W-S city council to discuss Willie Davis, Cleveland Ave renovations during Monday meeting

Featured photo: Residents of 1200 Willie Davis Drive and 1635 N. Cleveland Ave in Winston-Salem have been told by the city that they need to move out so they can do an assessment to renovate the buildings. (photo by Gale Melcher)

Renovations for the affordable apartments at Willie Davis Drive and Cleveland Avenue in Winston-Salem may be approved by city council on Monday evening.

According to city documents, the price point for renovating the two residential buildings is up to $750,000 “based upon the bidding process and subsequent contract approval by city council.”

In February, residents of two city-owned, affordable-housing buildings — 1200 Willie Davis Drive and 1635 N. Cleveland Ave in Winston-Salem’s Northeast Ward — received letters from the city stating that they must move out by May 31 in order for the city to perform an “assessment” and renovate both buildings. Following pushback from residents and community activists, the city allowed the residents to stay in their homes while the assessments were conducted. The city has not charged the residents rent since March 1. 

The city has also offered to cover certain moving expenses such as trucks and labor, as well as rent differential for 24 months or until the buildings are rehabilitated — “whichever comes first,” according to the city. The city would pay the difference between the residents’ current rent amount and their new rent amount, up to $385 per month for residents at the six-unit building on 1200 Willie Davis Drive and up to $519 per month for those living in the four-unit building on 1635 N. Cleveland Ave.

Currently, residents pay $420-$475 per month.

In the past few months, residents have raised concerns about finding affordable housing elsewhere and whether they would be able to continue to afford their new living situation once the 24 months were up. TCB interviewed resident Carol Boykins who asked, “Where are we going to get the extra money from?” 

“We’re gonna be homeless if we go someplace else and can’t afford the rent,” Boykins said. Residents also worried about whether rent for the refurbished apartments would increase. 

Assistant City Manager Patrice Toney told TCB in mid-March that building repairs were “not likely to raise the rent.” 

She also said that long-term decisions about renovations will be up to the city council. 

“The inspector will tell us the basic minimum health and safety issues, and then they’ll tell us ideal repairs,” Toney said. “Then the city council will determine how much investment they want to make, how much rehab dollars we have to rehab the facility, how much we can actually do.”

In addition to the $750,000 spending budget that could be authorized at Monday’s council meeting, on the agenda is the execution of 1-year leases with the residents, who would continue to be charged their current rental rate. The new leases would begin on June 1 and end on May 31, 2024. The resolution adds that there will be an option to evaluate the leases before the lease expiration date for possible increases of an incremental nature. Additionally, the contract with the current property management company, Majestic Premier Property Management, would be extended.

Monday’s city council meeting will take place in council chambers located at 101 N. Main St. at 6 p.m. Those interested can also view the meeting live here. Find the agenda for this evening’s meeting as well as past and future meetings here.

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