Wendell annexes 9.44 acres for Pleasant Grove community center; town approves historic-preservation agreement

The Wendell Town Board of Commissioners voted to annex about 9.44 acres at 948 and 952 Morphis Bridge Road and approved a memorandum of agreement with the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Officer and Pleasant Grove Baptist Church to document and mitigate historic impacts from redevelopment of the Carver School into a community center.

Planning Director Bridal Coates told the board the annexation request was submitted by Pleasant Grove Baptist Church and its board of trustees and that the town will use federal funds from Congresswoman Deborah Ross plus town bond funds and Wake County funding on the project. "Property needs to be within the town limits for town funds to be utilized for the community center," Coates said. She reported both parcels already connect to utilities and that, after annexation, utility charges paid through the City of Raleigh would be reduced by about 50 percent.

The board held a public hearing before voting. Residents and church leaders urged approval. James Poms, a deacon, said he had "waited and waited for this moment" and thanked the board. Asa Bell, pastor at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, said the project "has been a blessing" and called the community center a benefit for all of Wendell. Several other members of the church leadership and neighborhood spoke in support of the annexation during the public hearing.

After the annexation vote, the board considered a draft memorandum of agreement, or MOA, related to the redevelopment. Coates said the Carver School is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and that the use of federal HUD funds requires SHPO review under federal law. "Federal code provides for a process including the development of the attached MOA ... to identify mitigation strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of the project," Coates said. The draft MOA, she said, requires creating a permanent photographic record, preparing a virtual story map on the history of education in Wendell, coordinating with the Wendell Historical Society and Capital Area Preservation, preparing an on-site historic display, and identifying architectural elements prior to construction.

Coates said the work is already coordinated with Andre Johnson Architects and Withers Ravenel, and that the MOA must be completed for reporting to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The town manager was authorized to sign the final MOA as long as substantive changes return to the board for consideration. The board approved the MOA by voice vote.

The annexation and MOA move the Carver School redevelopment from planning into environmental review and right-of-way and construction planning steps. Coates said right-of-way plans will begin in April as part of broader project coordination. The redevelopment work is also specified in the Pleasant Grove neighborhood plan and will include a commemorative community feature using building materials for alumni and the neighborhood.

The board's votes on the annexation ordinance and the MOA were adopted during the meeting; staff will return with any major edits to the MOA and the final amended charter documents that implement the annexation.