Greensboro pursues development needs for all

When the City of Greensboro looked back on its growth and development in 2021, one thing was clear: the city was — and is — growing, and commercial and residential builders want to be part of that growth.

The city’s annual Growth and Development Trends report showed that the value of construction in 2021 was the highest that it had been in a decade, with $817 million in construction approved via building permits. Additionally, over the last decade, the city has grown by about 30,000 residents.

But as recent events show, city elected officials and city staff are not just passive observers, working towards growth just for the sake of growth. Instead, they are actively engaging with private-sector partners and other public sector partners, paving the way for growth that will provide more affordable housing options to meet the needs of working- and middle-class families, increase student housing for one of the universities in the city and shape neighborhoods so that they are livable and attractive for residents and businesses.

“Local elected officials have a special responsibility to protect our citizens and their quality of life. They look to us to ensure their neighborhoods, and the places where they work, play and raise their families are safe and well-served. This requires us to strike a complicated balance between growth and protecting existing communities,” said Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan. “These are usually local questions that are best served by collaborative processes deeply rooted in our local governments.”

The city recently annexed more than 300 acres on its eastern edge as part of a plan, allowing developers to build 1,100 single-family houses and townhomes. That planned development, south of Interstate 85, comes as the grocery store chain Publix is also building a distribution center in the area just north of the interstate that is expected to employ 1,000 people.

The city has moved quickly on the permitting, zoning changes and annexation to help smooth the way so that residential, commercial and industrial growth can keep pace and complement one another.

Nearby, a new mixed-use development, The Resurgent, is in the works that will include housing for students at North Carolina A&T University and for professionals in the area, as well as retail stores and office space. Construction on The Resurgent is expected to begin later this year and is a $60 million development being pursued by The N.C. A&T Real Estate Foundation. The planning got underway late last year, with the city’s planning board unanimously approving a zoning request to push the project forward.

Foundation executive director Kimberly Cameron remarked last year on how that break-neck speed approval process was key in moving the plans ahead even as there is more work to do to “get a shovel in the ground.”

With the first phase of the plan expected to include 70 new apartments, restaurants, retail and office space and a parking deck, the foundation and city leaders hope that it will help bring more vibrancy to the area just across from the school campus.

As these projects unfold, Greensboro officials also continue to work toward the development of more affordable housing across the city. Approximately $2.5 million is being awarded through the federal HOME Investment Partnerships Program and city housing bonds for new rental housing, the rehabilitation of existing rental housing units and the conversion of non-residential buildings to rental housing.

All of these efforts are underway as the city continues to preserve and enhance the character of its neighborhoods and business districts, creating and maintaining livable, accessible and vibrant areas attractive to both existing and new residents.