In January 2022, business owners on North Greene Street complained about the street being closed without notice and got the City Council to reopen the street.

Eleven months later, in December 2022, business owners on North Greene Street complained about the street being closed for what was an estimated three months for utility work and got nothing.

On Feb. 29, 2024, The Carroll Companies, which owns and manages the Hyatt Place Hotel on the corner of North Eugene Street and Bellemeade Street, decided to make its frustration with the endless street work known and placed a digital sign on the sidewalk along North Eugene Street that flashed two messages. “2 YEARS 2 LONG” and “GSO PLS END RD WORK.”

Reportedly, when a city inspector saw the message on the sign, it was deemed a “safety hazard” and the city had Yates Construction, which is doing the work on Eugene Street, remove the sign.

Later in the day, the sign was returned. Even the City of Greensboro is not allowed to steal other people’s signs because the city doesn’t like what they say.

The Carroll Companies also owns the lot catty-corner to the Hyatt Place on North Eugene and Bellemeade Streets. The sign is now there safely on private property out of the reach of city inspectors, and the message hasn’t changed.

The city has had two projects on North Eugene Street between Bellemeade Street and Smith Street.  One was to redo utility work that was done several years ago.  When the street was closed for that earlier utility work, the City Council promised the business owners on Eugene Street that the city wouldn’t close the street again and then the city did.

The other project is streetscaping, which involves widening the sidewalks and putting in planters and other amenities.

As part of that streetscape project, Bellemeade Street was paved on Thursday, Feb. 29, so that portion of the project is nearly finished.

Madison Carroll Snyder, the chief of staff and director of Carroll Hospitality for The Carroll Companies, said that the current schedule calls for Yates Construction to take next week off and then finish up the following week.

Snyder said that when the street is closed the hotel can’t access its parking deck, which has been a huge inconvenience for guests.

The Carroll Companies also owns this publication.