Public housing authority chairman says she wants the commissioners to schedule a meeting without a quorum “to create a plan to go against the negative narrative.”
The City of New Bern Housing Authority Board of Commissioners approved a contract to redevelop Phase II of the Charles Taylor building and talked about scheduling a meeting “to create a plan to go against the negative narrative” surrounding the transformation plan during a Zoom meeting at the Stanley A. White Recreation Center on March 16, 2026 in New Bern, NC.
New Bern Housing Authority Board Chairman Jennell Reddick told commissioners Sabrina Bengel, Scott Coghill, Jim Copland, Daimon King, Judy Pierce, and Resident Commissioner Kimberly White, “So, the purpose of the meeting is to create a plan to go against the negative narrative that we have in the community. Be it wrong information, or just the negativity around our transformation plan,” she said. “Where do we need to go? Who do we need to target? Who do we need to bring the table? Do we need a strategy? Do we need to have another community meeting?”
Someone said they had to be careful not to have a quorum. Reddick said only three board members could attend. About 40 minutes later, the board went into a lengthy closed session to talk to their attorney, and no action was taken when they came out.
This comes on the heels of the city and Housing Authority submitting an application for a $26 million Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in early March.
The grant application notes, “As co-applicant, the New Bern Housing Authority will include…Engaging residents early, continuously and meaningfully through all stages of the project, including giving them a voice in planning and implementation.”
What is the Housing Authority?
The city established the Housing Authority in the late 1930s. “The Housing Authority Board (of Commissioners) is responsible for establishing policy and determining the direction and course the Housing Authority shall take in achieving its goal of providing safe, decent, sanitary and affordable housing to low- and very-low-income families,” according to the city’s website.
The New Bern Board of Aldermen can increase or decrease the number of members, according to state statutes. The mayor appoints six members of the board and “the seventh member shall be a resident from any housing project or program administered by the Housing Authority. Appointment to this seat shall be made in accordance with the procedures outlined in the Resident Commissioner Policy approved by the Board of Commissioners,” per the city’s website. The state statutes say, “No commissioner may be a city official.”
The Housing Authority board also hires an executive director and attorney and oversees the budgets. In 2023, the board hired Reginal “Reggie” Barner of the Barner Group, as interim executive director. He previously worked as the authority’s development consultant. He manages 110 units public housing units at Trent Court; 106 Section 8 senior and disabled units at New Bern Towers; and three low-to-moderate-income houses on Walt Bellamy Drive.
Reggie Barner, Sabrina Bengel, Scott Coghill, Jim Copland, Daimon King, Jennell Reddick, Judy Pierce and Kimberly White are also members of BVHC Walt Bellamy corporation, which was established by Better Vision Housing Corporation, a subsidiary of the Housing Authority.
BVHC also established BVHC Carolina Avenue, LLC, as an instrumentality to develop and co-own 84 Low-Income Housing Tax Credit units in 2018 or 2019, according to meeting minutes.
The Housing Authority board agreed to take ownership of Transformation Venture Capital from the TVC’s board in 2025. TVC was created over 10 years ago as an “instrumentality” of the Housing Authority. The New Bern Housing Authority’s commissioners appointed themselves as officers of the corporation. TVC partly owns Craven Terrace LP, a private for profit entity who used tax exempt conduit bonds in 2014 to redevelop and convert public housing to privately owned/managed housing at Craven Terrace. The NBHA owns the land and leases it to the developer.
Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant
In February, the New Bern Board of Aldermen approved a motion to authorize the mayor to sign a letter of leverage to support the city’s application for a federal Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant based on the projects that the mayor and the city manager identify with staff input, as reported here.
The city’s Housing Authority is working on a proposed plan to work with a developer to convert the last public housing in New Bern, NC, to privately owned/managed housing and redevelop the waterfront property. Chairman Reddick has said their goal is to move residents “once.” Several public officials have said they will redevelop F.R. Danyus School/site of the former site of the West Street School and the former Days Inn site first as mixed-income (market rate/low- and moderate-income) housing, then move the current Trent Court residents and the former residents who were displaced when some buildings sustained damage during Hurricane Florence into those units. The plan proposes building townhouses and two four-story mix-income buildings on the waterfront property among other things. There are other components that include public-private partnerships with the city, county, hospital authority, school board, community college, businesses, and nonprofits.
The city’s commitment letter notes $20,279,864 in city funds/property/services as a match for the federal grant. The letter dated March 6 notes $2.4 million for electric underground utility construction and installation of new meters; $2.45 million for water and sewer enhancements and realignments; $250,000 for sidewalk extension; $1 million in Community Development Block Grant funds; and allocation of the former Days Inn property at 925 Broad Street valued at $2 million. The letter said the city commits or has committed $4.9 million in stormwater drainage improvements and $5 million for the street enhancement and realignment in Greater Five Points and Walt Bellamy; $500,000 for a stormwater project funded by the bond referendum and $450,000 for parks projects.
The Housing Authority’s commitment letter says they will commit “$29 million of Federal Emergency Management Agency funds available for the demolition of buildings and the redevelopment” of Trent Court.
The Craven County Board of Education commitment letter notes a donating of the former F.R. Danyus School/site of the former West Street School and a data sharing agreement with the Housing Authority.
On Monday, Vice Chairman Sabrina Bengel told the board that she has worked on the Choice Neighborhoods project for over ten years. She is also the chairman of the city’s Municipal Service District Advisory Committee and has hosted a radio/internet reality show as an appointed and when she was an elected official. Since becoming the host in 2014, she detailed the plan to privatize public property in New Bern.
Construction contract for the Charles Taylor Building
The Board of Commissioners voted on a motion to approve a $2,484,000 contract with IMEC of Goldsboro to execute the work for the Charles Taylor Building Renovations Phase II on Liberty Street. Commissioner Bengel said she was recusing herself from voting because the contract could involve her husband’s business as a subcontractor.
Commissioners Jennell Reddick, Jim Copland, Daimon King and Kathleen White approved a motion to approve the contract. A roll call was not taken so it’s unclear if remote participants voted.
Reggie Barner told the board that the contract was available if they wanted a copy.
Editor’s note: The video conference was noticed as “In Person or via Zoom link.” If you were in the room at the Rec Center, you may have heard a “recording in progress” message in the middle of the meeting. The Zoom video wasn’t available at press time so it’s unclear who was remotely participating.
Meeting videos can be found on the Housing Authority’s YouTube channel here.
By Wendy Card, editor. Send an email with questions or comments.