The City of New Bern has been directed to take over the initial bidding process for a planned affordable housing development off of Walt Bellamy Drive.
In April the New Bern Redevelopment Commission requested $547,000 of American Rescue Plan funds to develop three small, two-bedroom homes at 203 and 207 Jones Street for sale to low to moderate income families. The board of aldermen unanimously approved the money for the project.
At the RDC’s June 14 meeting, Commissioner Beth Walker said the commission’s Housing Work Group had discussed developing all three lots together “as a kind of a campus approach.” She said a budget for the project that totaled more than $500,000 had been developed and presented to the board of aldermen.
Based on conversations with an attorney, the Housing Work Group recommended that the administrative duties of the bidding process to hire a construction contractor be handled by city staff, Walker told commissioners. She said the process would involve putting out a package of drawings and specifications for contractors to bid on. City staff would then bring the lowest qualified bid back to the RDC for approval so the construction process can move forward.
According to Walker, a site plan and house plans for the project have been developed that can be presented to the city to assist in the bidding process.
Commissioners directed Assistant City Manager Marvin Williams to move forward with the proposed plan for requesting bids. Williams is overseeing the Jones Street project for the city until the RDC hires someone to replace former executive director Catrecia McCoy-Bowman.
The Jones Street lots were purchased by the RDC in 2021 for $38,000. Plans to develop the property kicked into high gear in January when Ward 3 Alderman Bobby Aster said plans to build rental units on the lots had been shared with a general contractor, who came back with a price tag of approximately $500,000.
The RDC rejected several bids by local business owner Pete Frey to purchase the property. Frey placed an initial bid of $15,000 on the two lots last November. In March, he returned with a new bid of $14,415 and sought permission to build both a single-family home as his residence and a second home to be used as a residential tenant property.
After Frey’s bids were voted down, the RDC moved forward with plans to build the rental units. That plan, however, was shot down after Assistant City Attorney Jaimee Bullock-Mosley told the RDC in March that the commission can only lease property on a temporary basis.
The current plan to build homes for sale on the Jones Street property was first announced at the RDC’s March meeting.
According to Craven GIS, the two lots combined total 0.36 acres. If the property was subdivided into three equal lots for the planned homes, the acreage for each would be approximately 0.12 acres.
By Todd Wetherington, co-editor. Send an email with questions or comments.