The owners of this 37-acre site have been running a successful business in another part of Waughtown for over 30 years. Throughout that time, the community has supported their business very well, and now the owners are desirous to transform this site into a valued community asset that can provide:
- Economic Development
- Community Development
- Workforce Development for Adults and Youth
- Recreational and Youth Sports Opportunities
- Educational Opportunities
- Adaptive Re-use of an abandoned industrial site
Waughtown has faced recent economic struggles like many neighboring communities, with a median household income less than half the U.S. average. Entire Winston-Salem communities, such as Waughtown and Easton View, have gone from low poverty to high poverty in the past 38 years. One tract in Waughtown saw its poverty rate climb from 11 percent in 1980 to 51 percent in 2018. A 2015 income mobility study found that only one county in the United States ranks worse than Winston-Salem’s Forsyth County for children in lower income families having the opportunity to climb the income ladder (Chetty and Hendren 2016). In addition, Waughtown has nearly 3 times the percentage of adults who do not have a high school diploma and less than half the percentage of adults with a college degree compared with the rest of Winston-Salem.
The end result of this exciting new community center can be transformational for this community, with more adults with opportunities to improve their education levels and improve their qualifications for good paying jobs, with more youth in this community having greater opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities such as their favorite sport soccer which can help them with college opportunities, and finally more opportunities for businesses to locate here to participate in this revived community. This opportunity is very unique because of the owners large tract of land with existing building structures and greenspace, all located in a very accessible and convenient location that will enable this transformation to be quick, efficient, and cost-effective.
Check out the advantages of this site:
Great location 2 miles from downtown Winston-Salem and connected by Interstate 40, and Highways 52 and 311! Surrounded by thousands of families!
Located directly on the Winston-Salem Bus Route
Existing building structures in good condition ready to upfit for new uses
Over 12 acres of greenspace ready for multi-use, recreational developments
Located in a Federal Opportunity Zone
