CASE STUDY
Southside Neighborhood
Greensboro, NC
Only five minutes’ walk from downtown, the Southside neighborhood of Greensboro, North Carolina was neglected in the 1980s. With its wealth of Victorian and Craftsman homes and commercial properties, the community had great potential, but suffered from disinvestment, blight, and high crime.
An innovative 10-acre live/work redevelopment in Southside has provided 25,000 square feet of commercial space and 120 residential units, including 20 live/work units, 10 restored historic homes, 50 townhouses, and even studio apartments above detached garages. The redevelopment, including a neighborhood common, used as a community park, has stabilized the neighborhood and received numerous national awards for its smart growth policies.
Process
Beginning in 1990, the city initiated a redevelopment planning process to bring life back to the downtown area as a key element of its Center City Plan. The Greensboro City Planning Commission approved the plan, and the community passed a bond package in a ballot measure that included funding for the redevelopment of the blighted Southside neighborhood. The few residents left in Southside, and many residents from adjacent neighborhoods, were involved in the planning process to help decide how those dollars would be used. The community input process included an advisory committee, design workshops, community forums, working meetings to identify stakeholder needs, and a citizen’s design committee. With an ample supply of existing affordable housing, there was strong interest in creating more market-rate opportunities and paving the way for more private investment in the area.
The Greensboro Downtown Development Authority purchased most of the properties from private owners with the $5 million that it received through the voter referendum, and acquired a small number of properties through eminent domain. Construction began in 1999 and the Southside redevelopment was completed and sold out by 2004.
At the time, mixed-use development was not allowed under the existing zoning codes. In order to avoid filing many separate zoning variance requests, the city created Greensboro’s first traditional neighborhood district (TND) to allow pedestrian-scale street and building designs as well as live/work units. Similarly, because the financial community was unaccustomed to lending money for mixed-use developments, the director of Greensboro’s Department of Housing and Community Development visited the lenders with the builder to explain the concept and to secure lending for the redevelopment of the community.
Leaders and Partners
This project was initiated by the City of Greensboro, but the community was involved throughout the process. Community engagement during the planning stage was led by the Greensboro Housing and Community Development staff and included community stakeholders and representatives from Norfolk Southern Railroad (which crosses through the site), historic preservation groups, the financial community, and the development community.
The city selected Bowman Development Group, a strong proponent of this type of design project as lead developer. Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company was the lead planner for the development.
Financing
Primary funding came through the bond referendum along with additional city financing. Banks and other private institutions also helped make the project possible.
Successes
The project accomplished more than was ever intended. The community’s goal had been to add market-rate housing to the neighborhood to raise property values and to promote investment. Prior to redevelopment, the neighborhood produced $400,000 in tax revenues for the city but after redevelopment the total revenue generated has grown to over $23 million. Moreover, the success of the live/work atmosphere, mixed-use, pedestrian friendly neighborhood close to downtown has influenced nearby neighborhood plans.
Its inclusive community participation techniques have been duplicated in other Greensboro projects and its innovative overlay districts targeting pedestrian-scale design have been modeled in other communities across North Carolina. The citizen committee’s design for the streetscape extended beyond Southside in an effort to reunite five neighborhoods that had been divided by a series of public works projects in years past.
The project received several national awards, including the 2003 Outstanding Planning Award and the 2004 National Award for Smart Growth. In 2005, the Sierra Club named the Southside neighborhood in the top 12 as one of America's best new developments.
Contact
(336) 273-8600
Keywords:
North Carolina, neighborhood revitalization, live/work, zoning reform, market rate housing
A renovated home. Photo Credit: Greensboro Department of Housing and Community Development
Reclaiming Communities through Vacant Property Revitalization
Last Updated 05/26/10Copyright 2009