Impassioned pleas made by two area residents of an early Black neighborhood against a proposed 180-unit development were made Monday night at Greensboro City Council.
The proposal, tabled until a second review on Sept. 6, would be located along Veazy Road and Martin Luther King Boulevard, southwest of downtown.
Mojo Development of Atlanta has submitted its application for the development from Agriculture Residential to a Planned Unit Development (PUD). Situated on over 100 acres, the development calls for 145 single-family homes and 45 townhomes.
Shawndell Smith’s family has lived in the area for generations, and her grandfather was the first Black police officer in the city. She, along with other residents present, is concerned about systemic gentrification in similar communities underway in many areas of Atlanta.
Pathways and access to new ownership in these communities are an ever-growing concern.
Gentrification of historically poor urban neighborhoods is a process by which an area is changed by more affluent residents moving in. It typically displaces current inhabitants in the process due to higher taxes imposed on newer structures built in the immediate area. It has become a highly contested issue in urban areas as it often has the power to displace low-income families and prevent those families from moving into previously affordable areas.
“This is a historic Black community that has been established since the early 1800s,” she said. “We founded this area some time back and had our own school and hospital before we became incorporated into Greensboro.” Smith went on to add that concerns exist about current infrastructure needs as many have not been addressed, specifically sewer and water.
“How will the city meet these needs when the former hasn’t been addressed?” she asked.
Mojo, for its part, provided several reasons in its application to the city why such a project would be a welcome addition to Greensboro.
It cited a need for affordable housing for middle-income residents while still allowing the neighborhood the luxuries of higher-end developments. They claim discussions with Greensboro utilities have been positive and assert that running both city water and sewer are feasible. Lot sizes are scaled to be roughly 0.3 acres each.
A 20-year-old sign ordinance for the city was a hotly discussed topic as two candidates vying for a current vacant city council seat claim the city has given them conflicting information regarding when and where signage could be.
The city attorney advised the council to both reviews and amend the ordinance as it could not be supported “constitutionally” at present.