The Rhino Times hopes you like lots of traffic, long lines for everything and having a lot of people around.
A decade and a half ago city and county leaders were praying for growth and boy have they gotten it in spades. There’s so much traffic on Battleground at 2 p.m. on a random Tuesday that it really is like a battleground even then, but in a few years there’s going to be a lot more drivers everywhere.
Guilford County is expecting more than 86,000 additional residents over the next 20 years – and county officials say that preparing for that growth will require major investments in schools, housing, infrastructure and public services.
That was one of the central messages from Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston during the county’s annual State of the County address on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
Alston highlighted billions of dollars in announced economic development projects, new facilities for substance abuse treatment and the county’s efforts to develop a long-range strategic plan.
But he also acknowledged that economic growth is bringing challenges at a time when Guilford County is dealing with rising costs and funding constraints.
“We do not just want a bigger Guilford County,” Alston said. “We want a better Guilford County for the people who live here.”
According to figures presented during the address, economic development announcements across Greensboro and High Point in 2025 represented more than 15,000 jobs and nearly $5.9 billion in planned investment.
Among the largest projects is JetZero’s planned aircraft manufacturing campus in Greensboro, where the company has announced a $4.7 billion investment and plans for 14,500 jobs over the next decade.
Alston also highlighted Ahold Delhaize USA’s new distribution center, which represents more than $860 million in planned investment and is expected to create more than 500 jobs over time.
The chairman in his speech at the Old Guilford County Court House in downtown Greensboro said the county must make sure those investments translate into opportunities for existing residents.
“A successful economic development announcement should eventually mean something at somebody’s kitchen table,” he said.
One of the more concrete announcements during the address was that the county plans to break ground in November on its new Women with Children Recovery Center.
The center is being developed to provide residential substance abuse treatment for pregnant women and mothers with children, allowing families to remain together during recovery.
According to the presentation, that 28,000-square-foot facility will be able to accommodate as many as 28 women at a time, along with their children.
County officials said the program is intended to address a major barrier to treatment: mothers who are reluctant to seek help because they fear being separated from their children.
Guilford County is partnering with Volunteers of America Chesapeake & Carolinas to operate the program.
Alson also highlighted its recently renovated Prince Edward Graves Recovery Center on Lees Chapel Road, which provides longer-term residential substance abuse treatment.
Guilford County expects to receive approximately $42 million in opioid settlement funding over the next 15 years, which will help support prevention, treatment and recovery services.
Another major project highlighted during the address was Guilford Technical Community College’s new aviation training center at its Cameron Campus.
The first 70,000-square-foot building is scheduled to open in spring 2027 and is expected to serve nearly 700 students during its first phase.
That center is part of an effort to prepare local workers for the thousands of aviation industry jobs that companies have announced for the area.
Alston also pointed to the county’s continuing school construction program, including projects involving Erwin Montessori and Lindley Elementary schools.
However, he warned that the county’s financial challenges aren’t disappearing simply because the local economy is growing. Alston noted that the county has had to deal with reduced federal and state funding, inflation and increasing demand for services.
“We cannot do everything at once,” he said. “We must protect essential services, manage long-term commitments, look for efficiencies, and strengthen partnerships.”
That warning comes after the commissioners approved an $889.2 million general fund budget for the current fiscal year that included a 5.9-cent property tax increase.
County Manager Victor Isler also discussed the county’s developing strategic plan, called “Advancing Our Livability,” which is intended to guide spending and policy decisions over the coming years.
Isler said that more than 900 residents participated in the planning process last spring.
He said the county expects to use the plan to establish measurable goals and report on its progress at next year’s State of the County address.
Alston added that planning for growth means more than attracting companies. The county must also make sure residents can afford housing, obtain an education, find employment and receive essential services.
“We cannot wait until the classrooms are crowded, the housing is out of reach, our services are stretched too thin before we start planning,” he said.
And while much of the presentation focused on economic development successes, Alston acknowledged that county government will have to make difficult choices about which projects and programs it can afford.
“This is your money,” he told residents, “and we have a responsibility
86 new residents will be paying property & local sales taxes, so why do you need more taxes from everyone when they are paying their own way?
Sure, spend what you can afford, just don’t give away money, and spend what you don’t have.
Oh, where does the water come from?
Is this 86,000 a “net” number since in twenty years at least 4000 long-time residents will have died with another 6-8 thousand leaving for other reasons like not wanting to live in a Charlotte Metropolis similar county.
Heck with the layoffs that AI will bring there might even be a larger exodus like the ‘dust bowl” of the 1930’s.
At any truth, the politicians are thinking big as that means a probability of getting more TAX DOLLARS!
Better find out where the water will come from and power
Lol, Skip keeps mouthing planned and expected. He has no clue but it all sounds good for his voting block to retain his power.
He wants houses people can afford but hikes taxes so high that people who have homes are struggling to pay taxes just to keep their homes.
He wants new schools for students who are still failing y/e test. He wants more money for schools while student enrollment is slowly sliding down.
I hope is vision is accurate but my trust in his so called leadership continues to decline.