High Point council sets annexation hearing, orders demolition of derelict home, approves incentives for solar racking maker and confirms advisory appointment

The High Point City Council on an April evening set a May 19, 2025 public hearing on a voluntary, contiguous annexation petition, voted to demolish a derelict dwelling at 3213 East Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, approved performance-based economic incentives for a Canadian solar-racking manufacturer locating in the city and confirmed an appointment to the Citizens Advisory Council.

The council’s actions move a range of land-use and economic-development matters forward: a scheduled hearing will determine whether to add adjacent property to the city, code enforcement staff gained authority to remove a dwelling deemed unsafe after a lack of owner response, and the council authorized a modest incentive package intended to help a manufacturer invest in High Point and create new jobs.

Interim Code Enforcement Manager Kaylee Parrish presented staff findings on the demolition hearing for 3213 East Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, telling the council that the complaint and notice of hearing were issued on Dec. 12, 2023, a hearing was held Dec. 22, 2023, and “no one appeared for the hearing.” Parrish said an order to repair or demolish with a compliance date of Jan. 22, 2024, was not complied with and no permits have been obtained to repair or demolish the structure. After the public hearing was closed, the council approved a motion to adopt an ordinance to demolish the dwelling; the motion passed by voice vote.

On economic development, Peter Bishop, the city’s economic development director, described a proposal identified in the agenda as “project insulation” and said the company (Opsun Systems Inc.) proposes to invest $17 million in machinery and equipment at 772 Gallimore Dairy Road and to create 32 new jobs with an average annual wage just over $60,000. Bishop told the council that Guilford County and the North Carolina Department of Commerce have already approved matching incentives and that the city’s recommended incentive is $71,127 paid over five years as a performance-based award. Bishop said the combined state and local incentives total just over $182,000 over five years.

Francois Gilles, president of Opsun Systems Inc., described his company’s bifacial photovoltaic racking systems and factory-focused business model, saying the product is adaptable to many roof types and that preassembly can cut roof installation time. “We are one of the only bifacial-optimized racks out there on the market,” Gilles said, adding that the company aims to source as much material locally as possible.

Councilmember (first reference) Johnson said the project aligns with a broader council interest in clean-energy economic development: “I hope this is gonna propel us more even forward as at a city level for adopting clean energy policy,” she said. The council voted to authorize city officials to execute the necessary documents to provide the proposed performance-based incentive; the approval was by voice vote.

The council also set a public hearing date of May 19, 2025, to consider a voluntary, contiguous annexation petition (agenda item as presented). City staff noted the item is for establishing the hearing date; formal annexation would be decided after that hearing.

On appointments, the council confirmed Philip Middlebrooks to the Citizens Advisory Council for a term effective June 1, 2025, through May 31, 2027; that confirmation passed on voice vote.

Other procedural actions at the meeting included approval of the consent agenda and a motion to convene a closed session for attorney–client privilege, both approved by council voice votes.

The council’s demolition vote authorizes city officials to execute documents necessary to carry out the demolition ordinance; staff said no interested party appeared at the hearing and no repairs or permits had been filed. The incentive approval for Opsun Systems Inc. is contingent on the company meeting the performance conditions tied to the payment schedule. The annexation item sets only a hearing; no annexation was enacted at this meeting.

A public hearing on the annexation petition is scheduled for May 19, 2025; the council directed staff to proceed with notices and related preparations.