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Forsyth County to consider accepting 5.36-acre Big House Gaines site after Family Services vacated property
Summary
County staff asked the board to accept a deeded reversion of the Big House Gaines (Skyland) property after Family Services vacated; General Services recommended demolition due to deferred maintenance and fire damage, with estimated demolition costs of $350,000 and renovation costs not specified in briefing.
Forsyth County staff asked commissioners on March 10 to accept back a 5.36-acre property at 2050 Big House Gaines Boulevard that previously reverted to the county because Family Services no longer occupies the site.
Kirby Robinson, community economic development director, said the deed conveying the property to Family Services in 1992 included a reversionary clause requiring property return if Family Services ceased using the site for nonprofit public purposes. Family Services moved out in January 2024 and county staff learned of the vacancy in August 2024, Robinson said.
Robinson said General Services performed a facility condition assessment in December 2024 and recommended demolition because of substantial deferred maintenance, multiple roof leaks, structural concerns and an unreported fire inside the main facility. He said General Services estimated demolition would cost about $350,000. Robinson also said an estimate to fully renovate the facility was provided to staff but the dollar amount was not clearly stated in the briefing materials.
The site includes two buildings totaling about 41,000 square feet, and Robinson said roughly half the parcel is developable because of topography and floodplain constraints. Planning staff produced conceptual sketches showing a potential small residential PRD of roughly 15 small lots or a minor subdivision of about seven lots, but Robinson cautioned topography, rezoning and demolition costs would affect any sale or redevelopment price.
County leaders discussed the property's history during the briefing. An attorney in the briefing traced a complicated ownership history: the property was conveyed to Winston-Salem Foundation and used by Family Services as a Head Start program, and paperwork and notice processes meant the county did not immediately learn of the abandonment. The county's legal advisor said the county holds a reversionary property interest and can accept the deed back or transfer the interest to another party.
Staff asked the board whether it would accept the deed back; Robinson said staff was already exploring potential uses and outreach to possible developers and the city for affordable housing funds. Commissioners discussed demolition costs, liability while vacant, and potential to market the site for sale at fair market value or accept a developer who would assume demolition costs.
