Former Guilford County Animal Shelter site eyed for housing plans

The empty former Guilford County Animal Shelter site on West Wendover Avenue could soon become part of Guilford County’s housing pipeline, with local leaders weighing whether the well-located parcel should be redeveloped for multi-family homes instead of remaining idle.

The county’s animal services operation moved in October 2021 to a new 30,000-square-foot facility at 980 Guilford College Road, taking about 200 dogs and cats with it. That new shelter opened to the public on Nov. 1, 2021, and was built to hold as many as 550 dogs and cats. The old Wendover building, by contrast, had been described by county officials as run-down and burdened with structural problems.

County commissioners took a key step on Jan. 19, 2023, when they declared the former shelter surplus and authorized staff to move toward demolition and sale. By November 2024, the old structures had been demolished, leaving a vacant property in a corridor where land is increasingly valuable and development pressure is rising.

Ownership of the site remains a central issue. High Point, Greensboro and Guilford County each have a stake in the property, and High Point has agreed to transfer its 1/8 ownership share to Guilford County. County commissioners were expected to decide whether to accept that share, a move that would give Guilford County more leverage in talks with Greensboro over what comes next.

The property’s value has also climbed. A 2022 appraisal cited for the site placed it at $1.25 million, up from $830,000 in 2017. Any sale would also have to account for deed restrictions requiring 1.6 acres to revert to the Humane Society of the Piedmont, which operates next door and had used that land largely for parking.

The redevelopment discussion is tied to broader growth forecasts. Guilford County Commission Chairman Skip Alston has said the county expects about 27,000 new jobs in the next three to five years, a level of expansion that makes housing supply a pressing economic issue. A High Point planning memo describing the Guilford College Road and West Wendover Avenue study area puts the corridor at about 235 acres and notes that a public information meeting on the area drew about 20 people on Sept. 20, 2022. The High Point-Greensboro annexation agreement tied to the study area does not expire until 2038, giving the two cities and the county a long runway to decide whether the old shelter becomes housing or remains a dormant public asset.