Caldwell County is looking for experienced private and nonprofit development teams to present qualifications that demonstrate their ability to undertake the development of market-rate housing on County-owned land in the Town of Cajah’s Mountain in Caldwell County, North Carolina. Qualified developers will demonstrate experience in the construction of housing developments of middling density (3-4 units per acre) accompanied by areas of common greenspace.
- Support an additional residential development behind new EMS base in Cajah’s Mountain
- Support development at a density of 3-4 units per acre (36-48 total units, pending rezoning), potentially with a common building for dining and socializing
- Address “missing-middle” housing in Caldwell County through the development of cluster-housing. “A development approach that concentrates housing into a portion of available land, while preserving a portion of the land for open space uses, such as recreation
- Create additional housing options for civil servants, reserving at least XX% of the units for workers such as teachers, firefighters, police, active-duty military, frontline nurses, etc.
- Have common, open space incorporated into the interior of the development
- Use public dollars to maximize private investment to provide additional, high-quality residential opportunities in Caldwell County
At the April 10, 2023, Caldwell County Board of Commissioners meeting, the commissioners voted to purchase the parcel located at 1901 Connelly Springs Rd. from Valdese Memorial Hospital. The primary purpose of this purchase was to create a new EMS base in the southwest portion of the county, which is growing quickly. Rather than just purchasing the old hospital, the County was given the opportunity to purchase the entire parcel with the idea to use the rest of the land for economic development purposes. The County, facing as housing shortage, would like to see the land used for the development of new residential housing units.
The selected developer will execute an agreement with Caldwell County for control of a County-owned parcel for the development of a target of 40 units, to serve primarily as workforce housing and catering to middle-income households.
The deadline for firms submitting qualifications is 2:00 p.m. (EST) on Friday, March 15, 2024. No submissions or supporting documents will be accepted after this deadline.