A 42-acre parcel south of I-20 and part of a proposed mixed-use development encompassing over 175 acres was denied annexation at its initial request to Greensboro City Council on Monday.
Council members voted to secure a full zoning review for compliance under existing municipal codes before an approval vote is cast.
The parcel purchase is potentially slated to be assembled with surrounding property for a future mixed-use development, according to Claire Bleckley, planning and zoning consultant for the city of Greensboro.
The property is currently zoned agricultural and is surrounded by property that is zoned both commercial and agricultural.
Along the busy corridor of Lake Oconee Parkway and adjacent to I-20, the request was to annex the property into the city of Greensboro as a planned commercial development enveloping the city’s southernmost border.
According to Terri Thorton, a local realtor and chair of the Greensboro Planning and Zoning Board, both the city and county have different sets of restrictions.
“We are a municipality,” Thorton said. “As a city, we have gas, sewer and water lines. Whereas, in the county you would have private and commercial wells. As such, our zoning restrictions and concerns would be dissimilar in many cases. We are accountable to the city and support the need to see the whole project as presented as one big development.”
Robert Forrest of Stonewalk Companies LLC is working toward full zoning compliance and approval for the development of a mixed-use development on the combined parcels. The project would include commercial and residential use – including townhomes and apartments – to address the needs for affordable housing in the city.
According to the developer, up to 900 residential units could be built over the next few years. Commercial use includes a proposed grocery and several restaurants. City Manager Larry Postell has stated that the city’s infrastructure is sufficient for a major development like this in the city.
Mixed-use developments are gaining in popularity in cities as they continue to grow and change in demographics. The concept of “live, work and play” has increasingly changed the landscape of open spaces by combining commercial use, dining and residential all in one footprint. A mixed-use development is designed to foster the integration of compatibility of land use.
Several calls to Forrest for details on the project went unanswered at time of print.