Ruins and promise on East Market
The old post office on East Market Street is almost much gone now, pounded into a pile of gray dust and rubble by demolition cranes.
What comes next isn’t clear.
The 15-acre site (11.8 acres of which are developable) is owned by a national church, the House of Prayer for all People, whose local sanctuary is a next-door neighbor on Dudley Street.
The East Market Street Development Corp. hired a consultant and convened several meetings in 2007 to provide some ideas for the best use of the site, which the church did say it wanted to devote to something that would benefit the community.
They came up with an “urban village” that could include a hotel, a produce market and housing for college students.
The consultant also suggested an outdoor “commons” area for public gatherings, a day care center, and a new home for the church’s popular restaurant, which is known for its down-home menu. The restaurant currently is located in the church’s basement.
East Market Street Development Corp. President Mac Sims says student housing seems less of a prospect now than in 2007.
“I just think we’re overbuilt in student housing,” Sims said Monday. Sims pointed to all of the apartments built in the area in recent years.
That still leaves lots of room for other neat stuff.
The church, which makes few public pronouncements, has said little about its plans. But the demolition opens up all kinds of possibilities.
And it bears testament to the church’s deep pockets.
The demolition is no small expense in itself and was one deterrent to the group considering the site for what is now New Bridge Bank Park.
Meanwhile, the nearby Hayes-Taylor Y wants to sell its current location and relocate.
The Y has few options in its current cramped site and wants to sell that location to N.C. A&T.
While East Market Street probably would lose the Y as an attraction, it needs a bigger piece of land where it can expand to meet members’ expectations and to keep membership levels healthy.
“The biggest complaint I hear is that parking is atrocious,” Sims said.
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