New plan in works that could save Brookhill Village affordable housing

Charlotte Business Journal,Anthony Kustura
·3 min read

The city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County are working on a collaborative investment that will move development forward at Brookhill Village.

Prior to Monday night’s regular meeting, during action review, council heard an update from Shawn Heath, city director of housing and neighborhood services. Heath said city and county staff are proposing a $7 million investment to protect the 78 units currently occupied at Brookhill, plus 22 more that are uninhabited.

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The proposal includes $3.5 million each from the city and the county that will be used for interior and exterior renovations on 100 remaining units, as well as the acquisition of the land lease. The Harvest Center, a local nonprofit focused on housing and jobs, would manage the units and maintain an on-site presence. Some of the currently vacant units will be used by The Harvest Center as transitional housing for families and individuals experiencing risk of homelessness.

Brookhill Village was developed by the late businessman C.D. Spangler Jr. in the 1950s. The 35-acre property is owned by a Spangler affiliate called Brookhill Land Lease Ventures. A 99-year ground lease on the property ends in 2049, after which time the property and everything on it reverts back to original ownership. The land lease has made it difficult to redevelop the site, Heath said.

“This has been the most significant impediment to finding a conventional development plan for affordable housing on this site,” he said. “We think with the county by our side, there’s a chance to have a creative solution here.”

Keep reading on the Charlotte Business Journal here.

‘We deserve a standard that’s comfortable and livable’

Brookhill Village is a historically Black community in the South End area.

When he visited the property Wednesday, Channel 9′s Anthony Kustura could see some of the building’s door handles are missing, the paint is chipping, and people who live there say the renovations are long overdue.

Deidre White and her mom just relocated to a different unit on the other side of the property.

“Our old building just got knocked down,” she told Kustura.

The proposed $7 million investment would include renovations to White’s unit. She said the work is desperately needed.

“The structures were just weak and old and rotted,” she said. “There’s been so much weathering.”

But some neighbors like George Butler say the money isn’t enough.

“$7 million over here is like $700, you won’t put a dent in it,” he said.

According to Butler, the complex needs to be rebuilt, not just refurbished. But with $600 rent, neighbors say that’s hard to compete with.

“Whatever you’re paying now will be doubled or three times more than that,” he said.

“My mom at first was thinking about leaving, and she started to look for other places. And she started to see how much things were,” White said.

White said she doesn’t want to leave, but hopes the area will soon reflect the rest of South End.

“If they’re doing the best that they can then they deserve some type of quality,” she said. “We deserve a standard that’s comfortable and livable.”

We could have a decision on this in the next few weeks. City council is expected to vote on the measure at its July 10 meeting.

Brookhill Village statement:

“Griffin Brothers Companies and Quore Real Estate Advisors are pleased to announce productive and ongoing conversations with the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County for a possible Char-Meck joint investment and partnership that will allow the residents and community stakeholders, to remain in the historic community in an improved product until 2049.

“Included in this joint effort and ongoing conversations, is the potential addition of The Harvest Center of Charlotte, as a strategic partner, and the relocation of their dynamic campus from the airport to Brookhill Village.”

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