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National Award Cites Renovation Projects by Winston-Salem Developer WINSTON-SALEM—Historic downtown properties in rural South Carolina that were spared from demolition and made into affordable housing by a Winston-Salem developer have won national recognition from the Council of State Community Development Agencies. COSCDA, a national organization based in Washington, D.C., gave its 2004 President’s Award for Innovation to the South Carolina State Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program for revitalizing rural downtowns by renovating historic buildings to create housing for low- and moderate-income residents. “I love it here,” said Kitty Bailey, a 62-year-old resident of the Rose Hotel Apartments in the City of York. “I feel safe and comfortable here.” The Rose Hotel, which dates from the mid-1800s, was rundown and ramshackle when The Landmark Group of Winston-Salem arrived in the late 1990s. Working closely with city and state officials, the developer put together a package including CDBG funds, private investment and tax abatements to convert the hotel into affordable housing and street-level commercial space. “It was getting to the point where we were going to have to raze the building,” said Trey Eubanks, the York city manager. “With the combination of various funding sources, Landmark was able to create a project that made good business sense.” Building on the success of the York project, Landmark undertook public-private efforts to create affordable downtown housing from historic properties elsewhere in rural South Carolina, including the cities of Chester, Clinton, Great Falls, Lancaster, Mullins and Union. In each case the city was a major partner through which South Carolina’s CDBG Program invested more than $2 million in the projects, which have created more than 120 units of affordable housing. Each of the projects met three important goals of the state’s CDBG Program: creating affordable housing, supporting vibrant downtowns and preserving historic structures. Together they represent innovative efforts to create healthy and sustainable communities, and the investments have served as catalysts for further development. Because they are in downtowns, the apartments are a great option for seniors who lack transportation and need to be near businesses and services. The units had an average occupancy rate of 84 percent in August 2004. In addition to CDBG funds, historic and low-income housing tax credits, and private investments, the developer also received support through the South Carolina Housing Trust Fund and the state’s Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME). State CDBG officials also provided the municipalities with technical assistance. Mike Spletto, chair of the COSCDA committee that decided the 2004 innovation award, said the key ingredient in South Carolina’s entry was the forging of partnerships starting with city leaders who took a long view of how each of the projects would spur growth.
“It was not just looking at the housing, but what’s going to happen after the housing, the comprehensive community development,” Spletto said from Fargo, N.D., were he is a program manager with North Dakota’s Department of Commerce. “One building at a time doesn’t get the job done.”
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