Winston-Salem apartment tenants look to buy property from city as they await its sale

The city of Winston-Salem is still negotiating the sale of an affordable housing complex, which drew opposition earlier this year. Now, residents are hoping they will have a chance to buy it themselves.

Winston-Salem City Council approved the sale of 800 North Spring Street to private developers Jared Rogers and Ruskin Anderson in January. The eight-unit building is being sold for $600,000.

City Attorney Angela Carmon says they're hopeful the sale will be completed by the end of May.

But resident Gerick Walker says there's been limited communications from the prospective buyers. And tenants are now hoping to acquire the property for themselves.

"We want to make sure that these buildings stay affordable just like they've always been since they've been here," Walker says. "And nobody else is going to do that like we are."

Walker says residents started a nonprofit called Housing Spring Company, which aims to keep low-income housing available in Winston-Salem.

He says tenants want to start a dialogue with the city to reach a positive solution.