CathFord wins Webbley House bid in 4-2 Shelby City Council vote
By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent
GOVERNMENT — Bed and breakfast, anyone? At Monday night’s Shelby City Council meeting, the council voted in favor of moving forward with for the CathFord plan, a Virginia based firm, to turn the historic Webbley House into a boutique bed and breakfast with a guest house and outdoor event venue that would be added to the property at a later time. This will begin negotiating a development agreement with the chosen developer.
Before the vote, near the beginning of the meeting, Mayor Stan Anthony noted that the chambers were full and more than 13 people had signed up to speak regarding the Webbley options. He asked that they amend the normal rules for speaking, for a two-minute speaking time for 15 minutes total maximum due to time constraints. Council Member David White seconded the motion.
One-by-one, people walked to the front as their name was called to speak on behalf of one option or the other.
Most spoke in favor of Kristen Boggs Jaeger, who proposed a $6.6 million investment to establish a "living house for Shelby" featuring a museum, an open art gallery, event spaces, studio/classroom areas, and an artist residency alongside restored gardens.
Jaeger’s husband Jeff Jaeger and Betsy Wells, a retired Kings Mountain High School teacher, local community leader, and active figure in North Carolina Democratic politics were among those that spoke in favor of the museum and cultural center.
“This opportunity for Webbley is just a once-in-a-lifetime, I really feel sure,” said Wells. “There’s so many children and so many in the county that could benefit from what they want to do with Webbley.”
She continued, “The arts is not the icing on the cake – it's another layer of the cake and it adds to the intellect and to the spirit of the community.”
Attorney David Teddy also spoke on behalf of Kristen Boggs Jaeger. Teddy mentioned how the land they were standing on was donated by the Love family to build the City of Shelby, as was the land where the Webbley house now stands.
“It is that philanthropic spirit that runs through the veins of Kristen Boggs (Jaeger) and her husband Jeff who are asking you for the opportunity to write you a check for the Webbley; to not tenure this city to a ten-year loan, with interest only payments and a balloon payment after eight,” noted Teddy. “That is the difference between the last time we met and this time. Her proposal has been updated to include writing a check at closing.”
Teddy noted the other project keeps the city “tethered” to the Webbley.
However, the museum proposal did not offer much on the side of tax revenue for the City of Shelby, which was almost predictable in the direction of the vote before it was cast Monday night.
Due to the 15-minute total time constraint not everyone was able to speak. Mayor Anthony noted this and asked anyone who has concerns to come back to another meeting and voice their concerns at a later date.
“We are in a difficult position but that’s why we’re up here,” stated Mayor Anthony, “but that’s a good thing. We have two very good proposals to choose from.”
(Webbley continued below...)
“I want to do this as fair as possible,” explained Anthony, as he said both proposals would be heard, from Bob Englander of CathFord and Kristen Boggs Jaeger. Anthony also noted that only the parts not in the original proposal were to be presented at that time.
The presentation for CathFord included the theme “A missing thread” keeping the look as original as possible. The CathFord team presented a rendering of how it will look close to its expected look. They will have 21 guest rooms with 12 guest rooms in another building, “set back on the property,” as Englander put it. The carriage house will become a wedding suite and the caretaker’s cottage becomes the event planning office. A restaurant with 50 seats and additional outdoor dining and a bar open to the public. Outdoor tent seating for 200 people and historic gardens to be enjoyed by those on the grounds. There will also be 33 off-street parking spaces available.
The CathFord project claimed during the presentation that the local tax revenue over a 10-year period is expected to be roughly $1,550,881 on a $10 million investment. The proposal would create an estimated 31 permanent jobs. It did not state if these jobs are all full-time or a mix of part-time or minimum wage jobs, just the total number of estimated positions created.
The estimated time for completion of the CathFord project is slated for mid-2028.
Kristen Boggs Jaeger’s presentation focused on how cultural investments have worked in other cities across the south, such as Paducah, K.Y., Kinston, N.C., Bentonville, A.R. and Marfa T.X., noting some investments created entire arts districts, brought dilapidated homes back to life and added tourism taxes to these locations.
(Kristen Boggs Jaeger continued below...)
“I know these places I listed are not Shelby, but this small sampling shows us something important, that cultural investments can fuel economic growth and develop in the areas that they serve,” noted Jaeger.
She continued by clarifying that this would not be one of those “fancy New York museums walking on their tiptoes and whispering…” But a living museum. It would host a contemporary art gallery, community programming, events and celebrations, historic interpretation of rooms, education and field trip opportunities, gardens, a tea room and gift shop and an artist residency.
Jaeger said their personal investment would be $1,887,000. “Jeff and I are pledging nearly $1.9 million personally toward the purchase and completion…”
Other funding would have included $700,000 in philanthropic capital, one million in bank financing, two million in state grants and one million from the City of Shelby for exterior stabilization which has been underway since April 2026.
Jaeger also had a projected opening date of mid-2028.
The presentation, impressive and well done by Jaeger, was ultimately rejected by council and lost the vote of the night. It was stated by Mayor Anthony, “We want you both.” A decision that did not come easy to the council.
“That’s heavy on my heart,” added Anthony.
During the vote, Mayor Anthony decided to proceed differently, telling the council there was a pink sheet with their names on it and for each council member to pick the developer they chose to vote for the project. He also directed that once voted they would be collected and read aloud, mentioning how each council member voted for transparency.
White made the motion to vote by secret ballot, which was handed to the city attorney and read out loud for all to hear.
In a 4-2 vote, Violet Arth and Emily Bullock voted in favor of Kristen Boggs Jaeger and Ware, Hopper, Webber and White voted for CathFord.
A motion was then made by Council Member White for the City of Shelby to have the city manager enter into negotiations with CathFord; a presentation of these negotiations will be made in 60 days. The motion passed 5-1, with Arth voting against.
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Chuck Thompson is a reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent.
The Shelby Independent.
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