After a decade of debate, and at times a lot of public outcry, a decision has finally been reached as to how a key spot in Greensboro – land on the northwest corner of Hobbs Road and Friendly Avenue – will be developed.

 The debate began in 2016 when an Atlanta-based property development company purchased the land. Since the land’s purchase six years ago by Greensboro-based Carroll Companies, discussions have continued.

Now the fate of the property has been decided.

On Monday, Feb. 17, The Carroll Companies announced that, after roughly five years of planning, meeting with neighbors, public debate and analyzing the best prospects for the property, owner Roy Carroll now has “the foundation of a plan that’s a really good mix of uses” for that land, which is proximate to the old Friendly Shopping Center as well as to the newer The Shops at Friendly.

For the past decade, there has been a lot of public discussion and opinion regarding its best use.

Now it’s clear the operative word will be “uses” not “use.”

“The property will not have one or two large uses,” Carroll Companies announced on Monday, but it will instead consist of a mix of a half-dozen smaller uses designed to “create a very high-end pedestrian experience.”

For years, area residents who were concerned about the traffic and growth near their homes have expressed anxieties as to what will go there.

According to the announcement from Carroll Companies this week, the uses include restaurants, retail shops, a BeeSafe storage location, office and residential space, as well as a small locally managed, “very upscale, boutique hotel.”

“We anticipate a limited number of rooms so that we can deliver a terrific guest experience that also complements the look and feel of the other high-end uses in this development,” the company stated. “The facades of the buildings are composed primarily of brick and have a purposeful brownstone townhome look. Even the exterior of the hotel is contemplated to have an appearance of brownstone townhomes.”

The statement adds: “The elevations of the site and adjoining property provide opportunities for beneficial planning and design. The concept plan calls for the BeeSafe and the parking garage to be built towards the rear of the property and for the rear areas to be limited access which will serve as additional buffer and screening for the rear neighbors.”

According to the statement from Carroll Companies, the buildings on the 6.5-acre site are planned to be “inwardly facing.”

“There is a parking structure that is mostly buried in the rear of the development,” it notes of the plans.

Carroll Companies bought the northwest corner of the large intersection from Atlanta-based development company Halpern Enterprises. That Georgia company bought the property in 2016 with plans to develop it – and that drew a lot of attention and conjured strong feelings from some upset residents.

After Carroll purchased the property three years later, he promised to keep residents informed throughout the process of deciding what should be built there.

In 2019 Carroll spoke at the First Lutheran Church’s community center to residents who lived near the site.

Carroll said this week that his company had finally arrived at an excellent use for the land.

“I envision a development that will be part of the fabric of our community for years to come, a development that meets the needs of both local neighbors and greater Greensboro,” company owner Roy Carroll said.

“The idea is to create a situation where people felt comfortable parking their cars and walking to our restaurants, shops and other uses,” he said. “We held an open meeting about five years ago with the surrounding neighbors. At this meeting, we actually passed out cards and asked the neighbors what they wanted to see on the site. One thing came in very clear from the neighbors – they did not like what is currently approved – a strip shopping center with the typical large surface parking lot.”

Carroll added, “What we did hear from the neighbors was a desire to see a high-quality, walkable mixed-use project.”

 He said the current economic growth of Greensboro and a highly positive outlook for the city make this the right time for this development.

“I believe we are on our way to providing just such a project with this design,” he concluded. “This property is too valuable to our community to become another strip center as currently approved.”

The Carroll Companies plans to hold an additional open neighborhood meeting and is expected to file for rezoning to move the project forward.

The Carroll Companies, a business conglomerate that was founded in Greensboro over three decades ago and is still headquartered in Greensboro, has grown into a nationwide real estate business that focuses on land development, ownership, construction and management.

The company, which is currently valued at over $5 billion, is the previous owner of the Rhino Times. The Carroll Companies sold the popular and excellent Greensboro-based news publication in mid-2024.

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