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The Rebirth of Western Electric:

Transforming an Industrial Legacy into a Community Asset

An AIA Sustainable Design Assessment Team Project

The City of Burlington

February 14th, 2018

City of Burlington | North Carolina

AIA SDAT APPLICATION: The Rebirth of Western Electric

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Summary Page

Project Title:

The Rebirth of Western Electric: Transforming an Industrial Legacy into a Community Asset

Primary Contact: City of Burlington Steering Committee Chair Peter Bishop Ian Baltutis Director of Economic Development Mayor, City of Burlington 425 S. Lexington Avenue 425 S. Lexington Avenue Burlington, NC 27215 Burlington, NC 27215 Phone: (336) 222-5147 Cell: (763) 218-0266 Cell: (252) 722-1556 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

Executive Summary

The City of Burlington is a diverse, growing community in Alamance County, North Carolina located 45 miles west of Raleigh and 20 miles east of Greensboro. In 2018, the City will celebrate its 125th year of incorporation in service to our 53,000 citizens and many businesses who call Burlington home.

The City’s enviable location between growing labor markets in the Piedmont Triad and Research Triangle along Interstates 40/85 provides our citizens and businesses with excellent access to a high quality of life.

This location, the City’s investments in infrastructure and our culture of innovation historically brought great industrial growth to our community – whether in agriculture, textiles, biomedical testing or aviation. However, as our economy evolved through globalization and Burlington worked to adjust, we still suffered job losses and plant closings in our industrial base.

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



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Moreover, the losses were concentrated in older manufacturing plants located in neighborhoods or small ‘mill-towns’, in stark contrast to new advanced manufacturing and distribution developments along the Interstate.

The impacts of these closings can go beyond unemployment and vacancy: entire neighborhoods and commercial districts decline; social fabrics begin to fray; citizens are left needed more services and assistance.

The former Western Electric facility in Burlington is our City’s clearest example how a once vibrant industrial facility can impact a neighborhood. Hopefully, it can also prove and example of how a community supported planning process can leverage its rebirth.

The Western Electric Facility is a 22-acre former US Army missile & communications systems manufacturing site with 760,000 square feet of space in 16 buildings. At its peak in the 1960’s, this plant employed almost 4,000 engineers, technicians and line workers. Entire neighborhoods, schools and shopping areas were built in the nearby area to serve the plant.

As the Cold War ended in the 1980’s operations ramped down, and the facility was officially closed in 1991. The property was sold by the US government in 2004. It has since been salvaged of precious metals. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2016, as the city and current owner seek to identify a redevelopment plan.

The Western Electric Facility represents an opportunity to envision a new future for our community in this neighborhood. The immediate area includes: Alamance County offices, non-profits, an elementary school, Alamance-Burlington School System’s central office, health care facilities, residential, sand industrial development.

Provided a comprehensive, cooperative plan forward, the City of Burlington and our partners have confidence that we can engender positive economic and community changes at the Western Electric facility and surrounding neighborhood.

Burlington has a strong track record of problem-solving borne out of cooperative civic leadership and community-based planning efforts. Some examples include addressing City-wide water shortages, multiple downtown revitalization planning processes, establishment of historic districts, investing in recreation and prioritizing beautification.

The Communities By Design program represents the City’s next opportunity to establish a vision through the work of our citizens, leadership and the AIA’s Sustainable Design Assessment Team.

Our experience with the SDAT team and process with the Western Electric revitalization planning project could also help us create a model for approaching other redevelopment projects throughout Burlington in the future. The City’s comprehensive plan, “Destination Burlington”, City Council and the City’s Economic Development department all identify redevelopment of legacy industrial sites as a top priority for our continued economic growth.



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City of Burlington History

Burlington, North Carolina is a community built on our citizens’ ability to capture opportunity and leverage innovation and teamwork to respond positively to a series of major economic, social and political changes throughout our history.

Our City’s roots in trade and industry are deep. Modern Burlington is built along the historic Native American Occaneechi Trading Path, a major trade corridor stretching from Georgia to Virginia where tribes throughout the Southeast traversed to exchange pelts and furs with English and French colonials.

The area developed as a rural, agrarian society until the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when the area pounced on the opportunity to entice a new technology here: the railroad. Local leaders successfully assembled land to recruit the North Carolina Railroad to establish their maintenance and repair shops here in 1854, and the unincorporated community of Company Shops was born.

Company Shops was a bustling, growing village for thirty years thanks to the jobs and trade that accompanied the railroad and its maintenance depot. But the early success was not everlasting and the area was to experience the first of its major economic shifts. In 1886, the railroad closed the shops and relocated them, leaving Company Shops and its citizens to determine what would be next.

Rather than move away with the railroad or do nothing, citizens of the area worked together to forge a path forward with a new name and vision. In 1893, the City of Burlington was founded by citizens and leaders determined to persevere and keep the area thriving for the next century.

Around the same time, small water-powered textile operations began appearing along the Haw River and nearby tributaries, taking advantage of the City’s nearby supplies of cotton and spinning them into garments and fabrics. Major companies led by local industrialists like the Holt and Gant families became national powerhouses in the textile industry.

By 1900, Burlington boasted 30 textile mills and developed a reputation for colored plaid manufacturing. These mills themselves sprouted housing, shops, churches, schools and other amenities for their workers as the industry grew – in essence, the ‘mill-town’ development typical of other textile production areas of the South.

Consolidation and technology began shrinking the massive footprint of Burlington’s textile industry as new machines powered by steam, then electricity, rendered old facilities obsolete. In order to survive, mills need to innovate. Local firms began working with synthetic materials like rayon and nylon to produce hosiery products for men and women. The success of these innovations was so great that in the early and mid-20th century, Burlington earned the moniker ‘The Hosiery Capital of the South.’

Throughout these decades of textile and industry innovation, Burlington was a growing, thriving city with a bustling downtown featuring a streetcar, train station, churches, stores and shops. Growth exploded: from 1900 to 1950, Burlington added over 20,000 new residents. With theinflux of people came greater community needs – water, sewer, roads and schools – to ensure the City’s quality of life



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remained strong. In response, the City massively expanded reservoirs, roads and housing to ensure the next generation of residents and industries were able to thrive. We still enjoy the benefits of these investments today.

The advent of World War II spawned a new growth industry in Burlington: defense jobs. These jobs evolved from constructing wooden training aircraft for Fairchild to the development, testing and manufacturing of the US Army’s NIKE Hercules guided missile technology. This massive operation employed almost 4,000 workers at its peak in the 1960’s. Unlike the low skill and wage positions at Burlington’s textile mills, Western Electric workers were well-educated, high-paid engineers and technicians. These jobs helped solidify a strong middle class in the City for 50 years.

In the 1970’s and 1980’s, though, more change was coming to Burlington. The Cold War was waning, and so were the good jobs at Western Electric. Contemporaneously, strong international competition and recession combined to significantly weaken Burlington’s textile industry. As the automobile became more ubiquitous, retail, office and commercial development strayed from Burlington’s once bustling downtown to regional shopping centers and malls on the west side of the City, where new growth was taking place.

Despite these challenges, Burlington again found a way to recreate its economy through innovation and entrepreneurship. In 1969, Brothers Thomas, John and James Powell founded Biomedical Reference Laboratories to provide testing services for the growing biotechnology cluster in nearby Research Triangle Park.

Their company would grow to become Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp), the world’s leading biometric testing company. LabCorp is Burlington’s largest private employer, providing over 2,000 jobs for our citizens.

Today, Burlington is enjoying steady growth in all forms. A growing renaissance in our Downtown has brought new investment including storefronts, theatres, restaurants and apartments. Continued growth to our west has brought modern retail, healthcare, residences and apartments.

On February 14th, 2018 the City of Burlington will celebrate our 125th anniversary. Throughout the successes and challenges of our past, the City and our people continue to thrive and adapt. We face many more challenges to come – ones we welcome as opportunities to continue our City’s history of perseverance and cooperation.



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Form of Government

The City of Burlington is a political subdivision of the State of North Carolina. The City functions as a Council-Manager form of government, where City Council and the Mayor perform as equals undertaking legislative function, and the City Manager operates as the chief administrative officer. The Mayor is elected to 2-year terms and leads Council meetings. Councilmembers are elected to 4-year terms. The City Manager, City Clerk and City Attorney are appointed by City Council. In 2017, the City budget was $53.8 Million with 850 employees.

Population

The City of Burlington is estimated to have a 2018 population of 52,797. The 2010 Census calculated Burlington’s population at 49,963, representing 6% growth since that time. The City’s population has grown every year since our founding 125 years ago.

Demographics



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Economic Base – Burlington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)



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Problem Statement and Issues Analysis

Western Electric Project Area

The Western Electric Project area encompasses 64 tax parcels bordered by North Graham Hopedale Road, North Church Street, Homewood Avenue and Vaughn Road in the Northeast part of Burlington. The total area is approximately 70 Acres. The site is approximately 2 miles from Downtown Burlington, 2 miles from Downtown Graham and 3 miles from Interstate 40-85.

The Western Electric / US Army Tarheel Missile Plant property consists of 22.15 acres in 18 separate structures totaling about 760,000 square feet of space. The property’s main buildings were designed by noted industrial architect Albert Kahn. In 2016, the property was awarded a place on the National Register of Historic Places. The property is eligible for the City of Burlington’s Local Landmark designation.



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Zoning & Land Use

Existing uses in this area consist of the following:

• Commercial: Fast Food, Gas/Convenience, Retail, Services, offices • Industrial: Automotive, textile, storage, vacant • Residential: Single Family Housing, Apartments • Institutional: Schools, Non-profits, Public Health

Overall, the development in this area is aging with sporadic parcels experiencing new development or investment. Commercial vacancy in the area is low; the quality of structures ranges from average to poor. Many nearby structures are former textile operations. Rental rates for commercial and industrial properties reflect these factors, remaining at the low end of the range for all property types.

Residential properties are a mixture of for-rent and owner-occupied single family homes, with some multi-family properties in the nearby vicinity. Homeownership rates remain high, at almost 70%. Property conditions range from average to poor condition, with properties in the immediate vicinity of the Western Electric site in need of investment or redevelopment.



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Significant retail and residential neighborhoods are located to the east, south and west of the Western Electric site. The entire North Church Street-US 70 corridor is densely developed with retail and services for 2 miles to the East and West of the site. New investment near the study area includes a Walmart Supercenter.

Nearby schools include Eastlawn Elementary School, Andrews Elementary School, the Career & Technical Education Center (CTEC), Broadview Middle School and Cummings High School. The Alamance-Burlington School System’s central offices are adjacent to the site along the northern boundary of the study area.

Alamance County’s administrative offices for public health have a significant presence on the eastern boundary of the study area with the Department of Social Services, Agricultural Extension, and numerous public health agencies.

Further, Alamance County recently announced that they will be undertaking a Capital and Facilities planning exercise related to their presence in the Study Area. This news provides even more impetus for the City to actively engage the County in understanding short and long term facility needs, as well as seek to accommodate uses for growth or relocation of offices in the study area.

Project Area Demographics

When compared with the City of Burlington as a whole, US Census data show that the study area is struggling. Median Household Income is 12% lower in the neighborhood and poverty rates are 3% higher than the City average. The housing market reflects a 32% for-rent rate, with 12% of housing stock vacant – the highest percentage of any Census block in the City.

Demographically, the Census tract is home to about 7,900 persons. 66% of the population is minority. The study area tract claims the city’s highest concentration of Hispanic residents and the second highest African-American population.

A full demographic profile of the study area’s Census tract is included as an attachment to this application.

Barriers to Success

The Western Electric study area faces many barriers to revitalization that have slowed its progress and attractiveness to development. As a result of these barriers, the property has failed to attract investment for either reuse as an industrial structure or for full redevelopment since its initial sale to private owners in 2004.

The following summarizes some underlying barriers to the Western Electric property’s development:



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Physical

The physical characteristics of the property can be intimidating to all but the most dynamic and creative developers. The Western Electric site alone represents 22-acres developed with multiple unique structures over different eras – a jigsaw puzzle of costly activities like building restoration, site demolition and remediation.

Along with a challenging site, developers are also working in a challenging neighborhood. As described in the project area demographics section, the study area Census block is trailing the rest of Burlington on income and poverty, with higher vacancy. New commercial investment in the subject area has been sporadic, limited to lower-wage retail and services development. New residential development has been minimal.

Without a strong area market to absorb the potential higher costs for the Western Electric site redevelopment project, private investors have yet to enter serious discussions with the property owner or City on a plan forward.

The City has made some progress to address neighborhood development conditions through the “Destination Burlington” Comprehensive plan, the City’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Transportation Plan, and a pilot program for proactive code enforcement.

The City has identified several trail corridors adjacent to the Western Electric study area to connect the neighborhood to the City’s parks, community centers and Downtown via an integrated system of greenways.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation will begin a $15 Million intersection improvement and road widening project of North Graham-Hopedale Road in 2023. These improvements will accommodate multi-modal traffic and enhance pedestrian movements in the study area.

Environmental

Due to its history of production, the property is known to have environmental conditions that will need to be remediated prior to redevelopment and reuse. These conditions include asbestos abatement and lead paint removal that are the responsibility of the developer. Further, the US Army Environmental Command and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are completing a draft remediation plan for the site to address potentially contaminated groundwater.

It is critical that the City and Steering committee, and SDAT team interact closely with the USACE throughout this remediation process and ensure that plans and strategies moving forward are in concert with the remediation plan.



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In addition to on-site issues, the bulk of housing in the study area and vicinity is at least 50 years old. The presence of lead-based paint is very likely in these homes and will need remediation as this housing stock is improved for future generations.

Social & Economic

The immediate neighborhood surrounding the Western Electric property and study area is and has been lacking in investment and momentum for many years. There remains a significant population and business density in the area, but demand for commercial, office or industrial space is sparse and limited to the reuse of existing structures or existing owner-occupied institutional users.

Housing demand overall in Burlington for well located, new-construction apartments and homes is strong; however the study area’s supply is of older construction and in need of reinvestment. Adjacent neighborhoods to the study area offer modest housing in average to good condition.

Employment nearby the study area is a combination of government, non-profit, education, retail and services. Due to its location nearby the busy North Church Street-US 70 corridor, Alamance County offices and Alamance-Burlington School District central office, the property enjoys high worker density nearby.

As noted in the study area demographics section, the neighborhood has some of the city’s highest concentration of Hispanic and African-American residents, whom on average experience higher poverty rates and lower household incomes than the City at large. The City does not have any data at the Census Block level on employment and education for the neighborhood residents. Obtaining more information on the study area population would enhance opportunities for this design project to incorporate education and training services into the plan.

The City and Steering Committee hope to leverage the SDAT project at Western Electric set a vision for the study area that unlocks the potential of the North Church Street retail and services corridor, the high density of jobs located nearby, the demand for quality housing.

Community Engagement

The City of Burlington manages multiple programs designed to engage our communities in the areas of youth, recreation, transportation, housing and crime prevention. Many of these programs have been designed to address existing barriers to neighborhood success such as youth violence, housing investment, engagement and access to resources.

The study area is serviced by two major parks and centers, The Mayco Bigelow Community Center at North Park, and the Fairchild Community Center at Fairchild Park. These centers offer community residents computers, libraries, indoor and outdoor recreation, a swimming pool,



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BMX track, playgrounds and a farmers’ market. The City of Burlington continues to invest heavily in programming and facilities at each of these major community centers.

In 2016, the City of Burlington launched LINK Transit service, the City’s own bus service. LINK connects residents in the study area with affordable transit to work, the above centers, and retail locations throughout the City. Stations are located nearby the Western Electric property and the service has surpassed 600,000 riders since its inception.

National Night Out represents our Police Department’s signature event, with 40+ community events throughout the city designed to engender better communication, fellowship and neighborhood engagement with Law Enforcement. Burlington prides itself on strong participation in this program and the impact it has on community relations.

Finally, the City’s Community Development Department supports housing rehabilitation loans, non-profit improvement projects and job training within our City’s neighborhoods of need through our Community Development Block Grant program.

Despite these critical investments and action-oriented programs to spur investment and engagement, the City finds that we are losing ground in the study area neighborhood and that we must do more to ensure all of our citizens and businesses are able to access resources available to them.

The opportunity to approach the neighborhood through a community design process provides the City yet another chance to build relationships and trust, facilitating more engagement in our services.



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Objective of the SDAT Process

The City of Burlington seeks to work with the AIA SDAT team, Steering Committee and stakeholders to develop a shared vision and comprehensive master plan for the future of the Western Electric site and surrounding neighborhood. Our goal in developing this plan is to align multiple resources and stakeholders together in an immersive, intentional way to create actionable steps for neighborhood revitalization, new investment and new opportunities for the community.

Through this collaborative planning effort, the City seeks to entice private investment, coordinate facilities planning with area organizations and create a path to neighborhood stability and strength with certainty and conviction.

The City intends to work closely with Alamance County to integrate appropriate pieces of that organizations Capital and Facilities planning that will be occurring concurrently to ensure opportunities to relocate or redevelop County operations could be accommodated through any plans generated in this process.

Specifically, the City and Steering Committee have identified these preliminary desired outcomes for this planning process:

• Conceptual site plan for redevelopment of the core structures on the Western Electric site • Coordinated Western Electric Site remediation plan with USACE • Highest and Best Use analysis and recommendation for land uses within the Study Area • Community needs assessment on goods, services and amenities desired by the Study Area

neighborhood (Green Space, office, retail, industry, transit, training, jobs, safety) • Stakeholders needs assessment on surrounding property uses, future needs and growth • Multi-modal transportation analysis of the Study Area with recommendations on improvements

and connections to current plans

Due to the dynamics of the surrounding area and multiple stakeholders to be engaged, it is not assumed that the above list of desired outcomes is attainable within this project scope or timeline. It is the City and Steering Committee’s intent to work closely with the SDAT team to identify the best shared outcomes and seek to address these in priority fashion through the community engagement process.



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Steering Committee Information

Name Title / Organization Contact Information Notes

Ian Baltutis Mayor, City of Burlington

425 S. Lexington Ave Burlington, NC 27215 336-222-5020 (763) 218-0266 [email protected]

Mayor of Burlington. Identified SDAT program for the City and brings the support and engagement of the City Council

Jenny Faulkner Alamance-Burlington Schools Public Information Officer

1712 Vaughn Road Burlington, NC 27217 (336) 438-4000 x 20004 [email protected]

Superintendent with Central Office adjacent to study area. Daughter of former Western Electric worker

Bryan Hagood Manager, Alamance County

124 West Elm Street Graham, NC 27253 336-228-1312 [email protected]

County manager with many nearby employees and operations in the study area. Leading Facilities Planning for future of County presence in the area.

Donnie Neuenberger Owner, Western Electric Site

4245 Kings Road Edgewater, MD 21037 301-440-8136 [email protected]

Property Owner, Western Electric. Very passionate about the property and engaged in its potential for development

Lisa Edwards Gate City Dream Center

1423 N. Church Street Burlington, NC 27217 336-693-9061 [email protected]

Operates nearby community center on North Church Street

Ann Meletzke Executive Director, Healthy Alamance

319 N. Graham-Hopedale Road Burlington, NC 27217 336.214.0771 [email protected]

Offices nearby site and operates County wide health non-profit

Kathy Colville Cone Health

1225 Huffman Mill Rd, Suite 204 Burlington, NC 27215 (336) 586-3595 [email protected]

Representative of regional hospital and healthcare provider Cone Health, who has multiple facilities and efforts underway in the study area



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Steering Committee Information (cont.)

Steven Balog Past President, Burlington Civitan Club

4112 Gilchrist Dr Burlington, NC 27215 336-684-9021 [email protected]

Head of Burlington Civitans, which meets at restaurant adjacent to Western Electric Property. Very interested in revitalization, former County judge

David Spruill Chair, Martin Luther King Jr Coalition

1809 Hilton Rd Burlington, NC 27217 336-512-3474 [email protected]

Soil & Water Conservation Board Member, Chair of MLK 501c3, Resident of Study Area

Jose Silva Owner, Burlington Insurance Agency

2214 N Church Street Burlington, NC 27217 336-392-3461 [email protected]

Engaged member of the Hispanic/Latino community, local insurance agent, property owner

Jeff Johnson, AIA Project Leader, Alley, Williams, Carmen & King

740 Chapel Hill Road Burlington, NC 27215 336.226.5534 [email protected]

Local architect and member of the AIA and Triad branch of the AIA

John Plageman AIA Principal, Plageman Architecture

408 South Spring Street Burlington, NC 27215 336-226-3933 x 101 919-619-5012 [email protected]

Local architect and member of the AIA and Triad branch of the AIA

Daniel Shoffner Senior Planner, City of Burlington

P.O. Box 1358 Burlington, NC 27216 336-513-5416 [email protected]

Senior Planner with special interest and involvement in the City's historic properties and former mills. Excellent resource for project.

April Durr

Director of Community Impact, United Way of Alamance County

220 East Front Street Burlington, NC 27215 (336) 560-2548 [email protected]

Involved in numerous community groups and non-profits in the study area neighborhood. Excellent contacts within the community.

Veronica Revels

Executive Director, Burlington Housing Authority

133 N Ireland St Burlington, NC 27217 336-226-8421 x203 226-260-8703 [email protected]

Leader of the Burlington Housing Authority, which has several properties in the immediate vicinity of the study area.



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The City of Burlington is excited to present this diverse group of partners whom have committed to serve on the SDAT Steering Committee. In fact, there was so much interest in this committee that the City has plenty of interested, engaged parties who will be attending all of our Steering Committee events and presentations to support the core group.

All of the committee members understand the importance of encouraging neighborhood participation in the meetings and planning process. The City was delighted to be overwhelmed in this regard – it shows the time is right for this process!

Budget & Funding Information

The City of Burlington has committed a $5,000 match in our current General Fund budget. The below budget represent anticipated costs and their intended coverage through in-kind donations from Steering Committee members or project partners.

BUDGET Sources AIA SDAT $15,000 City of Burlington $5,000 TOTAL $20,000 Uses Meeting space In-Kind: Partner Refreshments In-Kind: Partner Transportation City of Burlington Maps & Printing City of Burlington Marketing & Communications City of Burlington



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Communication and Media Outreach Plan

The City of Burlington is excited for the opportunity to partner with the AIA SDAT program and anticipates a robust, multi-platform approach to sharing pertinent information about the Western Electric project.

Specific communication actions will be as follows:

• Creation of a project-specific webpage within www.burlingtonnc.gov for the purposes of project education, document sharing, maps, news and other engagement

• Establish an email distribution list from public interactions, Steering Committee members, key staff and volunteers

• Utilize the City’s newsletters, billings, PEG channel and other pre-existing media channels to communicate relevant program and project information

• Utilize the City of Burlington’s official Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts to keep the public abreast of project happenings

• Development of a unique hashtag to help brand the efforts • Publication of relevant news releases for SDAT preliminary and regular visits, steering

committee meetings and other scheduled project events • Monitoring of news channels, public responses and others related to the events and creating an

archive of stories, shares and posts • Provide media availability for Steering Committee members and stakeholders for the project

City of Burlington Communications Director Rachel Kelly and Public Information Officer Morgan Lasater will be the primary staff assistants for the Communications and Media Outreach Plan. Each provide an impressive skillset and media contacts that will propel the message of the SDAT Process and activities of the Steering Committee to a broad cross section of our residents and businesses. Both also bring significant experience in video production, graphics and other artistic work.

http://www.burlingtonnc.gov/



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SDAT Project Timeline

SDAT Project Timeline

SDAT Preliminary Visit April 2018 Steering Committee Meeting 1 April 2018 Steering Committee Meeting 2 June 2018 SDAT Team Visit / Steering Committee Meeting 3 July 2018 SDAT Final Report / Steering Committee Meeting 4 November 2018



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Supplemental Documents & Attachments

(Please see additional exhibits in FTP file)