Dr. Celen Pasalar, Director of the North Carolina State University Downtown Design Studio and studio designer Meredith Pittman unveiled a redevelopment plan for Hillside Avenue properties in Henderson during a meeting of city officials and community stakeholders yesterday evening at City Hall.
The Downtown Design Studio is a community outreach unit of NC State that works with communities willing to explore new opportunities. Part of the NC Cooperative Extension, it works with groups “at the initial stage of brainstorming”.
The plan is the result of a partnership between Greater Little Zion Baptist Church, Shiloh Baptist Church, First Baptist Church, NC State, and the North Carolina Community Development Initiative.
Outlined by Pasalar and Pittman with the help of a PowerPoint presentation, the plan calls for the redevelopment of several lots along Hillside Avenue and at the intersection of Hillside Avenue and Flint Street. The end result would be the creation of twelve family units on nine-to-ten parcels of property.
Those parcels are currently owned by Greater Little Zion Baptist Church. City Council member Brenda Peace is the pastor of that church.
Outlining the process of designing the redevelopment, Pasalar and Pittman spoke of their attempt to understand the demographics of the area. They noted that the neighborhood and the community as a whole has an increasing rate of poverty and a decreasing rate of home ownership. The immediate neighborhood has a median age of 35.
The designers also noted that the Flint Hill area is in a valley, and that they had to consider limitations that the creek that runs behind Hillside Avenue imposed. Meredith said that they tried to look at the landform as an asset; for example, that it could be used to control the flow of water.
The NC State team also noted local regulations that include a 25 foot setback from the street, an eight-foot setback from the sides of the property, and a federal requirement of a 50 foot setback from the center line of the creek. This caused a lot of parcels to be non-conforming. Although combining several parcels alleviated some of the difficulties, they proposed a modified eighteen-foot setback that conforms with existing structures. They expressed the hope that the city will consider being flexible.
In interviews with residents, the designers got input as to the importance of porches, respect for the natural condition of the site, flood protection, natural light and ventilation, and an universally accessible design. They tried to incorporate the stated needs of those they interviewed in the neighborhood into the house designs.
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Residents also spoke of the importance of having at least three bedrooms, comfortable kitchens, storage space, at least two and a half bathrooms, separate laundry rooms, and high (nine foot) ceilings.
One design concept that was discussed was what Pasalar and Pittman termed the “four-square house”, consisting of a two-bedroom house and three three-bedroom houses arranged around a common courtyard. The plan also showcased houses with wrap-around porches, side porches, and duplex houses capable of generating income for owner-occupants through rental revenue.
On lots where houses could not be built, Pasalar and Pittman showed designs for parks that could be put in place.
After the presentation by the NC State designers, Daphne Morgan of the North Carolina Community Development Initiative told the audience of fifteen or so residents that “this is just the beginning”.
She said that the next step is for Greater Little Zion Baptist Church, the Gateway Community Development Corporation, and the NC Initiative to partner together.
“The Initiative will not walk away,” Morgan said, but she indicated that it must take a “back seat” to local partners as it could not run the project from Raleigh. Morgan said that the partners need to work on zoning, storm water management, contractors, marketing, pre-sale, and other matters of concern for the project.
Morgan said that Abdul Rasheed, the CEO of the North Carolina Community Development Initiative, wants to use the process as a model for other Community Development Initiatives to model.
The materials will be on display at the Greater Little Zion Baptist Church along with a written report that has yet to be generated.