Neighborhood Renovation: Personal Commitment, Design Excellence, and Long-Profitability
By Marilyn Avery
By incorporating high-quality urbanism and distinctive architecture, one independent-minded developer transformed an entire Mississippi neighborhood.
A neighborhood in Starkville, Mississippi, has undergone a transforming rebirth. Not exactly a redevelopment, the transformation more closely resembles a renovation. In the same way a homeowner would renovate a beloved yet decrepit home, the Starkville neighborhood renovation unfolded slowly, thoughtfully, and incrementally. What was once a place of decay and neglect is now a profitable and unique historic residential district. Yet, historic as it may look, Starkville was built during the last 30 years by one independent-minded developer.
Dan Camp is the builder who has made renovation of his neighborhood, the Cotton District, his life’s work. He has hand-built a rich variety of charming buildings that generate steady monthly revenues while growing in value every year. At the same time, Camp has created a development model that is applicable to neighborhoods throughout the country, although it is not for all developers. However, for developers who share Camp’s skills and operate in areas with similar land costs, the model offers a strategy that can be deeply satisfying and highly profitable. How did camp succeed?
Personal Commitment
Neighborhood renovation requires a committed developer who undertakes the enterprise for long-term personal satisfaction and long-term profit.
Dan Camp’s commitment to the Cotton District was the key to his success. He moved into the neighborhood in 1969 with the intention of redeveloping the neighborhood to the extent feasible. At the time, Camp’s friends and family thought his idea was ill-advised, but Camp had a vision for what he could accomplish over time and how the properties and the neighborhood would grow in value as the years went by. He developed his properties as rental units and maintained ownership of the buildings. Had Camp sold out five or even ten years after beginning to redevelop the Cotton District (if he could find a buyer), most naysayers would have smugly concurred with one another that, in fact, Camp’s idea had been misguided at best. But Camp took the long view and adopted a long-term strategy. He persevered and succeeded.
Camp’s commitment to the cotton district continues to this day. He employs a full-time maintenance crew to keep the neighborhood free of litter and deteriorated finishes. He rigorously maintains the landscaping and public areas. Anyone in the neighborhood can call him about anything and know that he will respond immediately. He is at home in and in charge of the place he created.
Commitment to Quality
The neighborhood developer should have the artist’s appreciation for beauty and the craftsman’s ability to produce it.
Camp’s interest in architecture and urbanism grew out of his own travels. He developed an understanding that certain places are more beautiful than others. Beautiful places showcase finely detailed buildings that delight the eye. Beautiful places are characterized by shady courtyards and brick pathways lined with flowering hedges. Beautiful places involve both sides of the street in an urban dialogue with one another. Beautiful places convey a sense of history. After spending time in beautiful places such as Savannah, Natchez, Charlestown, and Williamsburg, Camp decided to build such a place. A master builder in every sense of the word, Camp understands wood and stucco and knows what his tools can do. He takes intrinsic enjoyment from building windows, doors, moldings, and finishes that recall the most memorable places he has visited. He has the woodworker’s ability to see a cornice treatment while walking down a New Orleans street and then replicating it from memory in his shop. He makes accurate observations about the materials, proportions, and layouts of neighborhoods that he loves, recreating them in the Cotton District.
Commitment to high-quality urbanism and architecture has earned the Cotton District much acclaim. Even in small-town Mississippi, Camp hosts some of the world’s most famous architects who come to admire his work. He enjoys exchanging ideas with them and understands that small towns rarely draw the interest of world-renown designers. In fact, Camp was recently nominated for a prestigious national architectural design award and is now proud to be the first nonarchitect to be recommended for the honor.
The Right Neighborhood
The ideal neighborhood must be in an area with low land costs that are projected to remain low in the foreseeable future; at the same time, the neighborhood must be located close to a target rental market.
When Camp began his neighborhood renovation in 1969, the Cotton District was filled with dilapidated mill housing. A four-block area encompassed several tiny, inexpensive houses as well as several vacant lots that could be purchased for $3,000. The town was experiencing no development pressure or competition for land. And Mississippi State University was less than two miles away and provided a continuing source of renters in the form of students.
The Right Unit Types
Small units are more profitable because they can sustain a higher monthly rent per square foot.
The Cotton District’s apartment units are modestly sized but generous with respect to charm and amenities. While floor plans can be as small as 400 square feet, all units feature soaring ceilings, sleeping lofts with undereave storage, porches or courtyards, dishwashers, and stacking washer-dryer units. The monthly rent per unit is the same as in the rest of the market, even though the Cotton District’s units are on average 30 percent smaller. They are ideal for students and young professionals who prefer to allocate their monthly rental budget to smaller, better-equipped space in a unique environment. In addition, Camp assembles some small units into larger buildings that look more like historic mansions than affordable housing.
Incremental Development
The neighborhood developer should be willing to postpone profit taking and keep credit to a minimum.
Camp’s first Cotton District building had six units. It provided Camp with supplemental income and funds to develop the next property. By 1972, Camp had acquired 16 units and enough monthly rental income to quit his teaching job at the university. He lived frugally (in a dilapidated shack known affectionately as “the snake pit”) and reinvested all profits. Credit was kept to a minimum; no capital partners were needed. Camp set his own schedule and developed what his funds allowed.
In 1986, Camp developed a small PUD of for-sale rowhouses to add some stability to the local residential base and to increase overall neighborhood value. Even though he stretched his resources and had moments of doubt, he finished Planter’s Row and did in fact increase the value of the neighborhood.
In 1991, Camp purchased a small restaurant in the neighborhood. Revamping its menu to appeal to the university crowd, the Grill immediately became the neighborhood social center. Over the past five years, the overall neighborhood has continued to mature and to escalate in value. Camp is currently building the District Exchange, a 2,500-square foot commercial center for local residents with apartment units above the retail space. Camp is seeking retailers who will stay open 24 hours a day to serve the student population.
Dan Camp is living the ideal life of the developer who builds for the joy of expression and who is committed to the long tradition of historic craftsmanship. He currently owns 150 rental units as well as the 2,500 square feet of commercial rental space. He has ten apartment unit under construction and plans to build another 3,000 square feet of commercial space in the near future. The years of commitment mean that Camp can enjoy his success. Looking for inspiration, he travels, reads, and sketches and builds progressively more expressive and exuberant buildings. He experiments freely and lives with his successes and learns from his mistakes. He is leaving a legacy that will endure far into the future. For some, it just can’t get any better.
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