Several members of the Greensboro City Council first made it clear that the Fleming Road Area Strategic Plan doesn’t mean anything – and then voted unanimously to adopt it at the Monday, April 17 meeting.

At least some members of the City Council are being honest about the corridor studies, area plans and neighborhood plans that the Greensboro Planning Department spends a lot of time and taxpayer dollars completing.

After the unanimous vote to approve the plan, Councilmember Marikay Abuzuaiter said, “When this plan is published, is there that disclaimer anywhere on the first page saying this is subject to change? The reason I say that is that we’re running into this very same thing on an upcoming rezoning because people are saying you can’t change this because it isn’t in the plan. Is there anything bright and bold?”

Greensboro Planning Director Sue Schwartz said, “We can make it bright and bold.”

During the discussion, Councilmember Tammi Thurm said, “There was quite a bit of discussion with the public along the way that just because you have a plan doesn’t mean that’s what you’re going to get.”

She added, “This is just a plan. It doesn’t limit anything.”

Councilmember Hugh Holston said, “I don’t think that anyone is going to think that this is set in stone and we can’t deviate from the plan.”

Councilmember Sharon Hightower listed some of the objectives of the plan – low density, enforcing traffic laws, protecting the natural environment – and said, “I think all communities want all of this.”

But Hightower did have a complaint about the plan, and that was the speed with which it was completed. She noted that it had only taken two years to complete the Fleming Road Area Strategic Plan while she has been waiting seven to 10 years for a similar plan to be completed for southeast Greensboro.

She said, “All of these things are great, absolutely phenomenal to do, but you have to do it on an equal basis.”

Schwartz gave a long, convoluted explanation of why the similar plans in east Greensboro were taking so long to complete.

After Schwartz finally finished speaking, City Manager Tai Jaiyeoba said, “We are going to come back and give you a better answer.”

Hightower made a motion that the plan for southeast Greensboro be the next plan that the City Council approved and the motion passed by a unanimous vote.

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