06/25/2025
On a quiet rise west of Highway 61 in Whitsett, a new kind of campus is taking root.
Peacehaven Community Farm, located between Greensboro and Burlington, plans to break ground this year on an $18.5 million, multi-use community center designed for people with and without disabilities to live, work, and learn side by side.
“We are creating a facility that will be designed from the ground up, aesthetically, functionally, programmatically for adults with intellectual disabilities, ” said the Chief Executive Officer, Phelps Sprinkle. “It will be the first of its kind in the state.”
The 20,000-square-foot facility is scheduled for horizontal construction by the third quarter of 2025.
Early renderings show a building topped with a solar-paneled roof, designed with two wooden stories and space for up to 300 people.
The front of Peacehaven's new community centerexpand
Front of Peacehaven's Community Center
Carmina Wood Design
Inside, the center will include coworking spaces, classrooms, fitness studios, and social halls. An outdoor event lawn will bring the full capacity to around 1,000. While the farm’s mission is to create more opportunities for people with disabilities, the leadership team envisions a place where visitors return for a farming class, a cup of coffee, or simply the experience.
“When it comes to people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities, what they're seeking is what we're seeking: opportunity and a sense of belonging,” said Cory Philips, director of advancement at Peacehaven.
The new community center is Peacehaven’s response to that unmet demand. Nearly 80% of the 1.3 million North Carolinians who have intellectual and developmental disabilities in North Carolina are unemployed.
In 2007, a group of parents whose children are among the roughly 1.3 million who have a disability created Peacehaven. They purchased the 89-acre farm in 2009.
Only about eight of Peacehaven’s 89 acres are in use now. Dubbed an “agricultural laboratory,” the working section of the farm grows lettuce, collards, green beans, seasonal flowers, and more, while hosting weekly garden days and a job-preparedness program.
Overhead plan of the community centerexpand
Aerial view of Peacehaven's community center
Blum
The goal is to keep building.
Future phases include housing that will be open to both people with disabilities and those without, alongside expanded job opportunities and a healthcare facility, which will not be integrated. Philips said they expect to grow from their current staff of 17 to more than 100 jobs by 2028, with more on the horizon.
Turning that vision into reality has required broad partnerships.
A deal between the cities of Burlington and Greensboro — Greensboro is bringing sewer service, Burlington supplying water — helped move the project forward. In 2023, the state budget included a $1.5 million appropriation to build the utility infrastructure needed for expansion.
The next two phases of the plan would bring market-rate housing, additional employment options, and year-round programming. The facility anticipates 30,000 visitors per year.
But growing the project hasn’t been without complications. Construction estimates have climbed nearly 50% from their original estimate of $12.5 million. So far, the team has raised about $14.5 million toward that goal.
Tariffs on materials and lingering supply chain issues have added to the challenge. “Like everyone else, we’re dealing with the unknowns in the market,” COO Neal Sharpe said.
Still, the nonprofit sees optimism in growing needs. Within a 60-minute drive of the farm, there are an estimated 53,500 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Expand the range to 75–80 minutes, and that number jumps to over 200,000. The team has already chosen Blum as a contractor and has completed the technical review committee process in Guilford County. With a clear timeline and most of the funding already secured, the Peacehaven team is moving quickly.
“By and large, we thought this was a 10-year vision to build out this full campus,” Sharpe said. “Now, with the momentum and the conversations and excitement that we're having, we think it's probably condensed down to more of a five-year goal.”
The fields beyond the barn, for now, remain open. But by next fall, a new community center and a new kind of community could be standing in their place.
