Forsyth County Commissioner Tonya McDaniel looks to hold the key vote as the county board considers which church-sponsored development project gets to buy a lot at the corner of Highland Avenue and Fifth Street, or in fact whether the county sells the lot at all.
And McDaniel isnât saying how she feels.
The six other county commissioners voiced their opinions on the issue Thursday, but McDaniel kept her mouth closed and said sheâs thinking about all the options.
That leaves three commissioners in favor of at least putting the land up for bid, and three who say the county should not dispose of the property at all.
A 1.3-acre vacant lot stands at the epicenter of plans to develop property in East Winston near the Innovation Quarter, with two church-related groups vying to acquire the site from Forsyth County government.
The bidding comes at a time when East Winston is on the verge of seeing a game-changing 200-unit apartment complex built to provide affordable housing in a $40 million investment.
The county has not even decided to sell the property, but the groups have differing ideas on what should go there: The development team associated with United Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church, which is building the apartments, sees the site as a park envisioned by the East End Master Plan for transforming the neighborhood.