CMS considers Garinger HS parcel for new educator village

Last fall, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools announced a slate of initiatives to help line teachers up with affordable housing. That included building a so-called “educator community” on surplus land that would include 100 units just for teachers.

Now, the district appears to be moving forward with that plan, eyeing a parcel of land right next to Garinger High School, at East Sugar Creek Road and Eastway Drive.

A solicitation document posted by CMS last month says the district has plans to build its first affordable housing community for teachers on a seven-acre parcel of land within Garinger High School’s property lines.

The document, posted June 25, said CMS has “immediate plans” to develop this first educator community “to create proof of concept.”

“CMS anticipates using the first educator community as a blueprint for several additional projects to bring the strategy to scale,” the document reads.

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CMS issued the Request for Information to seek proposals from potential nonprofit partners interested in managing the project, though it’s not immediately clear how many responses the district received or whether CMS has imminent plans to enter into any contract. When posting an RFI, public entities are not obligated to make any purchase or enter into any action upon receiving submissions.

Submissions for the project were due July 8.

In response to questions from WFAE, CMS did not confirm nor deny the plans for the site, but said it plans to share more at the Board of Education meeting in September. The board voted to declare a 7-acre parcel on the east side of the Garinger property as surplus land at its June 24 meeting.

The plan for an educator community received mixed reactions from teachers last fall, with some praising the district for helping with housing and others calling it a band-aid solution in place of higher teacher pay.

CMS has made affordable housing for teachers a priority for teacher recruitment and retention, citing the high cost of living in Mecklenburg County and teacher salaries that are largely set by the state.