Now that Greensboro and Guilford County’s economic success story has become better than in the leader’s wildest dreams – and a bajillion people are about to move to the Greensboro area – the city is even more worried about where they will all live.
To that end, the City of Greensboro will hold a community open house on Thursday, June 26, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at The Depot – Waiting Room at 236 E. Washington St. in downtown Greensboro.
The event – which is part of the city’s ongoing “Community Road Show” – will focus on the “Road to 10,000” initiative – a citywide effort to add 10,000 new housing units by 2030.
Everyone is invited to attend the free event, which will feature food trucks and a children’s area.
Those attending will have the opportunity to speak directly with city staff from many departments: the City Manager’s Office, Housing and Neighborhood Development, Planning, Transportation, Development Services, and Transit.
The Road to 10,000 plan was launched earlier this year as a response to Greensboro’s growing need for housing and especially for the increasing need for much more affordable housing.
At the beginning of 2026, the Guilford County Tax Department is going to let property owners in the county know what their values are assessed as of December 31, 2025, and some people may be at risk of a heart attack when they see those new values. Housing in the county has gotten very expensive.
According to city leaders, Greensboro needs thousands of new units to support population growth and economic development, and the initiative aims to provide housing across a range of income levels – from market-rate apartments to affordable and workforce housing.
The city’s plan is a whole lot more than a building target. It includes identifying areas that are suitable for development, reforming zoning and permitting regulations to reduce barriers – and offering financial tools and incentives to both private and nonprofit developers.
A new housing task force has been formed to help guide the work, bringing together city leaders and members of the development, nonprofit and finance communities.
One element of the initiative is a new program called “Reinventing the Starter Home.” That part of the plan encourages the creation of affordable single-family homes and small-scale developments aimed at first-time buyers. The city has issued a formal Request for Qualifications to community housing development organizations and will hold a virtual information session about the program on Monday, July 7 at 2 p.m.
City officials say Thursday’s meeting is a key part of the plan because they want to see a lot of public engagement. So, they are encouraging residents to attend, learn more and give feedback that will help shape future policy decisions.
A website for the initiative, www.GSORoadto10K.com, includes additional details, a project dashboard, a community survey and it explains ways the public can stay informed or get involved.
Officials say the success of the effort will depend on a combination of public investment, private development and community support.
This plan by the city manager and the local real estate community could be a great initiative if city leadership and city staff don’t continue to self sabotage the effort. As a local builder I have, numerous times, reached out to city leadership, city staff or the executive team and responses to solvable issues are always further complicated. Any time you ask anyone anything in city leadership about what departmental staff is doing to complicate housing development, they rarely attempt to solve a problem. That must change in order for this to be successful. A lot of the people in the community have started to lose faith in Mr. Davis leadership skills. It seems to be more of the same, just like the last 3 city managers. Too much self dealing and not enough administration of the city’s services for everyone to succeed and participate in building our community. Things do not look good if leadership and staff can not get their act together. This wouldn’t be the first time the city has announced an initiative, only for it to fail under it’s own abuse of administration.
This will be a doing nothing event of taking notes and scheduling more meetings. Housing shortage is a nation wide crisis and that’s why housing is sky high.
guvmnt will solve this shortage with ‘home sweet units’
I’ve been enrolled AUTOPAY for my utility bills forever. So, I don’t always look at my bill from the city each month because I’m enrolled in this service. This month I received notification that my bill was in arrears. WOW! What happened?
I tried several times to contact utility department to see what was going on. They put me on hold then dropped my call. This happened several times.
We need some changes at city hall. Do they actually know what they’re doing. Their website navigation is terrible. I feel that if you don’t live in central city you don’t matter much.
The city and county could care less about the current citizens, just look at your taxes and the waste and pet projects you have to support now. 10,000 houses…good luck and no, I have no desire to pull your ass out of the fire. Citizens are getting ready to get screwed again with larger taxes and you can bet city and county will expand their DEI govt and not save the taxpayer anything. Once again SNAFU, you put the cart in front of the horse…again.
Despite the need and the initiative by the City of Greensboro months ago that identified the City of Greensboro’s need for more housing your City Council People Zack Matheny and Marikay Abuzuaiter were hard at work trying to block a Poor Black Developer from developing a unsightly lot to low density habitational use on Pisgah Church Road. This 1-acre lot is lined with multi-family, commercial, and high-density development galore. Guess Zack and Marikay are saying housing development in Greensboro is important as long as it is not in their neighborhood? Meanwhile, influential rich white developer Roy Carroll has no opposition to his Commercial, Industrial, and High-Density Zoning of property on Friendly Ave. We have a City Council Election coming up! Just hope you all are informed and vote for Council members that represent you all, all of time! None exist on our current City Council?
City, and County officials don’t give a damn about residents. They are busy feathering their own nests and ensuring their friends are taken care of, while rubbing their hands in anticipation of higher taxes and more residents to pay them. Simplify building regulations, speed up inspections and the private sector will take advantage of this new opportunity. Let the City and County handle it and it will be a real boondoggle.
Ronald Reagan, “9 of the worst words you’ll ever hear “ I’M FROM THE GOVERNMENT AND I’M HERE TO HELP “
City and county leaders should be sued for neglect and derelictions of duty. For years we have been hearing about a housing shortage; nothing was done except to de-annex 78.7 acres of land from Summerfield by the NC state legislature, and eventually into the city of Greensboro so David Couch could build his frou-frou development that only certain people can afford. Most likely this happened because of JetZero’s plan to move manufacturing to Guilford County. My suggestion is for Greensboro to exercise Imminent Domain to seize the 78.7 acres to build low-income housing. We now can surmise that the land purchase for the building of a school on Boylston Rd was part of satisfying what the Deena Hayes-Greene, Skip Alston, Greensboro, and High Point knew or perceived was a demand from JetZero. We can now surmise that the airport overlay changes in 2022 were a result of a green light for the school since the area went from a Zone 4 (no building due to air traffic) to Zone 1 (all building OK.) So, JetZero played out in the background under the radar, unbeknown to the people living here. Think about all the energy and expense (including millions of taxpayer incentives) then compare that with what the state, city, and county have done for the people already living here. People living here were already looking for a place to live, but the government did not care. Only when a California company showed interest and decided on this area did the government put forth ideas like de-annexing 78.7 acres from Summerfield and the stupid idea of 10,000 new homes. Why not 15,000 or 25,000? The lazy City Manager had to look proactive, so he threw out 10,000. With satellite imagery, the government knows where raw land is located. Force Greensboro to look inside its own city limits for building sites. They will be looking closely at the airport area for land. If you have acreage, do not sell. Force building eastward and southward. The roads around the area are a mess. Local government depends on federal dollars to finance road projects. The widening of Sandy Ridge Rd is a project paid for with over 70% federal dollars. Federal dollars are from 50 states not just NC. Where is the money coming from to repair and build local infrastructure? Taxes, of course.
TERMLIMITS,
“…That, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.”
“…it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it…”
I interpret that to mean We the People have a DUTY…a RESPONSIBILITY to “…alter or abolish it…” by getting off their collective duffs and exercise our duty and responsibility to vote this herd of jackals out of office. The problem is, as I see it, they have pretty well buffaloed the people in their respective districts into believing they have their best interests at heart and need to be returned again and again. Meanwhile they and their puppet master will continue with business as usual.
The more I see of the City and County politicians, the more I like my reptiles.
Patrick Henry, look at the voting makeup of the districts. That’s all you need to know why we have the county commissioners we have. Those voters are living vicariously through the commissioners they voted for. A Black man or Black woman feels good about their world when they see a Black person in a position of authority. If that person is dumb as a box of rocks, it doesn’t matter, they have Black skin and that’s all that matters. You can’t fix stupid.
Driving around Greensboro, it seems to me that businesses are erecting apartment and condo residences all over the city. THAT will solve the housing prices, it will take the pressure off lower income housing. Not some taxpayer-funded feel-good phoney-bahloney, grandstanding doonboggle.
A lower tax rate will go a long way to enhance building in the City & County. Buena suerte with that one.