The Lincoln County Courthouse is not the only historic court building that has been considered for a different use in its second life. Some around the country have undergone major changes after being vacated. The report included here provides an overview of what others have been able to accomplish around North Carolina and the United States including museums, restaurants, event venues, business offices, civic space, non profit organizations, corporate headquarters, and even living space.

The county embarked on a six month strategic planning process brainstorming ideas, discussing challenges, exploring and investigating ways to reuse or repurpose the building. Strategies were discussed, data was analyzed, and an economic impact analysis was conducted with the help of the Small Business Technical Development Center and the Lincoln Economic Development Association.

SOAR Analysis 

The Recommendation

 The committee came to consensus after holding 5 meetings between February and June to recommend to commissioners that the County diligently consider and explore a mixed-use approach for the future of the building. This includes investigating options that are available through local development statutes and tools available to the county including potential for public-private partnerships and engaging with a specialized developer/architect with experience in historic building rehabilitation, tax credits, and development of mixed use projects. In order to fully consider the request, the committee and staff will propose that the Board of County Commissioners schedule an information session with the Development Finance Initiative (DFI) staff of the UNC-School of Government who are experts on the subject matter. The purpose of the information session will be for the commissioners to gauge the value of hiring and taking advantage of the service offered by the UNC School of Government, which is to perform all of the necessary pre-development work including but not limited to: conducting market analysis, drafting RFPs, drafting pro-forma, assessing financial feasibility, recruiting and selection of developer/architect, and drafting development agreement(s). All of this work would be to ensure the building’s history is preserved and the highest and best use is achieved. Protecting the interests of the county/community and associated stakeholders while ensuring a bright future for the building that can contribute to the local downtown and local economy is at the forefront of this recommendation. 

The county established a committee in January 2021 made up of key stakeholders in the community and consulted several other partners and resources to help determine the future use of the building and also published a public survey to gain feedback from the citizens and general public. Below is a representation of those partners/agencies and stakeholders. The goal is for this list to continue to grow as we move forward with the project. 

Committee Members / Stakeholders / Partners / Contact Resources