Greensboro officials will now let certain property owners apply for rezoning in an effort to continue developing the Downtown Greenway area.
Previously, property owners on or near the Greenway faced stricter building regulations, like height requirements, for multifamily or office construction. The new initiative will allow owners to change their property status to what’s called Central Business (CB) zoning.
That means a wider range of redevelopment options, including retail and higher-density residential uses. Interim Director of the Planning Department Russ Clegg says the city benefits from the change.
"Because it sort of creates that streetscape you get in a downtown," says Clegg. "So, it should help increase the activity levels, kind of build on the investments that we've made as a city. So this helps move that forward in the same way that looking at where we can add more housing, essentially trying to understand how we can better make use of the infrastructure that we already have in place, and continue to grow our tax base around that infrastructure."
Property owners can apply for CB zoning online.