Durham, as many as a couple dozen residents and other individuals asked the City about purchasing the land over the past two to three years, always with the same answer -- "we'll get back to you." Apparently the only folks who were contacted were those running the non-profits Housing for New Hope and Dominion Ministries, who are buying properties with a combined tax value of $1 million for just two dollars.

The alarm bells and concerns on this one are multi-faceted, and altogether too big to allow this to happen without some serious investigation on the City's part:

• Is it, in fact, the case that individuals inquiring about these two vacant properties weren't notified about their availability, or at least their disposition plan?
• Why is the City stepping away from its stated intent not to concentrate low-income housing in geographical areas? (As noted below the cut, this part of Durham has a vastly disproportionate share of social services facilities.)
• In an era when our local governments are straining for revenue, is a $1 million giveaway to these non-profits appropriate?
• Is the City's relationship with these organizations, or non-profits in general, too cozy? Have the neighbors in the neighborhoods been forgotten?

Patrick Baker had promised an answer to some of the procedural questions above a couple of weeks ago. From what I can tell, those answers never came. Conspiratorial? I doubt it. More of the status quo, I fear.

In any event, if you're concerned about the City moving forward with these land transfers -- at all, or at least until the facts are in -- I'd ask you to sign this petition from the Cleveland-Holloway neighborhood asking the City to stop this transfer in its tracks. Better still to make today's meeting, but work obligations will prevent many (myself included) from doing so. As of this morning, the petition has 143 signatures; the more, the better in reminding Durham's elected officials of our concerns.

This issue, to the credit of folks in C-H and people like Gary Keuber, has not escaped the notice of Durham's neighborhoods. Established neighborhood associations are rumbling in discussions on positions on this issue. Listservs are buzzing with residents concerned that C-H gets a just outcome.

Members of the Council, please know that Durham is looking to you for leadership today. And not just residents of Queen and Roxboro, but on Clarendon, and University, and Gloria, and Club, too. This issue affects us all.

Below the cut, emails with the perspectives of Natalie Spring and Catherine Edgerton, two C-H residents active in the debate over these vacant parcels.

Our Neighborhood:
Our neighborhood is by the main public library downtown. We are roughly, bounded by Cleveland St, Roxboro, Holloway, and Canal and include all streets in between. We have the remnants of Mansion Row, two local and national historic districts, and many lovely old craftsman cottages and bungalows that people restore, love, and share. We are an economically, racially, socially, and age diverse neighborhood with many people who have lived here for over 20 years. We have a blog at clevelandholloway.blogspot.com

What's going on:
The city is trying to get rid of surplus property that they have obtained over the years. They created a policy that allows the transfer of property for $1 to non-profits who build affordable housing. What is supposed to happen is that they put the land out for bid and if no bids
come in, then those properties get offered to non-profits to build affordable housing. Great idea and a win-win situation - City gets rid of property, people get more affordable housing. However, this is not what happened in our neighborhood. Here, the city specifically set aside two parcels, one that is 1.5 acres on Roxboro St (currently an overgrown area behind the First Baptist Church) and another on the corner of Dillard and Holloway St that sits near the Durham Crisis Response, WTVD, and the Holloway St National Historic District. These parcels were NEVER offered for public sale. They have lists of individuals (confirmed by City Council Member Mike Woodard) who were interested in purchasing the land but who they did not call and did not offer to sell the land to, even though this is the way it is supposed to happen.

Very conservative estimates are that the Roxboro St parcel could sell for $450,000 while the Dillard St parcel could sell for about $500,000 because of the location and lot qualities. The city is currently trying to give these two very valuable parcels away for $1 each to two separate non-profits, Housing for New Hope (Roxboro) and Dominion Ministries (Dillard) to build a 10 unit efficiency apartment complex for mentally ill and substance abusing homeless people and a level iv 24 hr lock-down facility for severely emotionally disturbed and violent youth.

While our neighborhood does not question that mentally ill and substance abusing homeless people and severely emotionally disturbed youth need services, we are already shouldering a lot of social services. Here you will find Urban Ministries- the shelter and soup kitchen on Liberty St., the Durham Crisis Response Center, Genesis House, The Salvation Army, Durham Health Department, Phoenix House, Andover I, Liberty Street homes, and group homes and boarding houses galore.

The reason that the two non-profits have given for wanting to concentrate services in our neighborhood is that the land is cheap. (We did point out that they were getting the land for $1)

No one from the non-profits came to consult with any of the neighbors. No one from the city asked if we wanted more non-profit social services in our neighborhood.

Meeting:
We will be attending the next City Council Worksession THURSDAY AUGUST 9th at 1pm. We will be speaking to council about this issue at 4:00pm.

Goals:
We want the city to rescind the land transfers. The property has not been transferred and according to the City Attorney, the council can decide at any point to not transfer the land and rescind the deal. We want this to happen. These parcels should be sold at market rate to
developers who will, because of zoning & planning requirements, have to include neighborhood input and support in the developments. These parcels are the gateways to downtown. We have a rare opportunity to do some really cool things that would attract people downtown and spread
developments from downtown and Central Park to East Durham. We could have another Whole Foods or urban market. We could have a restaurant. We could have a community center. We could have a museum. There are so many things that we could have that our neighborhood wants. We do not want more social services. We have enough already. If these projects go through we will effectively be cordoning off the east side of downtown Durham from development, economic revitalization, and growth.

Please forward widely. We need as many concerned Durham residents who believe the city should rescind the deal at the next City Council Work session Thursday August 9th at 4:00pm.

If you have any additional questions you can always email me, natalie.spring@gmail.com, (do not respond to this email, it is infrequently checked) the entire organizing committee
clevelandholloway@gmail.com, or give a call 919.682.8284

Natalie Spring
503 N. Queen St.

.....

"Things You Can Buy For a Dollar"
by Catherine Edgerton

There's a cup of coffee, a pack of loose-leaf paper, a few bouncy balls.  Or, if the time is  right, a one and a half acre tract of land in the middle of the Cleveland/Holloway neighborhood district on the lip of downtown Durham.

I grew up on Mangum Street, and now live on Queen.  I've spent many mornings exploring the surrounding rows of Quicky marts, giant oak trees and storefront churches. Boarded houses and neglected plots of land still lie dormant, and the streets host constant foot traffic by residents of a city that hasn't built sidewalks here.

I am passionate about this part of Durham, although some folks prefer the polished homogony of more suburban neighborhoods and use sensationalist news stories to justify their fears of living in a diverse one.  Despite its grid of beautiful historic homes and its solid community of residents, our neighborhood is feared, neglected and greatly misunderstood.  From an outsider's perspective, it is possibly an appropriate location to put social service agencies that are not desired in "nicer" neighborhoods.

Although ten social service agencies currently function within the barriers of my neighborhood, the city is in the process of selling two more plots of land that sit within its limits. One of these is going to Housing for New Hope for the purpose of sheltering formerly homeless and drug-addicted people; the other is going to Dominion Ministries, soon to be a lock down facility for youth with "severe behavioral and emotional problems."  These plots of land, bursting with potential and surrounded by a buzzing, thriving community, went for a dollar each.

While affordable housing and social support systems are crucial elements to a thriving community, shouldn't such facilities be distributed evenly throughout the city? Emotionally disturbed youth would surely benefit more in an environment that fosters rehabilitation and growth. We need a grocery store.  We need a park.

City Council claims that the land was for sale for years before it was set aside for non-profits to bid on. However, three members of the community have offered proof that they wrote or called to inquire about the land's availability (one of them wanted to build a clinic).  They were told that it was not yet for sale, and that they would be notified when the land was available.  They weren't.  In fact nobody was notified until the transfer to Housing for New Hope & Dominion Ministries had started.

The people who live here are people that truly define our rising city; we are creative, culturally rich and our houses hold the history of a raw and beautiful town.  Such history, such culture, such land is certainly worth more than a dollar, and our voices are worth being heard.  Please join us before city council on August 9th and August 20th to help stop the transfer of land, and to preserve our neighborhood.

Comments

[AMS]

I know government depends more and more on non-profits to provide services that are needed to the community, particularly to the poor or disabled. As someone who sat on the FY07 committee to prioritize the City's 1.6M in non-profit distributions, I became deeply concerned about the competency of the board & solvency of several of the agencies. Several of these agencies received funding. Politics played the "ace in the hole" for some of these agencies, even when the committees felt some were questionable at best.

What Cleveland Holloway (or any other older, struggling urban neighborhood) doesn't need are reasons to stimulate dis-investment. Having another social service, particularly one in such a prominent location, in an area where many similar operations currently exist, will encouarge dis-investment. The City needs to reassure owners that the they want this private investment to continue. It's the private sector that ultimately has the power to bring this community up. It becomes increasingly impossible when the goverment gives away valuable land. CofD, if you feel compelled to provide land for these non-profits, find a different location that doesn't undermine an existing, struggling community.

[Michael Bacon]

Update: Patrick Baker is reporting that technically, the proper channels were followed to only market the parcels to non-profits. However, he is admitting that both the informal word that they would contact interested parties was broken, and that the community was not sufficiently contacted. He just recommended that the decision be rescinded, and the properties put up for bid.

[Michael Bacon]

Clement has just inquired as to whether the conveyance has taken place, and whether Council can rescind it. Baker says yes.

[gails14]

Once the transfer has been made to a non profit does that mean the property comes off the property tax rolls?