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Do feel it is a missed opportunity on Elm not making from the 303 parking garage to McGee closed permanently to vehicle traffic/removing the sidewalks.
I just think some gentrefication has to happen in the blighted aeras such as Gate City and Summit. You have to change the reputaion of those aeras or no business will desire those locations which the commuinty coukd benefit from in return.. i really wish A&T would invest some in Summit Ave and the aeras that surround the campus..
Concerning A&T, the plans are to acquire all of the land between Bluford and lindsay streets to expand its campus with much needed student housing, playing fields, other student amenities, (future athletic facilities??) Plus renovate War Memorial Stadium. They are also gonna invest/build a 60 million dollar mixed use project along East Market Street at the site of the current Seventh Day Adventist Church. I imagine they will acquire the remaining land down to 29.
THere is some form of Summit Streetscape improvements underway... not sure when it will wrap up. They do need to tear down that property across the street from Ms Winners. It's a eyesore.
Greensboro has a reputation from both local and non-local developers (Roy Carroll as one example) as a difficult place to do business, compared to other peer cities in North Carolina. It’s had that reputation for years, yet nothing has been done to correct the problem. It means that the city leaders either don’t know about the problem, or don’t care enough to address it. Not good. Raleigh once had that problem, and the citizens voted to replace the anti-developer, slow-growth tree huggers with a much more business-friendly city council. Greensboro needs to do the same. It’s not that hard to do.
Interesting. It would be useful to know exactly why developers and entrepreneurs believe this to be the case. Is it because of onerous zoning or design regulations? Too much red tape to go through to get permits and such? The problem doesn't always lie with elected leadership; sometimes all it takes is streamlining the permitting process or fostering better collaboration and communication with county leadership.
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Greensboro needs fresh leadership in order to shake things up. Stop chasing “mega sites” and start building “innovation districts” like Durham and Winston-Salem did. Blue collar manufacturing & grocery distribution (Toyota, Boom, Publix) will not create an inflow of educated, affluent white collar job seekers. It will not keep the thousands of local students graduating each year in the city; they all want to work in tech, life sciences or finance.
And funny enough, another poster says the exact opposite; namely, that Greensboro needs to stop copying other cities with its research parks and innovation districts--both of which it has done and is doing.
But I have to disagree with you when it comes to "chasing megasites." The fact of the matter is that Greensboro is not going to be competing with the likes of the Triangle or Charlotte (never mind Atlanta, the DMV, etc.) for the bulk of tech, life sciences, or finance jobs, and it's not the case that all the students who attend area schools want to or will work in those fields. And many of those who do will wind up in either the Triangle or Charlotte if they decided to remain in NC anyway. Beyond all this, with telecommuting becoming more common, Greensboro wouldn't necessarily have to attract those types of jobs to at least capture a share of their workers. I think the innovation district and Gateway constitute solid efforts to try and retain a realistic number of college graduates, but Greensboro would do very well to play to its strengths and attract and create good jobs that don't require 4-year degrees. Towards that end, its centralized geographic location within NC and along the East Coast as well as its extensive and well-developed highway network and PTI's cargo capacity makes it an ideal location for companies looking for megasites for large outfits that have the capacity to create thousands of jobs.
NC did well in transitioning from its legacy industries to knowledge-based jobs, but every corner of the state isn't going to get an inflow of educated, affluent white-collar job seekers. But that doesn't mean they can't grow and prosper. Greenville and Spartanburg in SC, for example, are showing how it can absolutely be done. And by focusing on quality of life initiatives and keeping the COL affordable, more remote workers could find the area attractive as a place to live.
The problem ALWAYS lies with elected leadership, if they receive complaints and fail to act. This has been the case with Greensboro for years, and developers like Roy Carrell have complained for years, yet nothing has been done.
Greensboro (and developers like Andy Zimmerman) need to develop an innovation district. It isn’t rocket science and it doesn’t take a lot of money, only political leadership. And, ask NC A&T to participate. Ain't rocket science.
And -- stop chasing megasites. EV technology and manufacturing will wind up in the RTP region anyway. Even hypersonic aircraft, according to Friday's TBJ.
The problem ALWAYS lies with elected leadership, if they receive complaints and fail to act. This has been the case with Greensboro for years, and developers like Roy Carrell have complained for years, yet nothing has been done.
Greensboro (and developers like Andy Zimmerman) need to develop an innovation district. It isn’t rocket science and it doesn’t take a lot of money, only political leadership. And, ask NC A&T to participate. Ain't rocket science.
And -- stop chasing megasites. EV technology and manufacturing will wind up in the RTP region anyway. Even hypersonic aircraft, according to Friday's TBJ.
Stop chasing megasites? Like the one in Randolph County? Where a $1 billion investment by Toyota will bring 1750 jobs at $62,000 per year plus benefits? Like the one at PTI? Where a $500 million investment by Boom Supersonic will bring 1760 jobs at $69,000 per year plus benefits? The truth is that Greensboro is far LESS capable of competing with Charlotte or Raleigh in the area of "tech" than in the areas of manufacturing and transportation/logistics. And the vast majority of Greensboro residents desperate for employment would be far better served by the latter requiring less skill and education. And how much more "affordable" will these jobs make housing for over 3500 lucky souls? The truth is that it doesn't have to be either/or, but for my tax dollars I'd tell my elected officials to chase these Megasites all day long.
Im trying to think of what draws fresh out of college grads to bigger cities..i feel like one raeson could be axcess to things 24/7 like NYC .. maybe our stores and resturants should stay open later.. one of my firends who lived in New York said he use to not eat dinner till after 9 there at the earliest! Also i agree that site across from.mrs.winners has got to go... not sure how it even passes.inspections ?!?? Also still.amazed that Hardees is sitting empty still... though at leaast a star bucks would snatch that up by now lol!!!
Stop chasing megasites? Like the one in Randolph County? Where a $1 billion investment by Toyota will bring 1750 jobs at $62,000 per year plus benefits? Like the one at PTI? Where a $500 million investment by Boom Supersonic will bring 1760 jobs at $69,000 per year plus benefits? The truth is that Greensboro is far LESS capable of competing with Charlotte or Raleigh in the area of "tech" than in the areas of manufacturing and transportation/logistics. And the vast majority of Greensboro residents desperate for employment would be far better served by the latter requiring less skill and education. And how much more "affordable" will these jobs make housing for over 3500 lucky souls? The truth is that it doesn't have to be either/or, but for my tax dollars I'd tell my elected officials to chase these Megasites all day long.
There’s elements of truth in what both of you are saying. But Observer is definitely right about the leadership.
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Originally Posted by chadfromnc_2000
Im trying to think of what draws fresh out of college grads to bigger cities..i feel like one raeson could be axcess to things 24/7 like NYC .. maybe our stores and resturants should stay open later.. one of my firends who lived in New York said he use to not eat dinner till after 9 there at the earliest! Also i agree that site across from.mrs.winners has got to go... not sure how it even passes.inspections ?!?? Also still.amazed that Hardees is sitting empty still... though at leaast a star bucks would snatch that up by now lol!!!
They can’t even find people to staff many of these restaurants to stay open past 7 pm smh … but yeah I have been dismayed sometimes that can’t make a sushi run past 9pm unless I go to the other side of town to like one of the two places that might be still open.
It is what it is in that regard.
But GSO still has too much of a solid base and “bones” of the city that are too strong to not have made that leap by now . What underscores that point, is that GSO has literally been treading water for the past decade and still managed to have some growth and maintain its “third city” status for all of this time. Most cities don’t have the bones or foundation to have maintained that long until some serious, noticeable decay and regression appeared.
That’s what’s so disturbing … it’s like … you’re sitting on a frggin goldmine and have no clue what to do with it. As I said in the previous thread, a group of wealthy out-of-state (possible overseas investors with “domestic faces”) investors are gonna end swooping in and throwing insane amounts of money around to get things moving.
There’s elements of truth in what both of you are saying. But Observer is definitely right about the leadership.
They can’t even find people to staff many of these restaurants to stay open past 7 pm smh … but yeah I have been dismayed sometimes that can’t make a sushi run past 9pm unless I go to the other side of town to like one of the two places that might be still open.
It is what it is in that regard.
But GSO still has too much of a solid base and “bones” of the city that are too strong to not have made that leap by now . What underscores that point, is that GSO has literally been treading water for the past decade and still managed to have some growth and maintain its “third city” status for all of this time. Most cities don’t have the bones or foundation to have maintained that long until some serious, noticeable decay and regression appeared.
That’s what’s so disturbing … it’s like … you’re sitting on a frggin goldmine and have no clue what to do with it. As I said in the previous thread, a group of wealthy out-of-state (possible overseas investors with “domestic faces”) investors are gonna end swooping in and throwing insane amounts of money around to get things moving.
I often wonder if we're talking about the same Greensboro. It's a gritty, blue collar, post-industrial city in the South. It's 2022 in these united states and there's no hidden gems, no well kept secrets. No untapped gold mines. No mysterious investors waiting to swoop in. First and foremost, Greensboro has the geographic misfortune of being situated midway between two of the fastest growing metros in the country. And the strong only get stronger. With an egregiously high crime rate and an undereducated/underskilled workforce, it's moving with all the alacrity that can possibly be expected. I grew up in Boston and they'd say in Providence, that they'd get things going if it wasn't for the stupid and incompetent city leaders. 50 years later, they're still saying it. New York and Boston are sucking more life out of them than ever. The strong only get stronger. Some cities are simply destined to plod along, regardless of leadership. It's the fate of the inferior. Greensboro is growing at about 1 percent per year. That's not bad. Recently, city and county leaders have done some heavy lifting and scored with thousands of good paying blue collar jobs. Again, not bad. It's likely that things can and will get better, but reasonable expectations are in order. Play to our strengths. We've got an airport, a central location, good infrastructure, and a large work force to leverage. Nothing at all wrong with slow and incremental gains. In this life, there's plumbers and doctors. Nothing wrong with being a plumber, just be a good one.
The problem ALWAYS lies with elected leadership, if they receive complaints and fail to act. This has been the case with Greensboro for years, and developers like Roy Carrell have complained for years, yet nothing has been done.
I was simply saying that elected leadership may not constitute the proximate cause here. If the real issue is an inefficient, bureaucratic permitting process, then simply electing a new mayor and councilmembers who are visibly more enthusiastic about and supportive of new development won't get to the heart of the issue.
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Greensboro (and developers like Andy Zimmerman) need to develop an innovation district. It isn’t rocket science and it doesn’t take a lot of money, only political leadership. And, ask NC A&T to participate. Ain't rocket science.
Uhhhh, they already have. And they've developed a research park. Go back and click the links I supplied in my last post.
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And -- stop chasing megasites. EV technology and manufacturing will wind up in the RTP region anyway. Even hypersonic aircraft, according to Friday's TBJ.
So you think Greensboro has an actual shot going after the same types of companies that regularly land in the Triangle and Charlotte, but not those that tend to land at megasites--despite having already landed some? Interesting.
I often wonder if we're talking about the same Greensboro. It's a gritty, blue collar, post-industrial city in the South. It's 2022 in these united states and there's no hidden gems, no well kept secrets. No untapped gold mines. No mysterious investors waiting to swoop in. First and foremost, Greensboro has the geographic misfortune of being situated midway between two of the fastest growing metros in the country. And the strong only get stronger. With an egregiously high crime rate and an undereducated/underskilled workforce, it's moving with all the alacrity that can possibly be expected. I grew up in Boston and they'd say in Providence, that they'd get things going if it wasn't for the stupid and incompetent city leaders. 50 years later, they're still saying it. New York and Boston are sucking more life out of them than ever. The strong only get stronger. Some cities are simply destined to plod along, regardless of leadership. It's the fate of the inferior. Greensboro is growing at about 1 percent per year. That's not bad. Recently, city and county leaders have done some heavy lifting and scored with thousands of good paying blue collar jobs. Again, not bad. It's likely that things can and will get better, but reasonable expectations are in order. Play to our strengths. We've got an airport, a central location, good infrastructure, and a large work force to leverage. Nothing at all wrong with slow and incremental gains. In this life, there's plumbers and doctors. Nothing wrong with being a plumber, just be a good one.
Now I'd have to disagree somewhat with the emboldened. There are still cities with potential that's largely unfulfilled or is being slowly realized whose moment will come or is arriving; serendipity often plays a bigger role here than we know or are willing to admit. And cities that do get "discovered" nationally have been quietly laying groundwork for years, and that's something that most don't know because growth rates aren't going to reflect that early on but locals are very well aware of what's going on. At this moment, Birmingham is such a city (any surprised responses simply confirm what I've just said about the "timeline of discovery" but folks can do Google searches for themselves).
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