The North Main Neighborhood, both in the Historic District that is the main north-south artery through the neighborhood and in the many adjoining blocks to the east and west, is renowned for its intact residential architecture ranging from the late 1800s to the 1930s. Our predecessors worked diligently throughout the 1980s to ward off the commercial creep that often happens to main arteries in municipalities, successfully retaining the residential character of the neighborhood. One can only imagine the beautiful homes that are now lost to fast food restaurants along the Innes Street corridor, and we are proud that our history and culture have remained intact.
That said, there are a number of 'at-risk' homes within the neighborhood's boundaries, and frankly throughout the City of Salisbury. The number of abandoned homes here, once reported to be at roughly 700-800, is now more like 1200+. We can thank a devastating recession for some of this, but not all. We can more likely attribute this to weakly written ordinances that allow demolition-by-neglect. But...enough about that! What do we do?
The large foursquare home at 816 N. Main, the ca. 1909 H.C. McDaniel House, is slated for demolition in the immediate future. While the home has unquestionably been neglected, a failing stormwater pipe under the sidewalk (and the road?)
And on December 10th, 2015, the City of Salisbury brought the ca. 1911 late Victorian cottage at 918 N. Main Street, the Grimes-Russell House, before the Historic Preservation Commission with yet another request for demolition.
We need to remind the folks who are ready to swing the hammer of the more wide-reaching repercussions than just improving the view in the neighborhood.
(1) Forcing demolition of a property such as leaves yet another vacant lot along the corridor. As we lose historic properties, we are also in danger of losing the historic designation overlay that protects these properties. No one is building historic infill in Salisbury. The likelihood that the vacant lot will be built upon is slim, and if it were to happen, it would likely be a new investment property that would tip the already teetering scale of 50/50 rental/owner occupied balance here. Additionally, the potential for commercial infill runs high on a main artery such as North Main Street.
(2) The property values will drop significantly in the neighborhood as more vacant lots appear. 918 N. Main Street is listed with Rowan County at a $17,811 tax value and $14,300 land value in its current condition. If the home is removed, the land alone will likely be worth only $5,000. However, if someone were to rehabilitate the existing structure, the tax value could increase to as much as $150,000 ~ a favorable condition for all the surrounding properties and for the City and County revenue streams through property taxes.
(3) Forcing demolition of a property such as this places additional undue hardship on the property owner. When the city demolishes a home like this, the cost gets transferred to the owner in terms of a lien against the property. If the owner cannot afford to maintain the property, much less renovate and restore, levying additional costs his/her way are not the way to cure the symptom. The owner is more likely to abandon the property. The city then becomes the owner and caretaker of such.
(4) Demolition of a structure in the historic district is an irreversible step and should be carefully deliberated. Once historic resources are destroyed, they can never be replaced.
The housing crash that began in 2008 meant fewer developers were buying land for subdivisions. And with our urban growth boundary, there has been less land freed up for such development. That's a success as it relates to curbing sprawl beyond our downtown neighborhoods. Even if a developer could build exponentially more houses in the 'burbs by creating whole subdivisions, individual lots in Salisbury should now represent the chance to make a higher profit per house.
A case in point is the Fulton-Mock-Blackmer house ~ another huge home that had faced major fire and neglect damage. Many in the West Square neighborhood and the City of Salisbury also vehemently wished for this eyesore structure to be demolished, and many believed that no one would have the determination and resources to perform a restoration on such a massive project. However, once this circa 1820 home had been stabilized, it brought a buyer that performed near miraculous restoration and it was recently a prize feature on our annual October Tour 2015, and is now home to family and value to the neighborhood.
Not only can renovation save money today, but a rehabbed historic home is more valuable in the long run than a new house. It’s just too expensive today to duplicate the way craftsmen built the homes that make our neighborhoods so special. If a house is more than 40 years old and in a historic neighborhood, there are real advantages to repairing it and getting folks to move into the home. The best thing you can do is to help our neighborhood find a buyer for this home at 918 N. Main Street. It will take quite a bit of work and investment to stabilize this house, but we can't afford to keep losing homes in the neighborhood. The owner wishes to sell it, so that's half the battle! Click >HERE< for the owner's advertisement on Craigslist.com. For just $7,000 (or less), the right person(s) can begin the path to rehabilitating this vintage home for the good of the entire area!
Help us save this home! Yes ~ it will take vision, hard work, and money....but it will be SO worth it!
The North Main NeighborhoodSalisbury, North Carolina 28144
www.facebook.com/NOMAnorthmain
www.NextDoor.com / NOMA North Main
