*Proposal to SAVE THE CATSBURG STORE in Durham, NC*
After a bit of a hiatus from blogging, here's an update on my latest project. Please provide support, suggestions, advice, and funding if you can by contacting me at melissarooneywriting@gmail.com (Subject: Catsburg).
The proposal immediately below was submitted to the owner and realtor of the oldCatsburg Store, which has become a historic Durham landmark, on Friday, Aug 30, 2019. (Note that the corrections in [brackets] have been inserted since the project proposal was submitted, due to continued clarifications with the entities involved.)
Please sign this petition to show your support for Durham County's involvement in this project, by providing a "historic and public use conservation easement" and matching funds for purchasing the land to which the building will be moved (about $75K from the county): http://chng.it/BbJkCxMQ. It costs you nothing but your time.
If you would like to see this project materialize, please also contact Durham County Commissioners with your support at the following email address: Commissioners@dconc.gov.
If you would like to contribute to the moving costs of the building (every dollar helps and shows sincere community support), please click here: http://melissarooneywriting.ipage.com/Donate.htm.
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The original proposal for this project, which was sent to April Johnson (Preservation Durham) and Tim Sivers (real-estate agent for Catsburg property) is attached immediately below this correspondence. Please note that the cat cafe component has since been removed from consideration (for now) in order to concentrate on preserving the building and moving it nearby for general community use and education, as determined by the stakeholders and the community. This is a large undertaking that will benefit the community for years to come in a way that Sheriff Eugene Cat Belvin would be proud of. The building would be moved to nearby public land (purchased by Durham County) and preserved for public use, including environmental, animal husbandry, and historical education and community gatherings and events. As such, this is not something that can be thrown together in a couple of weeks.
It is our hope that the owner of the property on which the Catsburg building now stands is sincere in his desire to preserve it for Durham History and for its existing community, which currently has few such public resources. We have spoken with the Animal Protection Society, the Soil and Water Conservation District, the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association, the Eno River Association, Independent Animal Rescue, Durham Farm Preservation Board members, Durham Open Space and Trails, Durham Parks and Rec, and a number of smaller nonprofit organizations. All have shown great interest in partnering with regard to the educational, recreational, and environmental public resources to make this venture a success.
Jeffrey Fisher, owner and CEO of Unique Places Realty (contact info below) and co-founder of Unique Places to Save, has identified two *prospective* nearby sites to which to move and preserve the Catsburg store for use in this project [board approval will be required, of course]. We are currently in very encouraging communications with County Commissioners and staff to enable the county to [provide a a historic and public use conservation easement on the property and matching funds for property purchase], so that the project can proceed. However, this will take organization and time, including board meetings and public input. It is not something that can happen overnight. I have attached email correspondence (below) on August 28 and 29th of this week that demonstrates the support for this project both in terms of the private, public, county government, and nonprofit sectors.
Also included in this email correspondence is verification from Durham Planning staff that the building does not need to be removed in order for the rezoning process to continue to completion. Mr. Sivers explained at the meeting with prospective stakeholders last Friday that the rezoning process could take 1 to 1 1/2 years. This allows ample time to work this project through the system so that the developer and his realty company can facilitate saving a historic Durham landmark and benefit the Durham community in the process, thereby demonstrating sincere interest, community investment, and good faith. I can guarantee you that their goodwill will be publicized. On the other hand, if the building goes to an entity outside of Durham County or distant from its current long-time landmark location, I imagine neither the county nor the surrounding public will be happy with the results.
As explained in his email below [and after obtaining board approval from Unique Places to Save], Mr. Fisher can arrange movement of the building [in a very timely manner once things are ironed out with the county]. If necessary, while we are securing funding [and, again, once board approval is obtained], Mr. Fisher can move the building to a temporary location as he has done for past projects. Mr. Fisher was a major partner with the county and helped raise $1.5 million to move and preserve the Hollow Rock Store for Durham community use. Again, please see his attached email correspondence in this regard.
In conclusion, this project proposal is a request for an extension to allow the county time to consider [its part with regard to acquiring the land] where the Catsburg building will be moved for this community project.
The accompanying email correspondence with current stakeholders provides more details about the project itself...
In addition to the attached email correspondence, please see the following public Facebook posts regarding this project proposal’s inception and its progress and public interest to date: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.rooney.182/posts/2654749801225311; https://www.facebook.com/melissa.rooney.182/posts/2670429299657361
We are starting a petition this weekend to [demonstrate support for the county's facilitation of this project] ...
Sincerely,
Melissa Rooney
1120 Iredell Street
Durham, NC 27705
melissarooneywriting@gmail.com
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Attachments: 8 pages of Email Correspondence, including map/location of future Catsburg building site)
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Original project proposal sent to Preservation Durham and Tim Sivers (the real-estate agent for the current Catsburg property):
From: Melissa Rooney Writing <melissarooneywriting@gmail.com>
Subject: Proposal for Catsburg Country Store
Date: August 16, 2019 at 10:33:49 AM EDT
To: april@preservationdurham.org
Cc: Melissa Rooney <melissarooneywriting@gmail.com>
Thank you SO much for making the Catsburg Country Store available for re-use and thank you for considering the proposal below.
I first saw the Catsburg Country Store on February 24, 2019, when I was on my way to Eno Valley Elementary School, shortly after we adopted a beautiful and intelligent black cat named Kale from the Durham APS. I pulled over, took a picture of the place, and made it my cover photo on Facebook with the following accompanying text: “At Hamlin and Old Oxford Roads. Someone must open a cat-prioritized local pet store and cat cafe here.” Here’s the full post, including 20 comments: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2348939228473038&set=a.1042080105825630&type=3
I did some Internet searching and realized that the likelihood of opening a cat cafe on that piece of land was nil- the value of the land was just too high. Nonetheless, when out with friends and colleagues, I pitched the idea to anyone who was interested, in the hopes someone would have the means/knowledge to make it happen.
Two days ago, a friend sent me a link to the ABC news story about the building being available for free with $5K toward moving costs. My 15YO son, who is a rising junior at the Durham School of the Arts (DSA) was particularly excited and said he wanted to contact the Durham APS immediately and see if they could help secure the building and, with our help (I am a grant writer), turn it into a cat cafe, like the one currently in Chapel Hill, that would 1) house APS cats, 2) provide employment for cat-loving Durham residents, and 3) provide a wonderful and unique indoor space for the community to gather with their children.
I told him this would be a long-term project- two years at least- and that he’d have to attend board and committee meetings, help write grants, etc. He committed to this wholeheartedly, also recognizing the life-learning experience it would afford him. We talked about making it an independent pathway at his highschool (DSA); about how we should apply for a grant from the Southern Documentary Fund in Durham to enable DSA film students to document the whole process, start to finish, and put together a film so other kids and adults can learn how to work with nonprofit and government organizations to accomplish something good for their community; about how we can get the Museum of Durham History to sponsor (and Durham Open Space and Trails to help fund) a memorial bench and exterior sign in honor of Sheriff Eugene ‘Cat’ Belvin and his Catsbury Country Store, so that everyone would know the history of the Sheriff’s legacy.
So I posted a request on social media, asking my friends to connect me with anyone at APS who might listen to this proposal. I tagged Durham County Commissioner Wendy Jacobs, Durham City Mayor Steve Schewel, Durham City Council members Dedreanna Freeman and Charlie Reece. Five hours later, Wendy Jacobs connected me to the director of the APS as well as several other people who ‘know how to make things happen’. Here is the whole online discussion: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.rooney.182/posts/2654749801225311.
My son was through the roof. The APS director has asked to hear/read my son’s proposal next week. If she is on board, we plan to seek land donation from the city/county. If the donation takes too long, we plan to find a lot on which we can move the building until it can be moved to its permanent location. During this process, we will apply for and receive donations and local and state grant funding to renovate the building and turn it into a cat residence and cafe. The cat cafe would be part of the APS or, if necessary, an independent nonprofit, where behaviorally appropriate APS cats would be housed and where monthly or bimonthly adoption events would be held.
I am thrilled that my son wants to do this, and I am confident in his ability to do so and the ability of his school to assist. What also strikes me is how quickly the idea has caught fire on social media and that so many influential Durham people have become interested in such a short amount of time. But I am also taken by the synergy of the experience so far. I love that the building has a black cat on it. It immediately makes me think of Kale, who is a remarkable cat- we even started a Facebook page for him (https://www.facebook.com/OneProudBlackCat/?modal=admin_todo_tour) - but a cat who had trouble getting adopted because he is black (the APS volunteer who organized Kale’s adoption told us that people are superstitious and generally ‘don’t want black cats’). I think that Sheriff Eugene ‘Cat’ Belvin would approve of his building and his black-cat image being used to promote community while also promoting the care and wellbeing of abandoned beings in the his county.
I will provide an update with regard to the APS’s offical partnership in this project as soon as possible. I just wanted to be sure that you are aware of this idea - and the number of Durham people already invested in it - as you consider other ideas for the future of the Catsburg building.
In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this project further, please call or text me at the number provided. I will respond as soon as humanly possible :-)
Thank you, again, for your serious consideration of our proposal. I look forward to updating you next week.
Sincerely,
Melissa Rooney
Durham citizen and resident since 2002
My homepage: www.melissarooneywriting.com
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Note: All the correspondence below occurred on 28-29 August 2019, in chronocological order from the *bottom* up.
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From: “Jeffrey A. Fisher”
Subject: Re: Catsburg Bldg - Final Update/Plans
Date: August 29, 2019 at 12:33:05 PM EDT
To: Melissa Rooney <melissarooneywriting@gmail.com>
Cc: County commissioners Wendy jacobs and Ellen Reckhow; County Staff; Unique Places Staff
Thank you, Melissa, for your energy and passion for saving the store. It brings back very fond memories of Erwin Rd.
The property that my partners and I purchased across from the store is perhaps not the best location, but it is pretty darn close and could be an excellent location. My hope had been that the store would end up across the street at Robb Teer’s Jersey Durham tract. I have been working with Mr. Teer to potentially purchase that site from a few years, and with my last check in with him (this week), he and his partners aren’t open to selling right now, so that site is off the table for now.
I’m willing to collaborate with the County on a location for the Store on our property, which is about 160 acres. Here is the map of our assemblage:. https://enoventurepark.com/. Most of the property is zoned light industrial.
I am also willing to go to the Board of Unique Places to Save to ask them to get behind a Hollow Rock like fundraising effort to move the store, in collaboration with Preservation Durham. ... (Of note, the bees shown in the CNN new piece are on the farm at The Honeysuckle (mentioned below).
So where to put the store on the land we own nearby? I’m attaching a screen shot that shows two circles where the store could potentially be relocated, one in yellow, one in orange, on our land. The two places on our property, and still in Durham Co and less than 3/4 of a mile away from the current location, are shown on the attached screen shot.
The best of the two sites, in my opinion, is shown in yellow. It would allow for:
1. pedestrian access to and from the Sandy Ridge school, though would require crossing the street.
2. pedestrian access to and from Hebron Rd Plant Conservation Area (an underutilized conservation asset in the region, and again would require walking across the street)
3. the rail trail / rail road. If you follow the railroad north to the Eno River, you’d be on the Mountains to Sea Trail. Heading south, you end up in the City of Durham.
The other site (shown in orange) is near a pond, which could be a nice asset for fishing. I can confirm there are fish there… :-) But it is further from the important rails, school and green space assets.
My two other partners in the Eno Venture Park live in Winston Salem, so they don’t have a Durham connection like I do. I can’t commit my partners to donate land for the cause.
I also can’t commit Unique Places to Save to purchase the land needed for the Catsburg Store, but if we needed to move “fast”, would could potentially work out an arrangement between the County and Unique Places to Save, wherein the County (and it partners) were a 50% funding partner (perhaps in the form of a historic conservation easement to Unique Places to Save?). The biggest expense would be fixing up the store, not the land, and that will require grants and other work by folks like Melissa, but at least this short term solution would get the store moved to a site, with Durham as an important land funding partner in the form of a conservation easement.
I realize Durham County has a lot of other very important priorities, but as Melissa says, this “problem” is a unique opportunity for the people in this part of the County, and I think it warrants some kind of investment from the County, that the community can in turn leverage. We raised 1.5MM for the Hollow Rock park, and this would be a much smaller footprint of land/cost less. I think Durham Co contributed 75K to the Hollow Rock Park - Could it contribute the same amount to this project, which is 100% in Durham Co?
One frustration I’ve had with the Hollow Rock Store, that I would not want to replicate here, is that the store now sits, with no activity. I’m over there often, and it feels like a dead store, and maybe that will change some day. The Catsburg should have life in it, and be a community gathering place with life in it, so I think a joint venture for the use of the store makes a lot of sense.
And speaking of Joint Ventures... the Honeysuckle (www.thehoneysuckle.org) is a joint venture between Unique Places to Save and social impact investors, myself included... I also think that having a Honeysuckle like venture in the store would be great for that part of Durham Co. Also, if we told the sizable social media following that supports the Honeysuckle Tea House, that we might have a Honeysuckle Tea House in north Durham at a historic store, I'd think we could garner support for the project from those "Chapel Hill folks” to the south. (And yes, Melissa, I think we could integrate cats somehow into the concept. :-) )
In closing, I would also encourage the County to not endorse a short term solution that does not keep the store near where it currently sits. The thought of it going to Orange County, or far from the current site, seems like a bad solution. I could disassemble the store and put it at our farm at the Honeysuckle in Orange Co, but that would rob that part of the County of an iconic historic asset.
I also think that the landowner offering to pay only 5K for a projected 30K move is perhaps not enough. As we know from the Hollow Rock Store, the cost of moving includes a lot of work leading up to the project, new site due diligence and infrastructure, permitting, etc. If we come up with a solution with Durham Co to move the site to our land, I’m happy to invite the landowner to contribute more to the move, and offer to match the landowner’s contribution with funds raised by Unique Places to Save/Preservation Durham. I think Mr. Teer would also contribute, given conversations we’ve had about it in the past.
I hope this at least gives a framework, location and somewhat specific proposal for a potential solution for the Catsburg Store. If Durham County can commit to being a 50% partner in the land, I think we could make this work.
Thanks,
Jeff
Jeffrey A. Fisher
CEO | Unique Places LLC
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From Melissa Rooney
To County commissioners Wendy jacobs and Ellen Reckhow; County Staff Jane Korest; Unique Places Catherine Coley, Jeff Fisher, Ben Quinn
I spoke with Jeff Fisher with Unique Places this morning. There is a tract of land *immediately across the street from Sandy Ridge school* that the owners are willing to sell for a reasonable price, in order to relocate the Catsburg building for community use. This land is not only accessible to Sandy Ridge students without requiring motor transportation, but it is also immediately adjacent to the Mountains to Sea Trail and other conservation areas with future plans for community use by ECWA, the Farmland Board, etc.
Jeff described a “Honeysuckle” vision (https://www.thehoneysuckle.org) - creating a community space where people gather, learn, listen to music, appreciate history, and walk in Nature.
Jeff is confident that we can raise the money necessary to make this a reality for the Catsburg store, as was done for the Hollow Rock Store (https://www.orangecountync.gov/913/Hollow-Rock-Nature-Park) off Erwin Road (for which ~$1.5 M was raised). But I now realize that asking a private citizen and property owner for land donation in order to save the store is asking too much. We need a public partner, and that public partner is Durham County.
So…I am going to write the project proposal for the owner/realtor/PreservationDurham, which is due tomorrow, describing the possibilities should we be granted more time. I will emphasize that the building does not have to be removed for rezoning completion, so that we should have at least a year to work toward this.
This is an incredible opportunity for multiple partnerships among Durham government, schools, and nonprofit organizations, and to provide a fabulous public asset in an area where there are few. The location immediately across the street from a Durham Public School is a huge consideration.
Importantly, we have removed the cat café component from consideration. The important thing is to save the building for community use in Durham County. The most feasible option that I heard presented at the meeting with the realtor on site last week was a farm owner in Orange County who wants to move the front wall/facade of the building for use in their general store. They asked if Seamus and I would partner with them, but I strongly believe that this building should stay not only in Durham County but in the area where it has existed for nearly 100 years.
I am not giving up, but I cannot do this alone.
Thank you for your persistence and your help.
Melissa
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From: "Young, Patrick" <Patrick.Young@durhamnc.gov>
Subject: RE: Update re: Catsburg Cafe -
Date: August 28, 2019 at 9:24:55 PM EDT
To: 'Wendy Jacobs’, Melissa Rooney Writing
Cc: Heaps of people
Commissioner Jacobs and Ms. Rooney:
Thanks very much for your recent email (see below) regarding the status and future of the Catsburg Café building. I first want to say that we will work in any way we can to support the efforts to preserve this historic treasure.
The following provides the best information and guidance I can provide with the facts in hand:
1) There is no County requirement that the Catsburg Café building be removed at the time of a zoning map change hearing for the site on which it sits. A formal application to rezone this property has not been submitted as of this date, we be anticipate that such a request is forthcoming, based on communication with the owner’s representative; and
2) If the Catsburg Café structure is relocated within Durham County (or the City), there will be both building and trade code (i.e.: State-code based life-safety standards) requirements, enforced by our colleagues in the City-County Inspections Department (Director Gene Bradham and Chief Building Official Wyatt Blalock copied), as well as Planning and Zoning requirements (e.g.: setbacks, permissibility of uses) imposed by the Durham Unified Development Ordinance (UDO); and
3) The issues (e.g.: permits and approvals required) associated with relocation to any given site are very difficult to generalize. Relocating to a rural site for agritourism purposes, outside of a floodplain area, for example, would be relatively less costly and complex then use of this building for commercial or other public assembly uses (e.g.: education), because of life-safety code requirements and zoning restrictions on many sites associated with these uses. I would recommend setting up a meeting with Planning and Inspections staff to talk through issues and opportunities in this regard – as noted above, we will use the maximum flexibility and discretion the law allows to help get this structure relocated within Durham. Our point of contact will be Development Services Center Senior Manager Bo Dobrzenski (Bo.Dobrzenski@durhamnc.gov or 919-560-4137 ext 28230).
I hope this information is helpful – please don’t hesitate to contact me or Mr. Dobrzenski with additional questions, comments or concerns – best regards, Pat
Patrick O. Young, AICP
Director
Durham City-County Planning Department
101 City Hall Plaza, Ground Floor, Suite G500Durham, NC 27701919-560-4137 ext. 28273
Durham City-County Planning Department
Please note that e-mail correspondence to and from this sender may be subject to
the provisions of North Carolina Public Records Law and disclosed to third parties.
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