A Winston-Salem nonprofit wants to acquire the Crystal Towers public housing complex.
The Affordable North Carolina Housing Organization, or ANCHOR, has submitted a letter of interest to buy the aging complex for $1, and then to redevelop the building into a mixed-income affordable housing community.
According to the proposal, the nonprofit would help relocate current tenants. Residents will also have the right of first return.
"ANCHOR recognizes the long-standing challenges residents face at Crystal Towers, and we believe now is the time to address them with lasting, affordable solutions," Executive Director Laurie Ingram shared in a statement.
The proposal comes as Winston-Salem’s public housing authority, Aspire, has repeatedly said the building is not currently for sale. In February, tenants released a letter demanding protections if they lost their homes.
Aspire Executive Director Ted Ortiviz maintains that nothing has changed.
“It's technically not for sale," he said. "We still need to get resident input, then we bring it back to the board to see if the board will let me engage with ANCHOR to talk about negotiating, potentially, a sale.”
Ortiviz said the housing authority and city do not have the money to support the $40 million rehabilitation the building needs.
A new advisory committee that includes 10 Crystal Towers residents is set to review the nonprofit’s proposal next week.