Given the major new agreement between Guilford County, Cone Health and Sandhills Center to reshape mental health care across the county, there must be a location for the planned two new buildings – a crisis center for adults and one for adolescents – and plans are for the buildings to be constructed in Greensboro in Maple Professional Park near Summit Avenue and East Wendover Avenue.
The new Guilford County “mental health complex,” as some are calling it, will be on Third Street at the professional park, which isn’t far from Cone Hospital and is close to the Guilford County Department of Health and Human Services, housed in what’s known as the “Maple Street Building,”
On Wednesday, Dec. 19, the official word from a county representative, when asked about the location of the two coming mental health facilities, was, “Guilford County is still looking at sites but has not selected one yet.”
However, two sources involved in the negotiations said that, barring any radical and unforeseen developments, the new mental health center will be at the Third Street site.
One source said the buildings would be at Maple Professional Park “unless something weird happens.”
There’s also strong additional evidence, from prior action by the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, that the new mental health facilities will be in that professional park.
On Thursday, Nov. 15, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners voted to hire the Greensboro firm of Teague, Freyaldenhoven and Freyaldenhoven Architects and Planners, LLC to provide design services for a proposed facility to handle mental health services.
Though the board never mentioned a location that night, supplemental materials that were available as public records stated: “A parcel of land at the Maple Professional Park on Third Street in Greensboro has been identified as a suitable site for the facility.”
At the Nov. 15 meeting, the commissioners and county staff did not comment publically on a location – nor was there any hint of a giant deal with Cone and Sandhills that would mean the construction of a second building and a change in the county’s mental health service provider.
That night the board did hold a very long closed session – where sources now say the deal with Cone and Sandhills was discussed.
In September, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners voted to sell building and land at 201 N. Eugene St to the City of Greensboro. That building currently houses Guilford County’s mental health operations. That real estate deal is expected to close soon.
