Spartanburg's Northside Development Group revitalized an area; now it looks for a leader
Via the Spartanburg Herald-Journal / Written by Baker Maultsby
Throughout Spartanburg’s Northside neighborhood, the impact of the Northside Development Group is evident. The organization that started as a land bank almost 15 years ago has matured into an engine for holistic community revitalization. It has played a key role in all sorts of projects that have brought new life to the area.
There are condominiums and recently constructed, owner-occupied houses on formerly blighted properties. There are new businesses and a pre-school that have received financial support from the development group. There’s Northside Station, a mixed-use property that is home to healthcare nonprofits, mixed-income apartments, dorm space for Wofford College students, and the organization's own offices.
“I could never have envisioned the successes we’ve seen with the Northside Development Group when it first launched,” said Mitch Kennedy, who serves as deputy city manager for the City of Spartanburg.
One of the numerous residential developments that have taken place in the Northside neighborhood in recent years.
The organization now faces a transition. Michael Williamson recently left his position as chief executive officer. After five years with the development group, he has taken on the role of vice president of housing and community development at Purpose Built Communities, a nonprofit that works nationally to improve neighborhoods with better housing, stronger schools, and other resources.
Michael Williamson served for five years as CEO of Northside Development Group.
Williamson said he will remain in Spartanburg and plans to partner with his former colleagues.
During his time with Northside Development Group, Williamson helped bring about commercial and residential development projects. He said he’s proud that home ownership in the neighborhood grew during his tenure.
Williamson helped to cultivate the Northside Voyagers, a resident-led team that provides focus and feedback on the organization's initiatives.
In recent years, the neighborhood’s elementary school, Cleveland Academy of Leadership, has made impressive strides in academic achievement and test scores – an outgrowth, in part, of the good things happening all around the Northside, Williamson said.
“I don’t take credit for (Cleveland’s success), but I think some of the work we did helped to create the results there,” he said. “It’s one of the things I was happiest about over my time.”
Board chair John Verreault said he hopes Northside Development Group will have a new executive leader in place within four months. He’s optimistic about the future of the organization.
“We hate to lose Michael, but this a good opportunity for someone to step in and take us to the next level,” he said.
The board has contracted with Boardwalk Consultants out of Atlanta to assist in the leadership search. In the meantime, Carmeisha White has been appointed to serve as interim chief executive officer. White is the organization's director of operations and finance.
Carmeisha White has accepted the role of Interim CEO with Northside Development Group. She is also the organization's director of operations and finance.
“We have a lot of confidence in her ability to run the organization during this transitional time,” Verreault said.
White said she plans to remain in her role overseeing operations rather than pursue the permanent chief executive position. “This is where I think I can make the most impact,” she said. “I came from a community that wasn’t very different from the Northside, and it has been rewarding to see how we’re making a difference.”
Kennedy grew up in Spartanburg – in a neighborhood not far from where the Northside Development Group's work is taking place. He recalls the area’s decline as Spartan Millsclosed, “and there was crime layered with housing deterioration. (The Northside) was honestly abandoned from an investment standpoint.”
Thanks in large part to the vision of former mayor Bill Barnet, things began to change, he said.
“Bill created a structure for public-private partnership” to support and sustain development in the Northside, Kennedy said.
Northside Development Group partnered with an Upstate commercial development firm on a project near the Wofford College campus. The development includes the college bookstore and several restaurants.
“There’s still a lot of work to do,” said Verreault. “But we have experienced a lot of good success.”
Verreault said the board hopes for Williamson’s replacement to not only solidify the development group's future but also to be a resource and advocate for revitalizing other neighborhoods in Spartanburg.
“This is an important hire,” he said. “It will be focused on the Northside, of course, but there is also potential to benefit the entire City of Spartanburg.”