The Greensboro City Council has unanimously adopted a long-term policy framework intended to guide the city’s effort to encourage the construction of 10,000 new housing units by 2030.
The Road to 10,000 Policy Framework doesn’t approve any specific housing developments, appropriate funding or change the city’s zoning rules. Instead, it establishes a set of priorities the Greensboro City Council and city staff are expected to use when considering future housing policies, spending decisions and partnerships with developers and nonprofit organizations.
The city announced the adoption of the framework on Monday, July 27.
According to city officials, Greensboro is projected to need more than 33,000 additional homes to meet the needs of current and future residents across a range of incomes and housing types.
Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston has also been sounding the alarm about the need for new housing in the city and the county. He told the Rhino Times that he’s concerned that, if the county doesn’t have adequate housing, the people moving to the area to take the many new jobs in Guilford County may live in adjacent counties and pay taxes there. So, both county and city leaders have gotten very serious recently about the need for new housing for those at all income levels.
The Road to 10,000 goal is intended to address part of that projected shortage by supporting the development of 10,000 additional housing units by 2030.
The framework identifies five strategic priorities: expanding housing choices, strengthening public, private and nonprofit partnerships, supporting affordable and workforce housing, preserving existing neighborhoods and increasing transparency and accountability.
Assistant City Manager Nasha McCray said of the plan, “Greensboro’s growth requires us to plan now for the housing needs of current and future residents.”
She added, “This framework gives the City a clear direction for evaluating future policies, investments, and partnerships, while creating greater transparency around our progress.”
The housing initiative is also tied to Vision36, the City of Greensboro’s broader long-range planning effort. City officials say expanding the housing supply will help Greensboro accommodate population growth, increase economic opportunity and make it easier for employers to attract and retain workers.
The Greensboro area is preparing for job growth connected to major economic development projects in and around Guilford County, including Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina, Boom Supersonic and JetZero.
Those projects and their suppliers are expected to create demand for additional housing throughout the region, including apartments, townhouses, starter homes, workforce housing and higher-priced homes.
However, adopting the framework doesn’t guarantee that 10,000 units will be built by 2030.
Most housing in Greensboro is constructed by private developers, and the pace of construction will depend on interest rates, construction costs, land availability, infrastructure, zoning, market demand and the willingness of developers and lenders to move projects forward.
The city can, however, encourage development through zoning decisions, infrastructure spending, financial incentives, expedited permitting and partnerships.
But it generally won’t build the units itself.
The framework was developed following more than a year of public engagement. According to the city, the process included input from residents, neighborhood leaders, developers, housing professionals, nonprofit organizations, employers and a community advisory task force.
The recommendations were also based on local housing data and policies used by other cities.
One potentially difficult part of the initiative will be balancing the goal of increasing the housing supply with the framework’s stated commitment to preserving existing neighborhoods.
New apartment developments and higher-density housing proposals frequently draw opposition from nearby homeowners concerned about traffic, school crowding, stormwater runoff, property values and changes to the character of their neighborhoods.
The City Council will still have to consider many of those projects individually when they require rezoning or other approvals.
The framework’s support for affordable and workforce housing also leaves future councils with decisions about how much taxpayer funding should be used to subsidize housing and what income levels should qualify for assistance.
Those questions weren’t resolved by adopting the framework.
According to city leaders, individual recommendations, funding strategies and implementation steps will return to the City Council as part of future policy and budget decisions.
That means that the practical effects of Road to 10,000 will depend on the specific ordinances, development incentives, zoning changes and spending proposals approved by the council in the coming years.
The city says it will provide updates on the initiative and its progress toward the 10,000-unit goal at GSORoadTo10k.com.
Too much without hard commitments. Too much anyway. Some of us like Greensboro as it was, and now as it is…..not bigger. Issues like Quality of Life, Loss of Lands and Natural Areas, costs and implementation of Water/Sewer extensions, power needs….Quality of Live. When do you stop. I don’t think our residents want us to be another Raleigh or Charlotte.
Most of the world’s problems are because there are TOO MANY PEOPLE. I have no solution for that.