When City Councilmember Sharon Hightower and City Councilmember Zack Matheny agree that a project has huge problems, you better believe the project has huge problems.
At the Greensboro City Council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 6, both Hightower and Matheny had numerous questions about the latest proposal for the development of the Regency Inn property.
Few if any of those questions received responses that answered their questions.
Rewriting history is fairly common when a project goes awry, as this one has, and City Manager Tai Jaiyeoba did some significant revisions in his opening statement about the development of the Regency Inn property, which originally was going to be a motel conversion to a 58-unit permanent supportive housing facility for the homeless.
Jaiyeoba said, “Initially when the city acquired this site, the plan was to develop it into 58 permanent supportive housing units. From the beginning we have worked with both Step Up and the developer Slate in discussions about this approach.”
Two major revisions of what actually occurred are in that opening passage.
First, the city has not “acquired” the property. The City of Greensboro doesn’t own the property and has never owned the property. “Initially” the city agreed to loan Partnership Homes Inc. $3 million dollars to purchase the property and to make repairs so that the old motel could be used as a winter emergency shelter and then renovated for permanent supportive housing.
Partnership Homes purchased the property in November 2021, and it was used as an winter emergency shelter.
So, the second portion of that statement is also an example of revisionist history. “From the beginning” the City of Greensboro did not work with Step Up or Slate, because in the beginning the city funded and worked with Partnership Homes.
What has never been explained by the city is why Partnership Homes, which still owns the property, was pushed aside so the city could work with Step Up on Second Street, a nonprofit that the City Council was told specializes in motel conversions to provide housing for the homeless.
It is worth noting that Partnership Homes is headquartered in Greensboro and Step Up on Second Street is headquartered at 1328 Second St, Santa Monica, California.
One question Matheny asked that was answered was that Step Up is no longer involved in projects in Winston-Salem or in Asheville.
Both Matheny and Hightower in several different ways asked two questions that were never answered. What is the proposed timeline and how much is it going to cost the city?
Both also suggested that the city buy the property so that it would have control over its development.
The City Council decided to kick the can down the road for another two weeks and get more information on how the current proposal might work at the Feb. 20 City Council meeting.
Jaiyeoba has a very casual relationship with the truth…
LOL.. maybe the city manager needs a sabbatical so he can recover from recent painful injuries received at home.
Revisionist history is the of the the Alinsky Democrat playbook. Look it up. It is the source for LEFTISTS, who control the Democrat Party. No matter which party you support, or your views, you can see your freedoms going right down the drain.
The Republicans are not much help either. They have to vote for the feel-good spending bills, or lose their power in Washington. Only the people can elect good candidates. Bon chance. Where are Calvin, Ike, or Ronnie, when you need them?
As has been stated before, the city council needs to FIRE the city manager.
I am telling you this city manager is incompetent. He is way in over his head unless it is making up positions and then giving jobs to other incompetent people which he seems to have down to a skill. Fire this man before he costs Greensboro even more money.
What a fiasco …..they have exactly the same conversation this time every year. GSO has made Greensboro a destination for the homeless. GSO is following in footsteps of Asheville.
Let’s go back to the rule of law city that worked so well forever. We need a competent city manager.
Will still visit the Asheville area every fall. Just a few years ago, we stopped going into the city for any reason. No more trips downtown to hear the street buskers or visit the shops. I think that was about the time that the city agreed to reparations – probably to keep the rioters out of the city. Tore down the monument at the city square, too – they still have the pig. Appropriate. The City has lost their charm.
Typical team blue move. When you don’t like history, just re-write it to say whatever you wish and then use those falsehoods to indoctrinate the masses.
This city would function better without a city council.
Could our Greensboro Mayor, City Council, City Manager, City Department Heads, and Greensboro Chief of Police be anymore dysfunctional? Consequently, our city has become a disgrace and resembles that of a third world country! You know, Greensboro the Banana Republic of the South?
Perhaps we could televise these meetings and syndicate them as the “Bong Show”? Yep, this is how absurd our City has become and I just wonder what these leaders are smoking?
Jim Donaldson