Last month, the Roxboro Uptown Development Corporation’s (RUDC) Economic Restructuring Committee (ERC) met to discuss a strategy for the dilapidated facility on North Main Street.

During the Dec. 18 meeting, several actions were taken toward restoring the facility, which currently has an estimated tax value of $13,000.

In November, Steve Joyner, RUDC’s executive director, said conceptual drawings for the facility developed by architect Phillip Kiester envison an upscale restaurant with seating for 80 to 100 people on the main floor and two 1,350-square foot apartments or condominiums on the top floor.

Following last month’s meeting of ERC, Joyner said, “We are going to go forward with the demolition work,” on the building. He added, “We are going to try to do a market analysis in order to figure out what exactly would be a good fit in the building.”

Former RUDC president and current board of directors member Randy King said RUDC president Alan Hicks “is to develop a contract with Chip King and Howard Solomon for demolition work” on the facility. He went on to point out, “We determined this was necessary regardless of the direction we went with the building.”

Hicks said Friday he was “working on an agreement with some local contractors,” regarding the demolition. He went on to say that it was RUDC’s desire to “at least get [the building] to a point where it does not present a danger to itself.”

According to King, Joyner was directed to “contact area business schools to see if we could generate interest in a project that would result in a pro-forma for renovation of the building as well as a market analysis for what should be in the building.”

King said ERC members specifically want to know “if high end apartments/condos and a high end restaurant is feasible in this market.”

A price tag for renovating the building was also discussed at the December member, according to King.

“We also discussed the estimated cost of such a project assuming we would develop a restaurant on the street level and condos on the second level,” King said. “The estimated cost was around $750,000.

“We discussed possible ways of financing such a project or possible grants or tax credits,” King continued. “Our general thought was the return on investment given the current rental/lease rates may support a project like this, if the cost were around $400,000.”

That, King pointed out, brought on the discussion of attempting to get an area university to perform a pro-forma study “based on market-driven opportunities and local ability to support a project such as this.”

King said that it was the belief of ERC members that a restored Desert Sand facility “would certainly boost uptown development and we would like a study or a second opinion to support our belief.”

In an earlier interview, Joyner said RUDC was “very interested” in talking with persons who might want to buy a condo or partner on a restaurant.

“We are also open to any private developers who might be interested in this concept,” Joyner said. “RUDC would be willing to donate the building and land to a private developer who would take on the project and commit to similar results.”

Hicks said that “would be the best-case scenario for [RUDC].”

Because the Desert Sand building is classified as a Certified Historic Structure, it likely would likely qualify for 20 percent federal rehabilitation tax credits as well as 20 percent state rehabilitation tax credits, according to Joyner.