Tax credits awarded for a reimagined Douglass High School campus

Nov. 6—THOMASVILLE- Thomasville will gain 52 more income-based rentals for independent senior living at the site of the former Douglass High School. The Department of Community Affairs awarded a $1.105 million annual tax credit allocation to Douglass Senior Partners, LLC, a partnership between Decatur-based Tapestry Development Group and the Thomasville Community Development Corporation.

Design work will begin immediately and construction is anticipated to begin in early 2025, according to Jon Toppen, President of Tapestry Development Group. The project will preserve the historic school buildings and allow the Douglass High School Alumni Association to maintain ownership of the gym, bandroom, and ancillary building on the west side of the campus. Total development costs are expected to be $18.9 million. Developers anticipate approximately $17 million in tax credit equity, including historic and low income credits.

"This project allows the alumni association to continue their mission to maintain and preserve the historic complex. This development will also activate the area to make the neighborhood more desirable for residents and allow for other neighborhood-based businesses to be more viable," said Michael Jones, Community Development Director for the Thomasville Community Development Corporation.

The senior living apartment complex will include legacy hallways and a memorial courtyard, along with a fitness center, picnic areas and other community gathering spaces. To qualify for residency, applicants must make 60% or below the Area Median Income (AMI). The 2023 Area Median Income for a one-person household is $45,500, so using 2023 data, individuals would have to make below $27,300 to qualify for a single unit. The development will also include market-rate units for those making above the income threshold.

"There's a saying in community development that 'retail follows rooftops,' so if you want more retail like a neighborhood market, you need to have more residents in the area," said Jones. "We are working block by block in the Dewey City neighborhood to reduce blighted and vacant properties."

In addition to being a partner in the senior living community, the Thomasville Community Development Corporation, launched a Neighborhood Impact Grant program to encourage neighborhood revitalization projects. Grants are awarded for Neighborhood Activities, Home Improvement, and Commercial Facades.

The Dewey City Neighborhood Watch received an award to establish a community garden on the corner of Alexander and Cobb Streets. Fruit trees and winter greens were planted by volunteers at the Hands On Thomas County Day on October 21. The Douglass High School Alumni Association was also awarded a grant to engage an architect to design a new community center at the historic gymnasium site.

"The Douglass High School Alumni Association has a strong vision for the future. We hope the community can unite around these projects and move the neighborhood forward," said Isaac Simpkins, president of the Douglass High School Alumni Association.

The Alumni Association will share concept plans for the new community space at a Dewey City Neighborhood Watch meeting on Saturday, November 11 at 10 am at Douglass High School. Project consultants for the senior living development, as well as the new community center development will also be on hand at the DHSAA Annual Meeting on Friday, December 22 from 1-5 pm at the Thomas County Public Library. Neighborhood residents and alumni are invited to attend and offer feedback on the proposed plans.

In addition to the Neighborhood Activities Grants, two Home Improvement grants were also awarded to Dewey City residents with significant health and safety needs. RLM Construction was awarded a matching facade grant for Marathon Market on Calhoun Street.

"Residents in this historic neighborhood (Dewey City) have a history for active engagement, so they were chosen as an initial neighborhood impact investment area," said Jones. "But there is still a lot of work ahead in terms of getting residents involved in the process."