The Greensboro City Council had five annexations and original zoning requests and two rezoning requests on the agenda at the Tuesday, Sept. 20 meeting.
The City Council approved every request, all but two by unanimous votes.
Both of the rezoning requests had opposition, as did one of the annexations and original zoning requests. While the City Council spent much more time considering the requests that had opposition, in the end it didn’t make much difference whether the neighbors opposed the request or not.
Councilmember Sharon Hightower in the past has voted against most annexation and original zoning and rezoning requests that had opposition. However, on Sept. 20, Hightower voted in favor of all the requests except one, which had no opposition.
Hightower voted against the annexation and original zoning of Conditional District Residential Single-family-7 (CD-R-7) for 15 acres at 4513 McKnight Mill Road.
It appeared that Hightower voted no because the developer didn’t present a rendering of the proposed single-family residential development.
City Attorney Chuck Watts explained that renderings were not required and were not binding. He said, “Once you get the zoning, you can change them.”
There was opposition to a request for annexation and original zoning to Conditional District-Residential Multi-family-8 (CD-RM-8) for 31.5 acres at 222 and 226 Clapp Farms Road. But the City Council passed the requests by 8-0 votes. Councilmember Zack Matheny was absent from the meeting.
Some of the concerns stated by those in opposition included that the 110 homes planned for the development would not be in keeping with the rural character of the area, that there were wild turkeys that lived on the land and that the creek that ran through the property was “stinky.”
It was also stated that the area was a “food desert” and that more traffic was coming to the area because the new Publix distribution center was less than a mile away.
A rezoning request for 325 Erwin St. from Residential Single-family-5 (R-5) to Conditional District-Residential Multi-family-8 (CD-RM-8) with the uses restricted to a daycare center or a single-family residence had opposition from the neighborhood.
But the opponents only managed to convince Councilmember Hugh Holston that a daycare center would not be an appropriate use for the property.
The rezoning request passed on a 7-1 vote.
It appears it’s a good time to get property annexed and zoned or rezoned in Greensboro.
What happened to the City Zoning Commission?
Yeah boy…got to spend those new tax dollars.
There is no good time to have your property annexed.
Hightower voted against it because it was single-family residential.
Rest assured Hightower voted against it because the developer is probably a white male.
The council always supports the developers over the neighborhoods. Our neighborhood association got a rare unanimous vote by the zoning commission against a developer. The city council approved a highly unusual extension request by the same developer at their meeting. Even our for lack of a better word, “Councilman” voted against us. It is worth noting that we had over 400 signatures on a petition against that development. It also happens that he lost his bid to become mayor by close to that number. Maybe the city council should keep that in mind when they alone decide what is best for a neighborhood in the future. Their rubber stamp days can be numbered.
By who
Let you guys in on something. We are going to tear down redevelop and repurpose all of the city housing areas and move them to more rural areas or other suburban areas In the city hence multi-family unit on the corner of vandalia and groomtown, no more smith homes no more Claremont, or other housing areas they all are going into the county.
The apartments being built at Groometown and Vandilia are in the city limits. They are on the dividing line, but still the city. That’s not a suburban area and definitely not rural.
Just look at who donated to most of the sitting council in the last election and you will see why they support developers over common sense development. Everything with Hightower is pointed towards everything being black, if a white person did what she does they of course would be racist.