Annual Update
Published on October 13, 2025 by Jake
Dear co-op supporter,
It’s been a while since the last update, but make no mistake, a lot has happened in the past year at 207 N Spring Street. Among the biggest highlights:
- The city forgave the lien on the building and we were able to finalize our purchase of the property
- The Winston-Salem Foundation gave us a $20,000 grant that will be instrumental for contractor hiring
- A structural engineer looked over the building and gave us a list of priorities
- We developed a renovation plan for the building and a procurement policy for responsible spending
- We got the city to install a water meter and lined up a plumbing company, although we’re still exploring solutions for water because of a neighboring landlord who won’t work with us on water pipe repairs
- We commissioned a set of floor plans for the complex that should be ready very soon
- We reorganized our board structure to give members more focused tasks and specialties
- We won a sustainability award from the city for our eco-friendly renovation strategies, including removal of invasive plants, installing energy saving appliances, and potentially utilizing solar panels
The co-op board is in a period of transition at the moment, with lots of members stepping up into new roles. We’re learning on the job, but we’re also bringing fresh enthusiasm to efforts that we hope will streamline renovations, provide organizational education opportunities, and build a stronger sense of community among members.
Members have turned out for multiple work days to clean up, landscape, haul away trash, and take care of other maintenance duties as we prepare units for renovation. There’s a long way to go, but we’re inching ever closer to having units move-in ready.
Speaking of move-in readiness, our formal deadline to have occupied units is January 6, 2027. To meet that deadline and make this dream a reality, we need all hands on deck. Please share our Open Collective page (https://opencollective.com/spring-street-co-op) with others, go to bit.ly/JOINHJN if you want to become an active member of our co-op working team, and keep an eye on this page for upcoming events.
Our general meetings are on Tuesdays at 6:30 pm, sometimes virtual and sometimes at the co-op. Please email [email protected] with any questions.
In solidarity,
Spring Street Co-op