Kinston revitalization leader calls for action on neglected downtown buildings
Downtown Kinston Revitalization Executive Director Leon Steele told City Council this week that while investment and momentum are growing downtown, neglected and unsafe buildings threaten to undermine that progress.
Steele said the municipal service district includes about 800 parcels, with 72 sitting vacant. Of those, 20 properties are in urgent need of intervention due to collapsed or leaking roofs, black mold, falling debris and other hazards. Most are located along Queen Street, the city’s central corridor.
“These structures are not only unattractive, they are unsafe,” Steele said. “They present liability risks, they drag down property values and they obstruct the growth we’re working so hard to achieve.”
Downtown has seen $2.8 million in redevelopment in the last fiscal year, according to DKR’s annual Main Street report. That includes nearly $1 million in property acquisitions, more than $520,000 in private improvements and $1.3 million in public rehabilitation projects. Eight new businesses opened, creating 14 full-time and 18 part-time jobs. Steele said leasable space is becoming scarce, signaling strong demand.
Even so, he warned, decades of decay in some properties threaten to stall redevelopment. DKR’s central request to the council is adoption of a neglected buildings ordinance with strict enforcement, making the issue a top city priority.
“We need consistent and firm action,” Steele said. “Other towns in North Carolina have ordinances that allow for escalating fines and, eventually, eminent domain. Without something similar here, these properties will continue to sit and rot.”
Council members agreed the ordinance is necessary but urged careful consideration of history. Councilwoman Felicia Solomon pointed to the former Beech law office, once home to Kinston’s first black attorney, as a building tied to cultural significance. She said property owners should be informed of historic preservation tax credits.
Mayor Pro Tem Antonio Hardy took a firmer stance on the issue.
”I wish someone would buy them and fix them up,” said Hardy. “If not, fine them until they do fix them up.”
Steele stressed that preservation remains central to DKR’s mission. He urged that when demolition is unavoidable, facades should be saved to maintain continuity and avoid a “gap tooth” effect along the streetscape.
“Downtown is our most valuable real estate,” Steele said. “We’ve made great strides, but if we don’t address these neglected buildings, they will drag us backwards. The time to act is now.”
A segment of Steele’s presentation is in the video listed below.
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