Forsyth County receives one offer for former Skyland school; neighbors ask for more outreach before sale

Forsyth County presented commissioners on July 21 with a responsive offer to buy county‑owned property that reverted to the county after a prior occupant left the former Skyland Elementary/Family Services facility. County officials said they solicited competitive offers during a 90‑day offer period and received one formal bid.

Kirby Robinson, the county’s Community and Economic Development director, told commissioners the offer from a private developer, identified in the packet as Infill Delicate LLC, proposed to adapt the existing main and annex buildings into 35 dwelling units and had submitted a $150,000 purchase offer and a 5% deposit. Robinson said the county had advertised the property and shown it multiple times to prospective bidders. If the board proceeds, state law requires a 10‑day upset‑bid period once an initial offer is published; the county also has the right to reject any offer at the end of the process.

Several commissioners and community members urged the county to take extra steps to inform neighborhood groups before completing a sale. Commissioners said the property sits in an historically significant neighborhood and that residents and neighborhood associations reported they were not aware the property had been advertised for sale. A commissioner asked the county to provide the local neighborhood association an update and to consider giving the community additional opportunity to present proposals or explore options to preserve the site’s neighborhood function before the board takes a final disposition vote. Robinson said staff had circulated a flyer, posted the offering on the county website, and had shown the site to many potential bidders; he also said city and county communications staff posted notice on social channels and that council members had also engaged with the neighborhood.

How the sale process would proceed. County staff explained the statutory “negotiated offer, advertisement, and upset bids” procedure. If the board accepts the offer for upset bids, the $150,000 price would be advertised and other bidders could file upset offers meeting the statutory minimum increment (10% on the first $1,000 and 5% thereafter). After the upset period ends, the board may accept the highest valid offer or decline to sell. Robinson told commissioners the county expected the proposed adaptive reuse would involve roughly $7.6 million in redevelopment cost to convert the two buildings to housing, and that most bidders who examined the property were evaluating the site for reuse rather than demolition.

Why it matters: The property is in a residential neighborhood and has historical and community connections; neighbors want transparency and time to consider preservation, reuse or community‑led proposals. The commissioners did not vote to sell on July 21 and asked staff to reach out to neighborhood contacts with updated information; Robinson said staff would provide that outreach. The county also has the legal option to proceed with the upset‑bid notification and then the board could accept, reject, or take other action after the statutory period.

Speakers and roles

- Kirby Robinson — Community and Economic Development Director, Forsyth County (government). - Chairman Martin — Chair, Forsyth County Board of Commissioners (government). - Mayor Mike Rogers — Mayor, Village of Clemmons (government) — attended and later spoke on other items; recorded as present during the meeting.

Authorities and process notes

- North Carolina statutory negotiated offer, advertisement and upset‑bids procedure for sale of county real property (referenced in staff memo) (type: other).

Actions (formal items and proposed steps)

- Staff reported receipt of a single responsive offer of $150,000 from Infill Delicate LLC and recommended placing the offer through the statutory upset‑bid advertisement procedure (kind: other; outcome: no_action at July 21 briefing). - Commissioners asked staff to provide neighborhood outreach prior to concluding any sale decision (kind: direction; outcome: direction recorded).

Clarifying details

- Offer amount received: $150,000 (deposit 5% of offer). - Proposed developer plan: adapt main building and annex into approximately 35 residential units; developer’s submitted redevelopment estimate noted in staff packet of roughly $7.6 million for conversion. - Offer period and next steps: staff advertised a 90‑day solicitation period for offers; if the board accepts the offer for upset bidding the statutory upset‑bid period applies and the board may accept the final high bid or decline to sell.

Community context and concerns

Neighbors said they were unaware of the property solicitation and asked the county to provide more time and outreach so the neighborhood association and local preservation interests could consider alternatives and, if viable, make proposals that would preserve the site’s community value. Several commissioners endorsed notifying the neighborhood association and bringing any additional proposals back to the board for consideration before final disposition.

Proper names

[{"name":"Skyland Elementary","type":"school"},{"name":"Forsyth County","type":"agency"},{"name":"Infill Delicate LLC","type":"business"},{"name":"Kirby Robinson","type":"person"},{"name":"Mayor Mike Rogers","type":"person"}]

Meeting context

- Engagement level: Moderate — item appeared near the end of a long briefing; commissioners and community representatives engaged on preservation and outreach. - Implementation risk: Low to medium — sale depends on statutory upset‑bid process and board consent; potential political/community sensitivities increase reputational risk.

Searchable tags

["Skyland","property_sale","Forsyth County","adaptive_reuse","housing","historic_neighborhood"]

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