The Projects Committee meeting scheduled for Monday, July 27, 2020, will be a virtual meeting. Please note there will be no accommodation for any in-person attendance. If you need special accommodations, please contact the HLC office at 980-314-7660.

Instructions and Access to Virtual Meeting

July 27, 2020 – 6:00 p.m.

1.  Chair’s Report: Edwin Wilson

2. Update on Projects

a.  Torrence Lytle School, 302 Holbrooks Road, Huntersville, N.C.

Polaris Map of Property

The Committee will discuss:

i.  Update on Contract and New Marketing Plan

Torrence Lytle School

b.  Wallace House, 9425 Robinson Church Road, Charlotte, N.C.

Polaris Map of Property

The Committee will discuss:

i.  Alarm and Landscape Work

ii.  Public Input Plans

Wallace House

c.  Mount Carmel Baptist Church, 412 Campus Street, Charlotte, N.C.

Polaris Map of Property

The Committee will discuss:

i. Ongoing Negotiations

Former Mt Carmel Baptist Church

d.  Excelsior Club, 921 Beatties Ford Road, Charlotte, N.C.

Polaris Map of Property

The Committee will discuss:

i.  Developer Soliciting Design Firms

ii.  Landscape Maintenance

Excelsior Club

e.  Douglas House, 7601 Christie Lane, Charlotte, N.C.

Polaris Map of Property

The Committee will discuss:

i.  Airport Entering Environmental Impact Study

John Douglas House

f.  Grier House, 421 Montrose Street, Charlotte, N.C.

Polaris Map of Property

The Committee will discuss:

i.  City Code Enforcement Outreach

Arthur Samuel Grier House

g.  Mayes House, 435 E. Morehead Street, Charlotte, N.C.

Polaris Map of Property

The Committee will discuss:

i.  Certificate of Appropriateness for Demolition Delayed Until March 8, 2021

ii.  Several Prospects for Relocation

iii.  Preserve Mecklenburg (PMI) Investigating Move (Shift) Onsite

John Mayes House

3.  Old Business

4.  New Business

a.  Washam House and Lands, 15735 Davidson-Concord Road, Huntersville, N.C.

Polaris Map of Property

b.  Dr. Craven House, 103 N. Old Statesville Road, Huntersville, N.C.

Polaris Map of Property

Identified in Huntersville Architectural Survey #5337

Dr. Craven House

January 6, 2020 – 6:00 p.m.

1.  Chair’s Report and Welcome: Edwin Wilson

2.  Update on Projects

a.  Torrence Lytle School, 302 Holbrooks Road, Huntersville, N.C.

Map of Property

Torrence Lytle School

b.  Wallace House, 9425 Robinson Church Road, Charlotte, N.C.

Map of Property

Wallace House

c.  White Oak, 7729 Hood Road, Charlotte, N.C.

Map of Property

White Oak

d.  Mayes House, 435 E. Morehead Street, Charlotte, N.C.

Map of Property

John Mayes House

e.  Former Mount Carmel Baptist Church, 412 Campus Street, Charlotte, N.C.

Map of Property

Former Mount Carmel Baptist Church

f.  Excelsior Club, 921 Beatties Ford Road, Charlotte, N.C.

Map of Property

Excelsior Club

g.  James C. Dowd House, 2216 Monument Street, Charlotte, N.C., and Former Charlotte Fire Station #10, 2136 Remount Road, Charlotte, N.C. 

Map of Property

James C. Dowd House

Former Charlotte Fire Station #10

h.  Douglas House, 7601 Christie Lane, Charlotte, N.C.

Map of Property

John Douglas House

i.  Grier House, 421 Montrose Street, Charlotte, N.C.

Map of Property

Arthur Samuel Grier House

3.  Organizational

a.  Projects Committee Charter/Mission

b.  2020 HLC Strategic Plan Initiative

4.  Old Business

5.  New Business

November 12, 2019 – 6:00 p.m.

1.  Chair’s Report: Edwin Wilson

2.  Director’s Report: Dan Morrill

November 2019 Project Budget

3.  Update on Projects

a.  Wallace House Property, 9425 Robinson Church Road, Charlotte, N.C.

Wallace Log House

Map of Property

Essentials

Property purchased September 2019.

Previous owners under six month lease. 

Total Expenditures to Date: $454,509 

Current expenses only include yard maintenance.

The property is currently not listed for sale.

Questions

Should the Commission solicit public input regarding future use?

Should the property (approximately 10 acres) be offered for sale in its entirety or subdivided?

When should the property be listed for sale? 

b.  Torrence Lytle School, 302 Holbrooks Road, Huntersville, N.C.

Torrence Lytle School

Map of Property

Essentials

Property acquired in 2007 from Mecklenburg County for $1. 

County mandated that the original 1938 school building must be preserved. 

HLC secured the listing of the property in the National Register of Historic Places. Tax credits are only available if all buildings are preserved.

HLC has listed the property for sale on three occasions, but none has resulted in a successful sell. 

No offers are currently on the table. 

The property is currently not listed for sale.

Total Expenditures to Date: $454,599 (includes removal of asbestos)

The HLC has secured an evaluation of the property which states that the primary value is in the land, not the buildings.

Mecklenburg County is spending over $2 million to renovate the former gymnasium for the Torrence Lytle School. 

The HLC has voted (if all efforts to sell the property are unsuccessful) to demolish all buildings except the original 1938 school building, to renovate the original school building, and then to offer the property for sale.  

Questions

Should the HLC move forward with the approved demolition of the cafeteria building and the two circa 1950 buildings attached to both ends of the original building?

What impact, if any, does the renovation of the former gymnasium have on the prospects for sale of the Torrence Lytle School? 

Should the HLC prepare the Torrence Lytle School for listing for sale? 

c.  John Douglas House, 7601 Christie Lane, Charlotte, N.C.

John Douglas House

Map of Property

Staff is preparing the materials necessary to submit a Request for Board Action to secure County Commission approval for an option to purchase the property. This will include a structural inspection and an appraisal, both of which have been scheduled. Staff has already contacted airport officials to determine their interest in purchasing all or some portion of the property. 

d.  Victor Shaw House, 2400 Mecklenburg Avenue, Charlotte, N.C.

Victor Shaw House

Map of Property

Conceptual Plan for the Shaw House Property

Preserve Mecklenburg will assign its option to purchase the Victor Shaw House to Terranova, LLC, a developer headquartered in Greenville, S.C. The assignment will occur on or before December 1, 2019. Preservation easements will be placed on the Victor Shaw House to assure its preservation in perpetuity. Arrangements are underway to have the HLC be the holder of the easements and to administer them. The HLC will retain its design review powers over the Victor Shaw House. It is contemplated that the ordinance for the Victor Shaw House will be amended to exclude portions of the current historic landmark. 

e.  John Mayes House, 435 E. Morehead Street, Charlotte, N.C.

John Mayes House

Map of Property

The owner of the John Mayes house has expressed an interest in discussing preservation strategies for the house, which is a designated historic landmark. Staff and members of the Projects Committee are scheduled to meet with the owner on November 13 to initiate substantive discussions.   

f.  Arthur Samuel Grier House, 421 Montrose Street, Charlotte, N.C.

Arthur Samuel Grier House

Map of Property

The Arthur Samuel Grier House was the home of the family that was responsible for the development of the Grier Heights neighborhood. The owner has decided that he wishes to sell the house and there is some interest among the local citizenry to have the HLC acquire and restore the house. Dr. Morrill’s recommendation is that initially the Commission should approach the owner about the possibility of securing an option to purchase. 

4.  Old Business

5.  New Business

a.  Pentes Property, 6510 Sharon Hills Road, Charlotte, N.C.

Map of Property

More Information on the Property

John Douglas House, 7601 Christie Lane, Charlotte, N.C.

John Mayes House, 435 E. Morehead Street, Charlotte, N.C.

October 8, 2019 – 8:00 a.m.

1.  Chair’s Report: Edwin Wilson

2.  Director’s Report: Dan Morrill

 a.  Former Wesley Heights United Methodist Church, 205 Grandin Road, Charlotte, N.C.

Former Wesley Heights Methodist Church

Map of Property

Approved Site Plan

This church was designed by Louis Asbury, Sr., and opened in December 1927. It is currently owned and occupied by a congregation that has placed the property for sale for $1.95 million. Leaders of the west side of Charlotte believe that this property is worthy of preservation. Staff and two Commissioners have visited the church, and it is an impressive building. The property includes the church building and one adjoining house. The property has conditional zoning, which assures the preservation of the building, but would place fifteen residential units on the property, including eight in the church. 

3.  Update On Projects

a.  Torrence Lytle School, 302 Holbrooks Road, Huntersville, N.C.

Proposal for Demolition

The prospective buyers of the Torrence Lytle School, originally known as the Huntersville Colored School, are no longer under contract, and the property is not currently listed for sale. The Historic Landmarks Commission has voted to demolish all buildings on the property except the original 1937 school building in preparation for offering the property for sale again. There is some feeling that it would be unwise to proceed with that arrangement because the most economically viable building for adaptive reuse is Building C – the Cafeteria Building.

Objective: To prepare the Torrence Lytle School for listing by a realtor familiar with north Mecklenburg in anticipation of the completion of the renovation of the Waymer Center by February 2020: 

1)  Demolish the ca.1950 wing buildings adjoining either end of the original school building;

2)  Secure the services of an architectural firm or other appropriate party to investigate development options for the property;

3)  If necessary, perform essential repairs to the Cafeteria Building in hopes that a buyer can make use of the building, which is in the best shape of all the buildings on the campus;

4)  Perform repairs on the original school building, including the auditorium, which are necessary to make it ready to offer for sale. 

b.  Wallace House Property, 9425 Robinson Church Road, Charlotte, N.C.

The closing on the Wallace House property will occur on Tuesday, October 8th. The current owners, William and Dixie Kelly, would like to remain in the house as tenants for at least three months to move personal property to their new home. There are many issues which must be addressed, such as: whether to connect to City water and sewer, whether to subdivide the property, and whether to approve a lease arrangement with the owners. Staff assumes that the Commission will want to list the property for sale in the near future.

Objective: To prepare the Wallace Property for listing by a realtor familiar with east Mecklenburg:

1)  Consider the establishment of a process for public input into future uses of the property;  

2)  Determine whether the property will be sold as a whole or subdivided into more than one parcel. If appropriate, a site planner should be hired to prepare a plan for the property; 

3)  Prepare and execute a lease with the Kellys to assure that the Wallace House and property remain secure. If necessary, a lease will be executed with subsequent lessees to achieve the same objective.

c.  Charles E. Barnhardt House, 3217 Maymont Place, Charlotte, N.C.

The closing on the Barnhardt House occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The Commission has received $678,520.83 from the sale. The money has been deposited in the revolving fund.

4.  Explanation of Policy for Processing Options to Purchase

1)  All Options to Purchase must be approved by the BOCC.

2)  Purchase price must be “reasonable” as determined by appraisal or realtor’s comps.  If latter is used, language must be included stating that price could be adjusted.

3)  HLC should seek to identify buyer to whom to assign the option.

4)  If the HLC decides to purchase the property, the HLC must return to the BOCC for approval after performing full due diligence.

5)  In instances when the HLC isn’t planning to purchase the property, it may choose to perform some elements of due diligence.  However, it would be based on HLC direction to the Consulting Director.

5.  The Committee will consider several matters in closed session pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11. 

6.  Old Business

7.  New Business

1.  Chair’s Report — Edwin Wilson

2.  Director’s Report — Dan Morrill

a.  Prospective Demolition of the Building at 331 East Boulevard, Charlotte.   

Staff Recommendation: The Projects Committee Recommend that the HLC seek to negotiate an exclusive, assignable option to purchase the property.

b.  Staff recommends that the Projects Committee initiate a program to secure preservation easements on existing historic landmarks and on properties that hereafter are processed for historic landmark designation. Staff also recommends that meetings be held with neighborhood associations of local historic districts to explain the benefits of historic preservation easements. 

c.  Staff recommends that the Projects Committee notify owners of historic landmarks of the benefits of entering into an Option to Purchase by the Historic Landmarks Commission when their property is offered for sale. Also, this information should be presented to the neighborhood associations of local historic districts. 

3.  Status of Current Projects.

a.  Torrence Lytle School.  Earnest money has been deposited in the HLC Account.  

b.  Former Mount Carmel Baptist Church.  Preservation strategies continued to be examined.

c.  Wallace House Property.  The Due Diligence Period has been extended until November to allow sufficient time to complete environmental studies of the property.  The HLC is still under contract to purchase the property.

d.  Ingleside.  The closing has occurred.  The settlement sheet contained an initial installment payment of $57,425,32.

e.  Charles E. Barnhardt House.  The closing on the Barnhardt House will occur in September.

4.  Consideration of New Projects.

a.  John Douglas House, 1760 Christie Lane, Charlotte.

Staff Recommendation: The Projects Committee Recommend that the HLC seek to negotiate an exclusive, assignable, renewable option to purchase the property.

b.  John Mayes House, 432 E. Morehead Street Charlotte.

Staff Recommendation: The Projects Committee Recommend that the HLC seek to negotiate an exclusive, assignable, renewable option to purchase the property.

c.  Frank R. McNinch House, 2401 Sharon Lane, Charlotte.

Staff Recommendation: The Projects Committee Recommend that the HLC support Preserve Mecklenburg’s seeking to negotiate an exclusive, assignable, renewable option to purchase the property.

5.  Old Business.

6.  New Business.